Radford University Director of Athletics Robert Lineburg announced on Mar. 27 a contract extension for women’s basketball head coach Mike McGuire, securing his position through the 2028-29 season.
The decision comes after a strong season in which McGuire led the Highlanders to a runner-up finish in both the Big South regular season and conference tournament during his thirteenth year with the program. The team also returned to postseason play for the first time since 2018-19, achieving their first Women’s National Invitation Tournament (WNIT) win at home.
McGuire said, “I’m incredibly grateful for the opportunity to continue leading Radford women’s basketball. The past 13 years have been some of the most rewarding years of my personal and professional life. Radford has become home for my family and we love this community. Thank you to President Bret Danilowicz and Robert Lineburg for their continued confidence and belief in me to lead this program. I also want to thank our assistant coaches and support staff for their hard work, dedication, and alignment on a daily basis. My sincere appreciation to our alumni, donors, and fans as well who make our program special. Most importantly, I’m so appreciative of our student-athletes for their daily commitments and determination to represent our institution and program in a first-class way. This year’s team was an absolute joy to be around. We are excited to build upon this season and work together to make the 2026-27 season a fantastic one.”
During the previous season, McGuire became Radford’s all-time winningest basketball coach with his 194th victory on November 11 against Loyola Maryland, surpassing hall of fame coach Pat Barrett. He reached his 200th win in December against Hampton; overall he now holds 215 career wins—sixth-most in Big South Conference history—and ranks fourth with 145 conference victories.
Highlights from last season include setting a new program record by playing in 36 games following an appearance in the Big South Championship Game and earning another WNIT First Round win at home before more than one thousand fans—the largest crowd among host sites that round.
Individual accolades under McGuire included Georgia Simonsen being named Big South Freshman of the Year while Joi Williams earned All-Big South First Team honors after surpassing one thousand career points as a junior point guard. Four Highlanders were named CSC Academic All-District honorees as well.
Looking ahead, McGuire said he hopes to build on recent momentum as Radford prepares for its fifty-sixth season with three new guards joining next year: Kerri Fluellen, Jordin Richardson, and Lee Williams.
