UTSA head basketball coach Austin Claunch, who has been suspended since October 28th, is now officially out as the Roadrunners head coach. Claunch was placed on leave following his arrest for suspicion of driving while intoxicated.
Nick Bowman, who has been the acting coach since the suspension, will assume the role of interim head coach for the rest of the season.
UTSA has released the following statement announcing the move:
UTSA Vice President for Intercollegiate Athletics Lisa Campos announced on Friday that the university and men’s basketball head coach Austin Claunch have mutually agreed to part ways effective immediately.
Nick Bowman, who has served as acting head coach since the start of the season, will serve as the interim head coach for the remainder of the season.
“After thoughtful discussions about the future of the program, we mutually agreed that this was the right time for a transition,” Campos said. “We thank Coach Claunch for his efforts over the last two years and wish him nothing but the best in the future. We look forward to this season with Nick Bowman at the helm.”
“I want to thank our players, staff, administration, and fans for the support they’ve shown me during my time at UTSA,” Claunch said. “Dr. Campos and I agreed that it was best for both sides to move in a different direction. I want to thank Dr. Campos for the opportunity to coach at UTSA. I’ll always be rooting for UTSA and the young men in this program.”
Bowman is in his third season at UTSA after serving as an assistant coach the last two seasons. He came to the Roadrunners from LSU New Orleans, where he was the lead assistant coach and recruiting coordinator.
Bowman was previously at Nicholls for five seasons, including the last three as associate head coach. During that time, he recruited and coached 11 all-conference student-athletes that helped propel the Colonels to a program record for most regular single season wins and most regular season victories over a five-year period. Nicholls also advanced to the 2022 NIT.
Bowman has three seasons of previous experience at Clemson as the director of recruiting, during which time he helped the team to the 2018 Sweet 16 and 2017 NIT. That was his second Sweet 16, after helping Tennessee to the same feat in 2014.
A graduate of Eastern Kentucky, Bowman was a graduate assistant at EKU and started his coaching career at Pikeville.
