By Natalie Fiorilli / The Duquesne Duke
With the search for a new athletic director underway, not much is certain in the world of Duquesne sports these days, but some stability was reserved this week with the announcement of contract extensions handed to the men’s and women’s basketball coaches.
The men’s team agreed to terms with Jim Ferry on Tuesday, followed by a similar announcement Wednesday regarding women’s coach Dan Burt.
The upcoming season will be Ferry’s fourth at Duquesne, and Burt’s third as head coach and ninth within the program. While full details of the agreements have not been released, it can be expected that both will remain at Duquesne past the 2015-2016 season.
The agreements were made just short of July 2, when current Athletic Director Greg Amodio will officially leave Duquesne for his new position at Quinnipiac University. Both Ferry and Burt were initially hired under Amodio’s tenure.
In this past season Ferry led the Dukes to a 12-19 finish and a first-round win in the Atlantic 10 Championship – the third in 20 years.
“[We] look forward to the future,” Ferry said in a statement. “My staff and I are driven to bringing the program all the way back.”
Burt has been granted more time to continue his progress with a team that, under his guidance, has been inching closer toward an NCAA Tournament bid.
Last season, Burt’s team won 23 games en route to a WNIT appearance, in which the Dukes made it to the third round.
“I look forward to continuing the excellence that we have established on the court in the Atlantic 10 Conference as well as in the classroom,” Burt said in a statement.
