The North Texas board of regents on Thursday praised athletic director Rick Villarreal for all he has accomplished since he took over the school’s athletic department in 2001.

Rick Villarreal

Then they gave Villarreal the security that could lead to him staying on to guide the program for the foreseeable future by approving a contract extension through 2015. Terms of the deal were not readily available.

Before Villarreal’s contract was approved, he said the offer to extend his contract was a reflection of his ability to help the university’s athletes succeed both on and off the field.

UNT’s men’s basketball team advanced to the NCAA tournament for the second time in four years in March, while the school’s tennis team will face Tulsa in the first round today.

UNT’s soccer team is also ranked among the 10 percent nationally in the NCAA’s Academic Progress Rate report that measures a school’s ability to keep its athletes eligible and in school.

Villarreal has also overseen the construction of several facilities during his tenure, including the Waranch Tennis Center, the Mean Green Athletic Center and Lovelace Stadium, the home for the UNT softball program.

The school is in the process of building a $78 million football stadium.

Villarreal last signed a contract extension on Aug. 24, 2007. The deal included a base salary of $197,200 a year with incentives for the performance of the school’s teams on the field and the academic performance of its athletes.

Villarreal is due a $50,000 retention bonus on May 31 under the terms of his previous contract.

Mangrum transfers to SMU

UNT guard Collin Mangrum confirmed late Wednesday that he will transfer to SMU and will use his final year of eligibility at the school.

The former Howe standout spent four years at UNT and took a redshirt season in 2007-08 to recover from knee surgery. He is set to graduate and said he will enroll in Dispute Resolution and Conflict Management at SMU.

Mangrum said when he left UNT that he is interested in attending law school.

The NCAA allows players who have graduated to transfer to another school and become eligible immediately if they enroll in a program not offered at the school they are leaving.

Mangrum is the only player in UNT history to play in two NCAA tournaments. He played in the Mean Green’s first-round loss to Memphis in 2007 and also played in UNT’s loss to Kansas State this year.

He averaged 4.1 points a game last season, when he started three games.

An SMU official said that Mangrum will join the program as a non-scholarship player.

Staff Writer Candace Carlisle contributed to this report

BRETT VITO can be reached at 940-566-6870. His e-mail address is bvito@dentonrc.com .