The report detailed how the teammates allegedly held the accuser down and "removed his clothing exposing his buttocks and began to 'slap his a'" while also allegedly touching his scrotum. Twice Pitino had players named to the All-Big Ten Freshman Team and twice players were named to the All-Big Ten Defensive Team. 1 in the national polls, eventually going 31-6 overall. He comes to UNM after an eight-year stint at the University of Minnesota, where he went 141-123 with two NCAA Tournament berths and an NIT Championship. On Nov. 19, forward Mike Peake was allegedly involved in a pre-dawn shootout on the University of New Mexico's campus while in Albuquerque for a game against the school, New Mexico State University officials said. Only Arizona's Tommy Lloyd (.914), Gonzaga's Few (.837), Kansas . I welcome Richard, Jill and their three children to The University of New Mexico and to Duke City, and I am excited for the future of Lobo Basketball.". Pitinos success isnt just as a head coach, as he has been a part of several deep NCAA Tournament runs as an assistant and as an associate head coach. New Mexico State Fires Men's Basketball Coach Greg Heiar Amid Hazing Heiar worked extensively with the Shocker backcourt, which saw Ron Baker and Fred VanVleet earn All-American honors, and both eventually signed NBA contracts following the 2016 season. Men's Basketball at Eastern New Mexico University February 20, 2023 7:30 PM MT. Right now, The most comprehensive coverage of the New Mexico Lobos Men's Basketball on the web with highlights, scores, game summaries, schedule and rosters. KRQE NEWS 13 - Breaking News, Albuquerque News, New Mexico News, Weather, and Videos. Named the 22nd head coach of the Lobos on March 16, 2021, Pitino came to New Mexico with a track record of turning around programs in year one. I have known Chris Jans for almost 30 years and hope to build upon what he achieved at NM State over the last half-decade. We are saddened and disappointed that hazing continues to be a part of our society at any level. NMSU, basketball coaches sued by two players alleging sexual assault While at Providence he served as a student manager under Tim Welsh before beginning his coaching career the following year. Copyright 2023 New Mexico State University Athletics / All Rights Reserved. Under Pitino, UNM brought nine new incoming recruits to Albuquerque in hopes to improve upon a 616 record left by the coaching regime the previous year. Pitino was named Minnesotas head coach in March of 2013 after one season as the head coach at Florida International in University Park, Florida. Just one year after a dismal 8-21 campaign, Pitino led FIU to an 18-14 record and a third-place finish in the Sun Belts East Division. 3 New Mexico college women basketball players allege assault New Mexico coach out of job after after pointing gun at former player In 2020-21, Minnesota climbed up to No. That run allowed Heiar to be named the Coach of the Tournament - an award presented to the best NJCAA bench boss at the national tournament since 1959. 15 Purdue and No. 8 Wisconsin, No. New Mexico State hires Greg Heiar as men's basketball head coach If he earns five more, he would set a new record beating out Albuquerque High School Legend, Jim Hulsman. New Mexico Basketball: Coaching Search Yields Three Candidates He is the son of St. Johns University head coach Rick Pitino. After attending St. Sebastian's School in Needham, Massachusetts, Richard Pitino earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in history at Providence College in 2005. [2] In his first stint with the Cardinals, he helped them advance to back-to-back NCAA Elite Eight appearances. Travis was pronounced dead at the scene, and Peake was transported to a local hospital with non-life-threatening injuries, police said. His first NCAA Tournament berth with the Golden Gophers came in 2016-17, when he led Minnesota to a 24-10 record. New Mexico basketball coach is a living legend - krqe.com 15, climbing to No. The women, who are referred to as Jane Doe 1, 2 and 3, sued then-women's basketball coach Meghan De Los Reyes; her husband, Glen De Los Reyes; his company, Glen's Fitness Lab; the Eastern New . Names tossed around to replace Paul Weir at New Mexico. 10 in the polls. "I want to extend my sincere thanks to President Stokes, Eddie Nuez and David Williams for extending this opportunity. To see the kids that Ive coached go on to be successful, you know, in their daily lives, thats probably one of the things that I enjoy the most, said Coach Brazil. Arvizu said he informed the university's director of athletics, Mario Moccia, of his decision Tuesday afternoon. LAS CRUCES, New Mexico (KVIA) -- In the span of five months, the NMSU Men's basketball program was involved in a deadly shooting, three players . , Photos: Sky News 13 flies over Good Friday pilgrimages, PHOTOS: Storm moves through New Mexico leaving snow, Snow causes difficult driving conditions across NM, Map: New Mexico Veterans Monuments and Memorials, BestReviews.com - Top gifts to make everyone happy this spring, Surprise your mom with one of these Mothers Day, Mothers Day inspo: This foot massager has 20,000, Drew Barrymores Walmart collection is perfect for, Best Mothers Day gifts for the budding plant mom, 13 Broadcast Pl SW, Albuquerque, NM, 87104, Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information. Its just been a big part of my life, I mean, I feel like thats probably the best thing that I do, so I stay with it, said Coach Brazil. 1 Kentucky. Benjamin was a target of abuse by the same three teammates, according to the complaint, which began in the summer of 2022 and escalated until February 2023. 2 transfer Max Abmas commits to Texas, Five-star prospect Holland decommits from Texas, Longhorns add former Oral Roberts star Max Abmas, Bryant, No. The following season in 2009-10, Florida won the SEC regular season championship and went 29-8 overall, advancing the Elite Eight, losing to a Cinderella Butler squad 74-71 in overtime. New Mexico State men's basketball coach fired after alleged hazing He is the son of St. Johns University head coach Rick Pitino.After attending St. Sebastian's School in Needham, Massachusetts, Richard Pitino . Pitino was fired as head coach after his eighth season by athletic director Mark Coyle, on March 15, 2021, after finishing the season 1415, 614 in the conference. . As we announced earlier this year, the university is working withGreenberg Traurig to look into these allegations. Powerful Big 12 has chance to set records for March Madness bids. The turnaround helped earn Richard Pitino the Big Ten Coach of the Year award on March 6, 2017. According to the lawsuit, Washington, Bradley and Aiken began to "degrade" Odunewu in the summer of 2022 through unwanted touching and cruel comments in the locker room. His first season at the helm of the Golden Gophers saw Minnesota go 25-13, setting a school record for wins as Minnesota won the second NIT Championship in school history. Minnesota then beat SMU 65-63 for the NIT title. Furthermore, Wichita State was also among the national statistical leaders over that six-year stretch: T3rdin defensive field goal percentage (.390) "On one occasion during the summer of 2022, Shak was taking a shower in the Aggie locker room, when Doctor Bradley, and Kim Aiken, Jr. ripped the shower curtain aside. A Dec. 9, 2022 report by ESPN indicates Avery, Muhammad and Roy were seen on video in a yellow Camaro in the same parking lot Travis was shot and killed. In a statement issued Wednesday, New Mexico State University said, "While NMSU does not comment on pending litigation, we want to assure everyone that this issue is being taken seriously. ENMU women basketball players claim they were sexually assaulted by ABC-7 spoke 1-on-1 with coach Hooten roughly three weeks into his tenure. In an announcement made Sunday by NM State Director of Athletics Mario Moccia, Greg Heiar (pronounced "higher") has been named the head coach of NM State's men's basketball program. LAS CRUCES New Mexico State has hired Northwest Florida State College men's basketball head coach Greg Heiar to succeed Chris Jans. Heiar's return to the junior college ranks came directly after a one-year stay in Johnson City, Tenn., as an assistant coach at East Tennessee State. Greg Heiar controversy, explained: Why NMSU fired coach, canceled The report adds other alleged incidents of unwanted sexual touching occurred in July and August 2022, both in the team locker room and on road trips. 15 Purdue and No. 5-seed in the NCAA Tournament in 2016-17, facing Middle Tennessee State in the opening round. The New Mexico State Board of Regents, former head coach Greg Heiar, former assistant coach Dominique Taylor and former players DeShawndre Washington, Doctor Bradley and Kim Aiken Jr., were named . Heiar, the former Northwest Florida State coach, was hired by New Mexico State University in March 2022. On April 3, 2013, despite having only one year of head coaching experience at FIU, Pitino was hired to become the 17th head coach in University of Minnesota history,[5] replacing Tubby Smith. The team was ranked for five weeks over the course of the season and listed in the polls for nine consecutive weeks. One of the brightest young coaches in college basketball, Richard Pitino enters his second season leading the New Mexico mens basketball program in 2022-23. NMSU Police issued a report listing possible criminal charges of false imprisonment, criminal sexual contact and harassment. Academic Support Program & Services Center. 25thin assists (3,057). The Official Website of New Mexico State University Athletics, TicketSmarter - Official Ticket Resale Market, NM State Athletics Insider Podcast Series, Academic Support Program & Services Center, Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC), Clarence "Monzy" Jackson Signs National Letter of Intent to Become Newest Aggie, Former Sam Houston Commit Keylon Dorsey Signs with NM State, Aggies Announce Addition of Guard Jaden Harris, Kenneth Mangrum Named Associate Head Coach, Reconnects with Hooten. Called up to the NCAA Division I ranks as a result of an impressive run at the junior college level, Heiar held the reins of NJCAA powerhouse Chipola Junior College in five of the six seasons he spent at the Marianna, Fla., institution. 5-seed in the NCAA Tournament in 2016-17, facing Middle Tennessee in the opening round. 9 before eventually finishing at No. ESPAOLA, N.M. (KRQE) - A women's college basketball coach in New Mexico was arrested for allegedly pulling a gun on one of his former players; a woman he claims he was having a relationship . Privacy Policy He spent two separate stints at Louisville coaching alongside his Hall of Fame father Rick Pitino. New Mexico raced out to a 14-0 start with signature wins vs St. Mary's, Iona (coached by Pitino's father, legendary Rick Pitino), and Oral Roberts, all NCAA Tournament teams. The report indicates the accuser did not want to press criminal charges at the time. Brandon Travis, 19, and three other University of New Mexico students allegedly lured Peake to the campus to assault him, New Mexico State Police said. All but one player from last season's roster has announced what they intend to do with their future and none of them are returning to NMSU. section: | slug: new-mexico-hires-richard-pitino-as-next-coach-less-than-24-hours-after-minnesota-firing | sport: collegebasketball | route: article_single.us | NM State Collection. In New York, he led his team to a 67-64 overtime win over Florida State in the NIT Semifinals to break the school record for wins in a season with 24. William Benjamin was concerned about changes he saw in his son and confronted him about it, according to the complaint. Pitino also had promising freshman Donovan Dent coming off the bench for key minutes throughout the year. This was FIU's first winning season since 19992000 and most wins overall since 199798. The 2017-18 season saw Minnesota ranked in the preseason at No. In an announcement made Sunday by NM State Director of Athletics Mario Moccia, Greg Heiar (pronounced "higher") has been named the head coach of NM State's men's basketball program. 13 Purdue, No. Former Nebraska coach Tim Miles was also reportedly in the running for the New Mexico job. Two days after that, the Aggies fired Heiar. The use of software that blocks ads hinders our ability to serve you the content you came here to enjoy. Oturu was also the first to be as high as third team since Quincy Lewis was a third team pick in 1999. The primary reason behind Heiar's firing is the alleged continual hazing incidents involving members of the New Mexico State basketball team. According to an August report from the Las Cruces Sun News (N.M.), Heiar was guaranteed $300,000 a year for five years in salary by the school. UNM finished the year at 13-19 and 5-12 in conference play, however, UNM was highly competitive in majority of their games and even beat AP Poll ranked Wyoming Cowboys as Pitino's first signature win in the Duke City. A lot has happened in those three weeks. His second NCAA Tournament berth came in 2018-19 when Minnesota went 22-14 despite one of the nations toughest schedules that saw the Golden Gophers play 14 nationally ranked squads during the season. Basketball - Men's Richard Pitino: Head Coach. [6] On April 3, 2014, exactly one year to the date he was hired, Pitino won his first NIT Championship by defeating coach Larry Brown's SMU team 6563, securing a school record 25th win. Deuce Benjamin has yet to meet with investigators, according to the complaint. I ask that all of our fans join me in welcoming Greg, his wife, Jessica, and his daughter, Alexis, to Las Cruces. Pitino spent eight seasons as Minnesota's coach and led the program to NCAA Tournament appearances in 2017 and 2019 before posting losing records the past two seasons. Minnesota then beat SMU 65-63 for the NIT title. 2004-2023 CBS Interactive. 19 Iowa. 10 Minnesota faced No. *includes games listed in all-time results with no head coach listed, Copyright 2023 The University of New Mexico. "Through investigation, agents later learned that Travis had conspired with a 17-year-old female and two of Travis's male friends, all UNM students, to lure the 21-year-old victim to UNM campus and assault him," the New Mexico State police statement said. That 2016-17 team picked up two victories against ranked opponents topping No. Conference regular season champion 1-on-1 with new NMSU Men's Basketball Coach - KVIA The Benjamins and Odunewu are asking for compensation over damages,as well as punitive damages leveled against NMSU over allegations of negligence. Hes known for making a signature gesture during games. New Mexico State University Athletics Heiar hails from Dubuque, Iowa, and he and his wife, Jessica, have one daughter, Alexis. LAS CRUCES, N.M. (KTSM) - After a lawsuit naming New Mexico State University, three former men's basketball players and two former coaches alleging sexual assault was filed by two former . The Panthers took out top-seed Middle Tennessee in the semifinals and just missed their first Sun Belt title, as well as their second trip to the big dance, losing 65-63 to Western Kentucky in the championship game. According to the court documents, Heiar and the coaching staff were present on the bus, though seated at the front. PORTALES, N.M. . The native of Boston, Massachusetts went to Providence, where he earned a B.A. The lawsuit alleged that Bradley filmed that incident. Their work is underway and running in parallel to our own internal investigation into this matter.". Severe Weather Defendants Aiken, Bradley and Washington, Vicarious Liability Under Theory of Aiding in Agency Plaintiffs Benjamin Jr. and Odunewu vs. Defendent NMSU, Violation of New Mexico Civil Rights Act Plaintiffs Benjamin Jr. and Odunewu vs. Defendent NMSU. New Mexico State fires men's basketball coach Greg Heiar - ESPN at Eastern New Mexico University. One of the brightest young coaches in college basketball, Richard Pitino enters his second season leading the New Mexico men's basketball program in 2022-23. The 2019-20 season was highlighted by the play of Daniel Oturu, who earned Third Team All-America honors from CBS and The Sporting News, becoming the first Golden Gopher named All-America since Kris Humphries was named Honorable Mention in 2004. Men's Basketball at Eastern New Mexico University February 20, 2023 7:30 PM MT. It was that season that saw the Golden Gophers open at 5-0, including a championship in the Vancouver Showcase in Vancouver, British Columbia, defeating Texas A&M, Santa Clara and Washington. New Mexico State Aggies hire Greg Heiar as men's basketball coach ", Arvizu did not provide details of the incidents or say when they occurred. That 2016-17 team picked up two victories against ranked opponents topping No. Feb 13, 2023. "Greg's coaching background is aligned with this program's blueprint of success which has resulted in multiple wins over Power Five programs and our biggest rivals in addition to multiple WAC titles, WAC tournament titles and NCAA Tournament success. Dr. Paul Weir coached his last game as the New Mexico basketball head coach this past week. KVIA ABC 7 is committed to providing a forum for civil and constructive conversation. Terms of Service | Privacy Policy | Community Guidelines |, KVIA-TV FCC Public File | FCC Applications |, Breaking News Richard and his wife Jill are the parents of two daughters, Ava and Zoe, and a son, Jack. Overall at Minnesota, Pitino picked up 19 wins over ranked opponents, including five top-10 opponents. Winners of the Big East regular season title, Louisville also won the Big East Tournament title, defeating Syracuse in the title match. At Kirkwood, Heiar's play helped his team to its first NJCAA Tournament appearance in the history of the program. 11 Purdue again in the quarterfinals of the Big Ten Tournament. 0:04. 6-keys: media/spln/collegebasketball/reg/free/stories, at He will be introduced 4 p.m. Monday at the Pan American Center in a news conference open to the public. 24 Maryland. Heiar spent his days as a student-athlete at two institutions - Kirkwood Community College in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, and Mount St. Clare College in Clinton, Iowa. 4 recruit in Class of 2024, commits to Arizona, NBA announces 242 players declaring early for draft. 3 seeded Cardinals fell to top-seeded North Carolina. Pitino has also had assistant coaching stops at Duquesne, Northeastern and the College of Charleston. [1] From 2013 to 2021, he was head coach of the University of Minnesota Golden Gophers men's basketball team. New Mexico State basketball's problems require a coaching change. 9 Ohio State and No. "While the task of replacing Chris Jans as the leader of our basketball program is a tall one, I am excited that we have selected Greg Heiar to serve as our new head coach," commented Moccia. From there, Louisville defeated No. I welcome Richard, Jill and their three children to The University of New Mexico and to Duke City, and I am excited for the future of Lobo Basketball.. ABC News' Nick Kerr contributed to this report. Coach Brazil mentioned while the wins are fun, the real reward has been working with so many students. The ESPN report specifies that it was unknown at the time how the phone, gun and tablet were moved in the hours immediately following the shooting. Richard William Pitino (born September 16, 1982) is an American college basketball coach who is the head coach of the New Mexico Lobos men's team. On April 1, 2014, in Pitino's first season at Minnesota, the Golden Gophers defeated Florida State University 6764 in overtime in the NIT semifinals, breaking a school record with its 24th win of the season. Another former New Mexico coach, Dave Bliss, won NCAA Tournament games with the Lobos in four straight seasons from 1996-99, and was then hired by Baylor in the Big 12 -- although his tenure with the Bears then ended in scandal. [4] With only six players remaining from the previous season, and not all of them on scholarship, Pitino cobbled together a team and coached a high-pressure defense that finished eighth in the nation in steals. Additionally, five players were drafted into the NBA G League. The Golden Gophers picked up five wins over nationally ranked opponents including No. There, the No. Twitter. He left the University of Louisville and accepted a position to work under Billy Donovan at the University of Florida on April 17, 2009. 4:06 pm ET, Big 12 eyes multi-year deal for Mexico-based events, Ranking college basketball's top 45 transfers of 2023, Miami (Ohio) WBB coach resigns after investigation, Texas joins Top 25 And 1 after landing Abmas, Five-star prospect Ron Holland decommits from Texas, No. "Richard Pitino is a proven winner with a track record of success on the court, including deep tournament runs and wins over nationally ranked programs, as well as proven success off the court by creating a tremendous student-athlete experience and supporting them as they earn their degrees.