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Eastern Illinois Athletic Director Tom Michael announced that men's basketball head coach Marty Simmons has been offered a two-year contract extension that will extend Simmons as the Panthers head coach through the 2026-27 season, pending EIU Board of Trustee approval.
 
Simmons just completed his third season as the Panthers head coach guiding the program back to the Ohio Valley Conference Tournament for the first time since the 2019-20 season.
 
He guided EIU to a 14-18 record this season including 8-10 in the OVC.  The number of overall wins and OVC wins were the highest for the program since the 2019-20 season as well.
 
"Coach Simmons has continued to build this program from the ground up and we are excited about the progress made this season starting with a return to the Ohio Valley Conference Tournament," said Michael.  "He has been a proven winner at his previous coaching stops and I believe that he has the basketball program poised to take another step forward. "
 
This past season's team included one first team All-OVC selection in Tiger Booker marking just the eighth different individual EIU player to earn first team honors since the Panthers joined the OVC in 1996-97.  Last week it was also announced that two players from this year's team – Dan Luers and Corey Sawyer Jr., - earned Academic All-District honors.