MORGANTOWN, W.Va. - Fans say West Virginia University basketball coach John Beilein deserves the two-year contract extension he won Thursday after leading the Mountaineers to their best season in more than four decades and turning around a team that was in trouble just three years ago.

"They say this team has no stars but in my opinion, Coach Beilein is the star of the team," said WVU senior Mike Jones of Pittsburgh, referring to the team's ensemble performance in the NCAA tournament. "He's brought them together, brought the fans together, assembled the coaching staff. He deserves all the credit."

Beilein, who took WVU to the Elite Eight, will remain in Morgantown through the 2011-12 season under the new contract. His base salary will be $700,000 a year, with annual increases of $20,000. His previous contract was to expire after the 2009-10 season.

At a news conference Thursday afternoon, neither WVU President David Hardesty nor Athletic Director Ed Pastilong would divulge the details of bonus incentives included in Beilein's new deal.

"John wanted to be with us, and we very much wanted him to be with us," Pastilong said. "It's a good marriage."

Hardesty said the contract includes provisions that would now make it "costly" for another school to try to lure Beilein away, but he did not elaborate.

Beilein was out of town Thursday on a recruiting trip and planned to travel to St. Louis to watch the Final Four. In a prepared statement issued by the university, he said he and his staff are grateful for the opportunity, "and we hope that our success will continue."

Bill Yost, a junior from Clarksburg, has watched the Mountaineers improve gradually under Beilein and was happy to hear the coach is staying.

"He does the most with what he's got better than anybody in the nation," Yost said. "Even (Texas Tech coach) Bobby Knight said West Virginia is one of the best taught, best coached teams in the nation."

The Mountaineers finished the 2004-05 season 24-11 after losing to Louisville 93-85 in overtime in the NCAA regional finals. It was the team's best showing since Jerry West's 1959 squad went to the national title game.

WVU had a school-record eight wins over nationally ranked teams this year and finished as runner-up in the Big East Tournament.

Tanny Deliere, a junior from Pittsburgh, said Beilein deserves the new contract.

"He took players that a lot of people didn't think had the capability and made it to the Elite Eight," Deliere said.

In his 27 years as a college coach, Beilein has won 502 games. He took over the Mountaineers in April 2002 after coaching five seasons at Richmond, where he compiled a 100-53 record.

At the time, the WVU program was in turmoil. Longtime coach Gale Catlett had quit in midseason, and WVU hired Bowling Green's Dan Dakich as a replacement. But Dakich quit eight days later after discovering a possible NCAA rules violation.

An internal investigation eventually concluded three unidentified players had accepted free meals, lodging and transportation before signing to play for the school. The players had roomed with WVU athletes and eaten at a campus dining hall in June 2001.

Pastilong declared four athletes ineligible to play but immediately asked the NCAA to reinstate three who had committed lesser infractions. Only point guard Jonathan Hargett, whose amateur status came into question, did not return to the team.

Nick Martino, a junior from Brookville, Ind., remembers critics saying then that it would take 10-20 years to fix the team. He gives Beilein the credit for proving them wrong.

"It just makes the university look better. Sports is such a big deal when you're choosing a school," Martino said. "By making the Elite Eight this year and with football getting five-star recruits, it's good exposure for the school and the state."

Hardesty said he has received phone calls and e-mails from alumni nationwide who have been energized by the team's success.

"Grads all over the country have bragging rights, and that will help build a backdrop for fund-raising," he said. "John Beilein's own persona and the kind of program he's built represent what we want to be known for nationally."

The announcement cuts short rumors that Beilein would leave. His name has been mentioned as a possible replacement at Virginia.

Pastilong said that should help recruiting because prospective players will know they're entering a stable program.