Gary Waters signs 7-year extension from Cleveland State

Cleveland State Vikings head coach Gary Waters has signed a seven-year contract extension, the school announced on Thursday. The deal is good through the 2018-19 season.

Waters became Cleveland State's head coach after the 2005-2006 season, in which the Vikings finished 10-18. Waters' first year on the job wasn't much better, leading the team to a 10-21 record. However, the program came back strong in the following season, winning 21 games and earning a berth to the postseason NIT. In 2008-09, the Vikings hit the jackpot, winning 26 games and getting an invite to the NCAA Tournament. In the first round, they stunned fourth-seeded Wake Forest, 84-69 before succumbing to Arizona in the second round.

Since then, Waters has guided the Vikings to two more 20-win seasons, including a 27-win campaign in 2010-11, which is second-most in school history.

The Vikings are set to kickoff the 2012-13 season on Friday night against Grambling. After that, they'll enter preseason NIT play, taking on Bowling Green on Nov. 12 in Ann Arbor, Mich.