Following one of the most successful women’s basketball seasons in nearly a decade, Kansas State head coach Jeff Mittie was named the recipient of the 2017 Kansas Basketball Coaches Association (KBCA) Women’s Basketball Four-Year College Coach of the Year Award. According to a release from K-State Athletics.
Kansas State concluded the 2016-17 season with 23 wins, the most since the 2008-09 season. The Wildcats made the 15th NCAA Tournament appearance in program history and advanced a round in the tournament for the 11th time. Mittie was the first women’s basketball coach in school history to guide the program to two NCAA Tournament appearances in their first three seasons.
This was the 15th 20-win season for Mittie in his 25 seasons as a head coach. The 23 victories were the most for a Mittie coached team since he guided TCU to 23 wins during the 2007-08 season. He has tallied 24 winning seasons in his 25 years as a head coach. The NCAA Tournament appearance for Mittie was the 18th postseason trip for one of his programs, including his fourth straight.
The Wildcats registered an 11-7 mark in the Big 12 and a fourth-place finish in the league. The 11 wins were the most since K-State won the Big 12 in 2007-08. This was the third straight season under Mittie that K-State improved its league win total from one season to the next.
During the 2016-17 season, Mittie achieved a milestone as he recorded the 500th win of his career with a 70-57 win at Omaha on December 4, 2016. Mittie owns a career mark of 515-273 (.654), including a 61-38 (.616) record in his three seasons at Kansas State. He reached the 50-win mark in his 81st career game at Kansas State with a 68-54 win over Texas Tech on January 7, 2017. He is the fifth K-State women’s basketball head coach to achieve 50 or more victories.
