LAS CRUCES, N.M. — New Mexico State fired basketball coach Greg Heiar on Tuesday in the wake of hazing allegations within the team that shut down the program for the rest of the season.
Chancellor Dan Arvizu announced the firing of the first-year coach and said “hazing has no place on our campus, and those found responsible will be held accountable for their actions.”
The chancellor said decisions about the rest of the coaching staff will be made after further investigation.
Arvizu shut down the program for the season on Sunday, after reviewing a campus police report in which an Aggies player said three teammates ganged up on him and attacked him. The report, which redacted the names of the players, included allegations of false imprisonment, harassment and criminal sexual contact.
The 47-year-old Heiar spent time earlier in his career as an assistant for former Aggies coach Chris Jans, who left after last season to coach Mississippi State.
Last season, Heiar was at Northwest Florida State, where he helped the Raiders win the junior college national title.
He brought two highly ranked players with him from the juco ranks, Issa Muhammad and Marchelus Avery, but the Aggies were riddled with problems almost from the start of their season.
It started unraveling when some basketball players were involved in a fight with New Mexico students at an Aggies football game in October.
A month later, the night before New Mexico State basketball was scheduled to play at New Mexico in Albuquerque, forward Mike Peake went to the apartment complex of one of the students involved in the fight. Security cameras at the apartment complex shows the student pulling a gun, then Peake brandishing own gun and shooting the student, inflicting fatal wounds. Peake was taken to the hospital with leg wounds.
Peake has been suspended from the team but not charged with a crime while authorities in Albuquerque investigate. New Mexico State has hired an independent investigator to look into the circumstances surrounding the killing.
The hazing allegations came less than three months after the shooting in Albuquerque. The police report says the hazing victim described teammates removing “his clothing exposing his buttocks and began to slap his (buttocks). He also went on to state that they also touched his scrotum.”
The Aggies were 9-15 when the season was first put on hold before a scheduled game last Saturday at California Baptist.
The Western Athletic Conference is counting New Mexico State’s final six games as forfeits. The team is supposed to move into the bigger, more high-profile Conference USA next season – a move that seemed like a good fit for a program that has a long tradition of strong basketball teams. New Mexico State has made 26 trips to the NCAA Tournament and reached the Sweet 16 five times.
ALABAMA: Center Charles Bediako’s status is uncertain for Wednesday’s top-10 matchup with Tennessee because of a minor knee injury.
The top-ranked Crimson Tide coach Nate Oats said Bediako is “day to day” for Wednesday night’s visit to the 10th-ranked Volunteers because of the injury that happened Saturday against Auburn.
He is averaging 5.6 points and 5.3 rebounds in leading the team with 41 blocked shots.
ST. JOSEPH’S 68, REGIS 58: The Monks (13-17, 9-7 GNAC) took control with a 17-5 run midway through the second half as they defeated the Pride (13-11, 9-8) at Standish.
Julian Llopoz led St. Joseph’s with 14 points, and Wani Donato and Griffin Foley chipped in with 12 apiece.
Devante Thompson led Regis with 16 points, and Jamir Harvey had 11 points and 10 rebounds.
SYRACUSE 75, (23) N.C. STATE 72: Judah Mintz scored 20 points and Syracuse (16-10, 9-6 ACC) knocked off visiting North Carolina State (20-7, 10-6).
With the score tied at 70 with two minutes to go, Jesse Edwards finished strong at the rim, plus the foul, to give the Orange a three-point lead. Syracuse then used a mixture of defensive pressure and clutch free-throw shooting to hold on for the victory.
(24) PROVIDENCE 94, (18) CREIGHTON 86: Devin Carter had 25 points and host Providence (19-7, 11-4 Big East) outlasted Creighton (17-9, 11-4) in double overtime.
Bryce Hopkins and Noah Locke each scored 20 for the Friars, who ended an eight-game winning streak for the Bluejays that began with a Jan. 14 victory over Providence at home.
WOMEN’S BASKETBALL
ST. JOSEPH’S 76, REGIS 48: Hannah Talon had 14 points to lead four players in double figures as the Monks (19-5, 14-2 GNAC) used a 22-9 second quarter to take a 34-21 halftime lead and down the Pride (11-12, 11-6) at Standish.
Angelica Hurley had a double-double (13 points and 10 boards) for St. Joseph’s, and Elisabeth Stapelfeld tossed in 12 and Hailey Anderson added 10.
Madi Zancan led Regis with 15 points.
FOOTBALL
GEORGIA: Mike Bobo reclaimed the offensive coordinator job at Georgia with Todd Monken leaving the two-time defending national champions for the NFL.
Bobo, a former Bulldogs quarterback and longtime assistant coach at his alma mater, also served as offensive coordinator under former coach Mark Richt.
Bobo, 48, has some big shoes to fill. Monken accepted the offensive coordinator job with the Baltimore Ravens after serving on a staff that guided Georgia to back-to-back national titles.
The Bulldogs averaged 38.6 points per game in 2021 and 41.1 this past season while finishing 15-0, capped by a record-breaking 65-7 blowout of TCU in the national championship game.
MIAMI: Miami is hiring Houston assistant Shannon Dawson to be its offensive coordinator, a person with knowledge of the decision told The Associated Press.
The person spoke on condition of anonymity because the deal was still being finalized and needed approval from the university.
Dawson has spent the last four years with Houston, the last three of those as its offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach. In those three years, Houston has thrown 87 touchdown passes, which is 13th-most among all FBS programs.
The Cougars also have completed 65.2% of their passes in that span and thrown for 10,010 yards – both of those stats ranking 21st nationally over the last three years.
Dawson previously was an offensive coordinator at Southern Miss, Kentucky, West Virginia, Stephen F. Austin and Millsaps. Dawson has coached in eight bowl games – including an Orange Bowl with West Virginia – along with the FCS playoffs and the Division III playoffs.
At Miami, Dawson will replace Josh Gattis, who was fired last month after the Hurricanes went 5-7 in his only season at the school.
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