HoopDirt.com’s Daily News from the college basketball coaching world…
- Colorado State head basketball coach Larry Eustachy is facing new conduct investigation. CSU athletic director Joe Parker said Wednesday, “We have started a climate assessment, which involves conversations with the students and staff members associated with the men’s basketball program. As always, we will not make any public comments until our process is complete and have no additional information to share at this time.” Parker’s comments came in response to a report published online earlier in the day by former Rocky Mountain Collegian sports editor Justin Michael stating that Parker was interviewing players individually about the coach’s conduct. Citing “multiple sources close to the situation,” the report said the “vast majority of the players spoke out against Eustachy in their interviews.” More on this from the Coloradoan HERE.
- Tennessee head coach Rick Barnes used own money to boost assistant coach Desmond Oliver’s pay, which is apparently an NCAA violation. Barnes’ good-will gesture resulted in an NCAA Level III violation of rule 11.3.2.2, which pertains to supplemental pay. Barnes didn’t know he was violating an NCAA rule and openly told his supervisor that he’d supplemented Oliver’s pay, according to a compilation of UT’s self-reported NCAA violations for 2017, obtained via an open-records request.“It was important to me that Des Oliver made the same amount of money as” fellow assistant Michael Schwartz, Barnes told USA TODAY Network – Tennessee. “I just felt those two positions needed to be equal. They felt it wasn’t in the budget. I just said, ‘I am going to pay it myself.’” More from HERE.
- Speaking of NCAA investigations…UConn’s Kevin Ollie released the following statement; “With regard to the inquiry directed at our men’s basketball program, I want to express that we will cooperate fully with NCAA as this process moves forward as we are committed to promoting an atmosphere of compliance with NCAA regulations. As we head into the final weeks of the season, our total focus will be on helping our team improve and reach its highest potential. To that end, we have no further comment on this matter.” Details of the NCAA inquiry emerged Saturday. It is focused on recruiting, and includes interaction with several players, not necessarily players who came to UConn. The NCAA has been conducting interviews for several months, though it is not clear whether current coaches or staffers have been interviewed yet. The complete report from the Hartford Courant can be found HERE.
- A federal judge has dismissed a lawsuit filed against UW-Madison officials by a woman who was romantically linked to former men’s basketball coach Bo Ryan, finding that her constitutional rights were not violated by the school’s investigation into her relationship with Ryan or by the release of her 2015 email accusing Ryan of misconduct. Read the full Report from The Wisconsin State Journal HERE.
- Washington head coach Mike Hopkins has taken out full-page ad thanking UW fans for support and kindness. The ad read: “Seattle! I wanted to take a moment to say thank you for the outpouring of support and kindness you have shown in welcoming me and my family to this community. It has been truly humbling. And -Wow – did Seattle ever turn out for the Apple Cup on Sunday! I’d heard about how incredible this environment could be, and Sunday’s game lived up to all of the hype. I truly believe there is no tougher place for opponents to play than a sold-out Alaska Airlines Arena. That type of atmosphere is what makes college basketball so special.” See the full ad from the Seattle Times HERE.
- Iowa’s win over Minnesota was the 400th career victory for head coach Fran McCaffrey. On the Milestone, McCaffrey said, “You don’t get 400 wins being a great coach, you get 400 wins when you have great players who are committed to one another, committed to being great, put the time in in the offseason, and have the kind of character that you want. I always find it interesting to say Fran McCaffrey has 400 wins. I don’t have any wins. Iowa has a bunch of wins. Siena has a bunch of wins. Our team won a lot of games. I think the important thing is our players received credit for that.”McCaffrey is in his 22nd season as a DI head coach. In addition to his 7+ seasons at Iowa, he has also had stops at Siena, UNC Greensboro, and Lehigh.
- The HoopDirt.com Coach of the Week presented by Just Play Solutions winners were announced earlier this week. The full list of winners from the DI, DII, DIII, NAIA, and JUCO levels can be found HERE. Nominations for next week’s award can be sent to: [email protected]
