EWU gives hoop coach

Hayford new five-year deal

CHENEY - With 40 victories overall in three seasons, Eastern Washington men's basketball coach Jim Hayford has been rewarded with a new five-year agreement, EWU athletic director Bill Chaves announced Friday.

The deal scraps the remaining two years of Hayford's current five-year contract, thus keeping him in Cheney at least through the 2018-19 season. Hayford, Chaves and outgoing EWU President Dr. Rodolfo Arevalo officially signed the agreement earlier this week.

In Hayford's third season at the helm this past year, Eastern was 7-4 in its last 11 league games and finished 15-16 overall and 10-10 in the Big Sky Conference. The 15 victories equal the most for the Eagles in 10 years since EWU finished 17-13 in the 2003-04 season.

With 40 victories overall and 25 league wins in three seasons under Hayford, this is the best three-year stretch since 2005-08 when Eastern had 41 wins and the best in league play since 2001-04 when the Eagles won 30.

Since Eastern became a member of NCAA Division I in 1983, no Eastern coach has lasted longer than five years. Hayford coached Whitworth College in Spokane for 10 seasons before arriving in Cheney.

The Eagles had no seniors on their 2013-14 roster, and return highly-regarded juniors-to-be in guard Tyler Harvey and forward Venky Jois.