Louisville's Walz agrees to contract extension

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP) — Sixth-ranked Louisville and women’s basketball coach Jeff Walz have agreed to a contract extension through 2028.

Financial terms were not released. Walz’s previous deal was extended in 2018 through the 2024-25 season. Athletic director Vince Tyra said in a release that he was “excited” about the extension. The AD cited continuity in Walz’s coaching staff as key to the program’s status as a national championship contender and said the extension would solidify that continuity.

Louisville will begin the season on Nov. 12 against national runner-up Arizona in Sioux Falls, South Dakota.

“It has been 15 years of hard work, doing things the right way and lots of on and off the court wins that have made this extension possible,” said Walz, who thanked Tyra, Louisville President Neeli Bendapudi and the school’s athletic board in the release.

Walz enters his 15th season as Louisville’s winningest coach at 385-108, including 26-4 last season. He has won four consecutive Atlantic Coast Conference regular season championships, and the Cardinals reached their sixth NCAA Tournament Elite Eight last spring. They made the Final Four in 2009, 2013 and 2018.