Agnus earns three- year deal

By Mike Gladysz

Two weeks after announcing the contract extension of Pitt men’s basketball coach Jamie Dixon,… Two weeks after announcing the contract extension of Pitt men’s basketball coach Jamie Dixon, Pitt athletic director Steve Pederson announced that Pitt women’s basketball coach Agnus Berenato was getting an extension of her own. Coming off Pitt women’s first-ever Sweet 16 appearance, Berenato received a three-year contract extension on Thursday afternoon. Berenato’s new extension will keep her on the Pitt sidelines through at least the 2015-16 season. Athletic director Steve Pederson did not immediately release the financial details of the contract extension, but it will include a raise that might put her among the top third of Big East coaches, according to a report by the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Berenato joined Pitt in 2003 after spending 15 seasons at Georgia Tech. In her five years at Pitt, Berenato has led the Panthers to an 89-66 record. She helped rebuild the program from the Big East cellar to the top tier of the conference. Last season, she coached Pitt to a 24-11 overall record and went 10-6 in the Big East. For the second straight year, Pitt made the NCAA Tournament, producing wins against Wyoming and Baylor to reach the Sweet 16. Pitt welcomes back All-American candidate Shavonte Zellous and fellow senior guard Xenia Stewart to lead the Panthers into the 2008-09 campaign.