Rick Pitino, Jamie Dixon get extensions

Louisville and Coach Rick Pitino agreed in principle to a four-year contract extension Wednesday that will keep him on the sideline through the 2016-17 season.

Pitino hopes the extension ends what he called unfounded speculation that he’s considering leaving the Cardinals in pursuit of another job.

“My moving days have long been over,” Pitino said. “I’ve been here nine years. It feels like nine days. Now I’m going to be able to end this career at the place I want to end it at.”

Pitino’s current contract runs through 2013 and pays him around $2.5 million annually. Athletic Director Tom Jurich said his goal is to make Pitino’s new salary competitive with the top coaches in the country.

“I think as we move forward, it’s very important for us to be stable,” Jurich said. “We have a great coach at the top, we have an icon at the top and I don’t think there’s five coaches that are in the same discussion as coach Pitino so it’s important we keep him.”

Pitino is 220-86 at Louisville and 572-210 in 24 seasons at the collegiate level. He’s the only men’s coach to lead three different programs to the Final Four and has helped the Cardinals put together the second-best record in the Big East since joining the 16-team league in 2005

Dixon also staying

Another coach ending speculation is Pittsburgh’s Jamie Dixon, who also is getting a contract extension.

Dixon was already signed through the 2015-16 season, at a salary of about $1.6 million a season.

Dixon’s record of 188-54 in seven seasons — an average of nearly 27 victories per season — is one of the best in NCAA history for any coach at that period of his career. The Panthers have made the NCAA tournament every season under Dixon.

More coaching news

George Mason Coach Jim Larranaga has signed a contract extension through the 2015-16 season. He led George Mason to a surprising Final Four berth in the 2006 NCAA tournament and has a 246-157 record over the past 13 seasons. … Tim Welsh was hired as men’s coach at Hofstra. The former coach at Providence and Iona has spent the past two seasons as a commentator for ESPNU. Welsh replaces Tom Pecora, who took the job at Fordham last week.

Etc.

Connecticut’s Maya Moore and Tina Charles are two of the five finalists for the John R. Wooden Award as women’s college basketball player of the year. Moore, who won the award last year, and Charles have led the undefeated Huskies to a berth in the Final Four and 76 consecutive victories. Stanford, another team headed to the Final Four in San Antonio, also has two finalists in Jayne Appel and Nnemkadi Ogwumike. Kelsey Griffin of Nebraska is the other finalist. The men’s and women’s Wooden Awards will be presented April 9 at the Los Angeles Athletic Club. … Georgia guard Travis Leslie, who averaged 14.8 points a game, says he is returning for his junior season.