SAN FRANCISCO -- California coach Lindsay Gottlieb has received a contract extension through the 2020-21 season, adding three years to her deal.
The school announced the extension Thursday, when Gottlieb was in attendance at Pac-12 media day.
From the moment she returned to Cal as head coach in April 2011, Gottlieb spoke of building a program over the long haul -- and this move provides her program with stability going forward and benefits on the recruiting trail.
"You look at women's basketball and there are a handful of programs that are elite," Gottlieb said Thursday. "I want to be one of those places where people associate Cal with women's basketball. ... I really do believe in what we're doing here."
The 39-year-old Gottlieb, the 2012-13 Pac-12 Coach of the Year, is 118-51 at Cal. She was previously a top assistant at the school, then spent three years as head coach at Santa Barbara before returning to Berkeley.
"Personally, the place has changed my life. It's been the greatest impact on my professional career," she said. "An extension to say, 'We want you here for the next five years,' is really, for me, very meaningful."
The Golden Bears are picked sixth in the preseason poll by the conference coaches.