Sept. 23, 2010
SAN DIEGO - Beth Burns, the winningest head coach in Aztec women's basketball history, has signed a new five-year extension to her contract, San Diego State Director of Athletics Jim Sterk announced Thursday. The contract is effective immediately and runs through the 2014-15 campaign.
"Coach Burns has shown the will, drive and talent to make San Diego State basketball one of the best programs not only on the West Coast, but in the nation," Sterk said. "Both coach Burns' and San Diego State's desire to win championships and compete on a national level made this extension a logical step and is a commitment that we have worked toward and planned for over the last six months since the season came to a close. We look forward to the continued growth and success of our women's basketball program under coach Burns' leadership."
Burns is entering her sixth season of her second stint at San Diego State. This past year, she led the Aztecs to new heights, as the team advanced to the NCAA Sweet Sixteen for the first time since the field was expanded to 64 teams. SDSU notched victories over a pair of top 25 foes in No. 10 West Virginia and No. 17 Texas on the Longhorns' home floor. The 11th-seeded Aztecs were the lowest seed to advance to the Round of 16 in 2010 and lowest overall since 2007.
"I am excited to extend my relationship with San Diego State, and eager to continue to build on our program's successes both on and off the court," Burns said. "I am very thankful to all the people who help make Aztec Basketball what it is; my coaches, staff, administrators, and most importantly, our student-athletes, who work very hard on a daily basis to represent SDSU. I am very proud to be an Aztec and enjoy being a part of the San Diego community. I truly appreciate the support I receive from both President (Stephen) Weber and Jim Sterk and look forward to leading Aztec Basketball to great heights."
San Diego State earned an automatic bid to the 2010 NCAA tournament after a dramatic overtime victory over Utah at the Mountain West Conference championships in Las Vegas, Nev. As a team, the Aztecs ended the campaign with a 23-11 overall record and garnered a No. 20 national ranking in the final ESPN/USA Today coaches' poll, a program first since the poll started in 1986.
Individually, senior guard Jené Morris was named an honorable mention All-American, MWC Defensive Player of the Year and first-team all-league selection for the second year in a row, before becoming the first-ever Aztec picked in the WNBA Draft, going in the first round (11th overall) to the Indiana Fever. Point guard Quenese Davis capped her career by being named the MWC tournament MVP and was also a third-team all-league honoree, while junior center Paris Johnson earned second-team all-MWC accolades.
Over the past two seasons, San Diego State women's basketball has notched a combined record of 43-15, including a 27-3 mark at home, made two consecutive NCAA tournament appearances, gone 2-0 in NCAA first-round games, won both an MWC tournament championship and an MWC regular-season title and defeated five Associated Press Top 25 squads (two, top 10). In 2009, Burns was also named the Mountain West Conference Coach of the Year.
In her first stint on Montezuma Mesa from 1989-97, Burns directed San Diego State to four 20-win seasons and four NCAA tournament appearances, including a trip to the second round in 1994. The Aztecs claimed two WAC conference championships and three regular-season titles in her eight-year tenure. Burns was named WAC Coach of the Year on three occasions and garnered district coach-of-the-year honors in 1995.
Burns' 18-year head coaching record stands at 312-220, including 231 victories at the helm of the Aztecs. The Chatham, N.J. native has coached SDSU student-athletes to four All-America selections, two conference player of the year and two defensive player-of-the-year honors and conference tournament MVP accolades on three occasions. The Aztecs have had 16 first-team all-league selections and 15 all-academic picks during Burns' two stints.
San Diego State kicks off its 2010-11 campaign with an exhibition game Thursday, Nov. 4, against UC San Diego at 7 p.m. at Viejas Arena. The team's official season-opener is Nov. 12, when the Aztecs play host to UCLA in an outing that will be televised live on The Mtn. SDSU women's basketball season tickets are now on sale through the Aztec ticket office at 619-283-SDSU.