#10: Atlantic 10 Senior Assoc. Commissioner Richardson announces her retirement, effective at the end of the academic year. (link) |
#9: Track this week's administrative moves, including transitions at Michigan, North Dakota, Tulsa, Virginia, Towson, Presbyterian, Wake Forest, Boston College, USC Upstate, Georgia Tech, Morgan State & more on The Wire over at Collegiate Sports Connect. (link)
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#8: New Mexico State System Chancellor Arvizu on his decision to pause the MBB program: “The most important job I have as Chancellor of the NMSU System is to ensure our students are safe and protected from harm. That's why I was so heartbroken and sickened to hear about these hazing allegations. Hazing is a despicable act. It humiliates and degrades someone and has the potential to cause physical and emotional harm, or even death. Sadly, hazing can become part of an organization's culture, if left unchecked. NMSU policy strictly prohibits hazing, in all forms, and it's something we simply will not tolerate.” The announcement of the program’s suspension came a few hours after MBB student-athletes Lazar (preferred walk-on) and Olewiler (RS Freshman) announced on social media that they were leaving the team. Lazar indicated his departure was because “I don’t think the program that I originally committed to aligns with my beliefs and core values.” (link)
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#7: Saturday night’s UC Davis-UC Santa Barbara MBB contest was marred by a fight that broke out between the two squads & spilled into the courtside seating, knocking some patrons back in their chairs. The Big West has suspended Aggies AC Metzger-Jones & student-athlete Johnson, along with UCSB student-athlete Kelly for one game each. (link)
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#6: Santa Fe New Mexican columnist Webber on the situation in Las Cruces: “In a matter of months, NMSU has become the very definition of a renegade program, its glaring lack of leadership becoming the focal point. Video of Heiar stumbling his way through a conversation with a state police officer the morning of Peake’s shooting hints of a man who is in over his head, one who is either woefully ignorant of his players’ actions or complicit in them. It’s unclear if these latest findings are worthy of a self-imposed death penalty for the rest of the season, but the fact the school was willing to pull the plug and suspend the coaches before the details came out is an indication of how ugly things are about to become.” (link)
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#5: New Mexico State’s MBB program has been indefinitely shut down with the coaching staff placed on administrative leave due to allegations of “hazing a teammate on more than one occasion, source told @Stadium. Police report was filed in the last 24 hours. That triggered the indefinite shutdown of the program.” The NMSU Board of Regents released a statement on the matter: “The New Mexico State University Board of Regents were informed this evening of the suspension of operations for the men’s basketball program. The board supports the action taken by the university leaders and is confident a full and thorough investigation will be conducted.” (link, link)
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#4: You won’t see a better buzzer-beater all year as Portland State MBB threw it the length of the court with 0.4 seconds left & hit a contested-fade-away-all-in-one-motion jumper to beat Northern Arizona. (link) |
#3: The NCAA appoints Interim SVP for Communications Lehe as VP for Communications, reporting to the newly created SVP for External Affairs. Incoming President Baker: "Gina has proven herself to be a strong leader with exceptional skills as a communications strategist and I am proud to have her as a member of my team. As I prepare to take office I've been impressed with Gina's work to make the NCAA's communications collaborative, inclusive and strategic. I look forward to hitting the ground running with her and the whole team soon." (link)
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#2: The NCAA has named Massachusetts Governor/incoming NCAA President Baker’s Chief of Staff Buckley as SVP of External Affairs. Baker: “Tim's ability to work across complex organizations and deliver results will be an asset as the Association works through the rapidly changing regulatory environment for college athletics." (link)
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#1: Do handwarmers = points? If you’re UNLV MBB student-athlete Harkless they do, as the Runnin’ Rebels guard put up 24 points against San Diego State on Saturday. Check out the newest uniform accessory in this edition of “Awesome or Weird?” (link)
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