PISCATAWAY, N.J. (AP) Rutgers has given Hall of Fame women's basketball coach C. Vivian Stringer a four-year contract extension.
Athletic Director Pat Hobbs announced the agreement on Thursday, a little more than a week before Stringer will start her 23rd season at Rutgers with a game at James Madison on Nov. 10.
Stringer will earn $3.4 million under the contract that will run through the 2020-21 season.
Entering the season, the 69-year-old Stringer has a 977-390 career record over the last 46 seasons and is 23 wins away from joining Tara VanDerveer of Stanford and the late Pat Summit of Tennessee with at least 1,000 career victories in women's basketball.
In 2013, Stringer became just the seventh coach - men's or women's - to reach the 900-win mark. Her 34 20-win seasons are second-best in women's basketball history. She is the fourth active winningest Division I coach and sixth all-time in career wins in NCAA women's basketball history.
''With the start of the basketball season just days ahead, I'm delighted that we've reached a new agreement with Coach Stringer,'' Hobbs said. ''We are making investments in excellence across our department and this agreement, along with the coming practice facility, demonstrates our commitment to returning our women's basketball program to an elite level.''
Rutgers was 6-24 last season, Stringer's worst season with the program.
The Hall of Famer has guided the Scarlet Knights to a 457-255 overall mark, including Final Four appearances in 2000 and 2007, 15 NCAA Tournament berths, including a run of ten-straight from 2003-12, and a WNIT Championship in 2014.
''I appreciate the opportunity to continue to take the Scarlet Knights to great heights, in particular, with the current group of young ladies we have,'' Stringer said. ''
Rutgers returns six members from last year's active roster. The Scarlet Knights also pick up Kathleen Fitzpatrick, Stasha Carey and Ciani Cryor, who sat out last season due to NCAA transfer rules, and Tyler Scaife, who missed last season with a medical redshirt.
