It appears that the man who just engineered the most successful Men’s basketball season in University of Central Arkansas Division 1 history will be staying in Conway for a while longer.
In a press release Wednesday afternoon, UCA athletic director Matt Whiting announced that he and men’s basketball coach John Shulman have agreed to a contract extension, with plans to keep the 2025-2026 Atlantic Sun coach of the year at Central Arkansas through the 2029-2030 season.
The extension comes just days after the Bears returned home from the ASUN tournament, where UCA fell just short of earning its first NCAA tournament bid in Division 1 history.
After a 9-24 record in year one, Shulman led the Bears to a 22-12 record in his second campaign, the most wins in a single season in Central Arkansas history at the Division 1 level.
Shulman also coached the Bears to a 15-3 record in the Atlantic Sun Conference, giving UCA men’s basketball its most conference wins and first share of a regular season conference title in Division 1 history.
In addition to Coach of the Year in the ASUN Conference, Shulman has been named a finalist for the Hugh Durham award given to the top mid-major coach in the nation.
In the release to the media, Whiting commented, “Coach Shulman has infused great energy into our men’s basketball program and taken our program to new heights in a very short amount of time. He and his staff have instilled a strong culture and set a new standard for men’s basketball at Central Arkansas. I am excited about the future of Central Arkansas Basketball and proud to have Coach Shulman leading our program.”
Shulman added, “We came out to Conway and Central Arkansas to do something special. We got close. We have unfinished business. We’ve got a lot of work to do and we are excited about the future. UCA basketball is just getting started. I want to thank Dr. [Houston] Davis and Matt Whiting for believing in our vision. Time to get back to work.”
In addition to Shulman’s extension, plans are in place for a new basketball arena on campus to replace the 53-year-old Farris Center, signaling the dawn of a new era for Central Arkansas basketball.
With an extension in hand, a young roster fresh off a historic season, and a new arena on the way, the future of Men’s basketball at the University of Central Arkansas is as bright as it has been in a very long time.