Roger Reid will return for a fifth season as Southern Utah's basketball coach, athletic director Ken Beazer confirmed Tuesday.

The Thunderbirds' records of 11-19 overall and 7-11 in Summit League play represented a four-game improvement this season under Reid, whose contract has one year remaining. SUU lost to top-seeded Oakland in the quarterfinals of the conference tournament.

Reid's first SUU team went 9-9 in league play, but has not reached that level since, while he has tried to build the program with young players. The former BYU coach stands 40-80 overall and 27-45 in conference games in four years at SUU, but progress is expected next year with the Thunderbirds losing only one senior.

In an e-mail, SUU president Michael Benson cited the team's academic performance and the job that Reid and his staff have done in "bringing in young players and integrating them into the program … We have a nice nucleus of players coming back."

kkragthorpe@sltrib.com