Two former New Mexico State University (NMSU) men's basketball players filed a lawsuit on Wednesday against former head coach Greg Heiar, three former NMSU players, assistant head coach Dominique . The New Mexico State University Board of Regents said in a statement that it "supports the action taken by the university leaders and is confident a full and thorough investigation will be conducted." 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. In a section titled "The Downward Spiral of the NMSU Basketball Program," the lawsuit details events that led to the fatal shooting on Nov. 19, 2022, of a student at University of New Mexico . Follow on Twitter: @LoboCoachPitino. 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. Furthermore, Wichita State was also among the national statistical leaders over that six-year stretch: T3rdin defensive field goal percentage (.390) 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. New Mexico State, on Tuesday, announced the firing of first-year basketball coach Greg Heiar after he was hired to the position on March 27, 2022. E-Mail. For complete coverage of NM State men's basketball as the Aggies prepare for year one under Heiar, visit NMStateSports.com - the official home of Aggie athletics - and follow the Aggies on Facebook (NM State Men's Basketball), Twitter (@NMStateMBB) and Instagram (@NMStateMBB). Basketball - Men's Richard Pitino: Head Coach. The team was ranked for five weeks over the course of the season and listed in the polls for nine consecutive weeks. Severe Weather 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. Twice Pitino had players named to the All-Big Ten Freshman Team and twice players were named to the All-Big Ten Defensive Team. 5-seed in the NCAA Tournament in 2016-17, facing Middle Tennessee in the opening round. In his statement, Arvizu added, "hazing is a despicable act. I ask that all of our fans join me in welcoming Greg, his wife, Jessica, and his daughter, Alexis, to Las Cruces. 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. The gun used in the shooting was found wrapped in a towel at the hotel, but only after assistant coach Dominique Taylor told police Heiar had told him the three players knew where the weapon was. "Slapping a label of hazing on such behavior mischaracterizes the seriousness of the harmful conduct," the lawsuit stated. His father, Rick Pitino, is currently enjoying a renaissance of his own as the former Kentucky and Louisville coach just led Iona to an NCAA Tournament berth in his first season on the job. In his two seasons at Southern Miss, Heiar saw the Golden Eagles post a pair of 20-win seasons, along with reaching the Conference USA semifinals in 2009-10 and making a postseason bid in the 2010 CollegeInsider.com Tournament. 18thin total points scored (15,882) Please keep your comments respectful and relevant. 19 Iowa, No. The allegations are unrelated to a fatal shooting involving one of the men's basketball team players that occurred in Albuquerque late last year, the school said. Pilipovich, who served in the same role for the Lobos in 2020-21, came back to UNM after spending the past season as an assistant coach with the Austin Spurs . 9 before eventually finishing at No. 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. Twice Pitino had players named to the All-Big Ten Freshman Team and twice players were named to the All-Big Ten Defensive Team. 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. Overall at Minnesota, Pitino picked up 19 wins over ranked opponents, including five top-10 opponents. Assistant Coach (Hitting Coach/Recruiting Coordinator) . Follow him on Twitter @jpgroves. In this July 21, 2020, file photo, a New Mexico State player shoots a three at a pre-season practice for the NMSU men's basketball team in Las Cruces, N.M. Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information. 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. He lasted less than one year on the job. Coach Brazil is also only one of two coaches to win a championship at three different schools. The Panthers took out top-seed Middle Tennessee State 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. [2] In his first stint with the Cardinals, he helped them advance to back-to-back NCAA Elite Eight appearances. That 2016-17 team picked up two victories against ranked opponents topping No. Paul Weir was hired for a base salary of $275,000, Chris Jans had a base salary of $270,000 when he was . Police claimed Peake, who was ultimately suspended from the team as police investigated the shooting, placed his gun, phone and tablet in the car. Heiar's firing comes after the university canceled the remainder of the 2022-23 men's basketball season on Sunday and placed the basketball coach and his entire coaching staff on paid administrative leave. Defendants NMSU and Heiar, Loss of Consortium Brought Pursuant to the Tort Claims Act Plaintiff William Benjamin vs. This was a rebuild that, on paper, looked like it would take time, with few . ABC-7 spoke 1-on-1 with coach Hooten roughly three weeks into his tenure. ", "Sadly, hazing can become part of an organization's culture left unchecked," Arvizu said. Pitino replaces Paul Weir, who was fired in February amid a 6-16 season for the Lobos. *includes games listed in all-time results with no head coach listed, Copyright 2023 The University of New Mexico. 12 as the team started out 13-3. By Dana O'Neil. [7] The win was the Gophers first NIT championship since 1998 - although that was vacated in 1999 - and their first "official" NIT title since 1993. Powerful Big 12 has chance to set records for March Madness bids. Pitino was fired Monday by Minnesota after eight seasons at the school. Heiar hails from Dubuque, Iowa, and he and his wife, Jessica, have one daughter, Alexis. The 2017-18 season saw Minnesota ranked in the preseason at No. 24 Nebraska before defeating No. That squad was ranked the entire season, getting as high as No. During his time at Providence, Pitino was the manager for the Friars men's basketball team under Tim Welsh. He spent two separate stints at Louisville coaching alongside his Hall of Fame father Rick Pitino. Cimarron High Schools head coach is currently in his 44th season. I want to extend my sincere thanks to President Stokes, Eddie Nuez and David Williams for extending this opportunity. 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. The native of Boston, Massachusetts went to Providence, where he earned a B.A. The decision to terminate Heiar comes two days after the chancellor announced he had suspended the men's basketball program for the rest of the season. "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. NM State Athletics Insider Podcast Series. 140. . "We took this action after receiving reports of alleged hazing incidents within our men's basketball team," Arvizu said in his statement. Albuquerque Journal/IMAGO. Marvin Menzies was the last head coach to make over $400,000 in base salary at NM State. 10 in the polls. After attending St. Sebastian's School in Needham, Massachusetts, Richard Pitino earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in history at Providence College in 2005. Entertainment The Official Athletic Site of the New Mexico Lobos, partner of WMT Digital. All rights reserved. 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. He left Florida on April 12, 2011, to become the associate head coach at Louisville. My wife Jill, our children and I are very excited to join the Lobo Family, said Pitino. ", "Over the last 48 hours, our staff and membership have been working to find a solution that best protects every WAC student-athlete and institution," Thornton said. Richard and his wife Jill are the parents of two daughters, Ava and Zoe, and a son, Jack. His first stint at Louisville was from 2007-09, and both seasons ended in Elite Eight runs. Heiar will become the 27th head men's basketball . Phone. 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. A 17-year-old was arrested and charged with aggravated battery and conspiracy in connection to the shooting, and no additional arrests have been announced. My family and I can't wait to call Las Cruces home.". In the suit, Benjamin and Odunewu alleged that they were sexually assaulted by three teammates and that despite reporting it to coaching staff nothing was done. "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. 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. Along the way, the Golden Gophers knocked off three top-20 teams in No. Additionally, five players were drafted into the NBA G League. A lot has happened in those three weeks. Only Arizona's Tommy Lloyd (.914), Gonzaga's Few (.837), Kansas . If you would like to share a story idea, please submit it here. The Benjamins and Odunewu are asking for compensation over damages,as well as punitive damages leveled against NMSU over allegations of negligence. 13 Purdue, No. 15, climbing to No. During his six years at Chipola the last five as a head coach Heiar's teams won 164 games as a head coach, while capturing five Panhandle Conference titles and making four appearances in the National Junior College Tournament. Police eventually found Peake's tablet on the bus in a backpack held by Lorenzo Jenkins, listed as a special assistant to Heiar. At times, some were around when the attacks were going on and they did nothing to look into what was happening nor to stop it," the lawsuit alleged. NMSU chancellor Dan Arvizu had previously suspended team operations amid an investigation into an alleged hazing incident involving members of the team. Deuce resisted, though it is alleged that Washington exposed Deuces backside and forcefully grabbed his scrotum, "inflicting great pain and humiliation.". Conference regular season champion 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. All rights reserved. 925-5750. That particular Kirkwood squad was coached by Chris Jans who was in his first season as a head coach at any level. 1 in the national polls, eventually going 31-6 overall. "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. The Official Website of New Mexico State University Athletics. 16 in the rankings and picked up five more nationally ranked wins, including a pair in the top 10. CIMARRON, N.M.(KRQE) A basketball coach is a living legend. All Rights Reserved. Through an expansive review and full investigation, we will work to ensure we fully understand what happened here, and that those found responsible are held accountable. 19 Iowa, No. Pitino was officiall", Pitino Announces Three Men's Basketball Staff Revisions:: www.UofLSports.com, "Top Workplaces | The Courier-Journal | Nominate a Workplace", "Pitino says his son will coach Fla. International", "Minnesota hires Richard Pitino as coach", "Osenieks surprises, helps Gophers advance to NIT final", "SMU vs. Minnesota - Game Recap - April 3, 2014 - ESPN", "Men's Basketball Postseason Honors Big Ten Conference Official Site", "Gophers announce they are parting ways with Richard Pitino", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Richard_Pitino&oldid=1149725257, Louisville Cardinals men's basketball coaches, Minnesota Golden Gophers men's basketball coaches, Northeastern Huskies men's basketball coaches, Short description is different from Wikidata, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0, This page was last edited on 14 April 2023, at 02:05. Posted: Dec 29, 2022 / 06:31 PM MST. Under Pitino, Minnesota players were awarded All-Big Ten honors twelve times including Nate Mason, who was named First Team All-Big Ten by the coaches and media in 2016-17. Pitino also had promising freshman Donovan Dent coming off the bench for key minutes throughout the year. New Mexico State hired Greg Heiar as its next men's basketball head coach, the school announced Sunday. There, as the head coach at Northwest Florida State College, Heiar led his troops to the NJCAA Division I National Championship which concluded a 31-5 season for the Raiders. Academics. New Mexico State basketball's problems require a coaching change. 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. The Albuquerque Journal reported the women were listed as . Pitino came to UNM after an eight-year stint at Minnesota, where he went 141-123 with two NCAA Tournament berths and an NIT Championship. Warning: The following article contains detailed allegations related to sexual assault, bullying and gun violence. He was able to compile an 1814 record (119 in the Sun Belt conference) in his first season as head coach. As we announced earlier this year, the university is working withGreenberg Traurig to look into these allegations. Academically, 14 student-athletes under Pitino earned Academic All-Big Ten honors over his first seven seasons, including a school-record five in 2019-20. From there, Louisville defeated No. Twitter. Meanwhile, Skylar Mays, a two-time All-SEC selection, finished his career in the top 10 in nine different LSU statistical categories. In Heiar's three years at LSU, the Tigers won 67 games, captured the 2019 SEC Championship and advanced to the 2019 Sweet 16. 0:49. The remainder of their schedule will be counted as forfeits. Hes known for making a signature gesture during games. Ive always committed to studying the game and learning and trying to make myself a better coach, explained Coach Brazil. . Leading the 2021-22 Lobos, that trend continued as the program saw a seven-win improvement, from six wins the year before to 13 wins, despite playing half its games against NCAA and NIT competition. 13 Purdue, No. He also was named the NABC District 7 Coach of the Year and Reggie Lynch was named Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year. Overall, Heiar earned five Panhandle Conference Coach of the Year and four Regional VIII Coach of the Year honors. That squad also turned in the highest GPA in Minnesota mens basketball program history. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. Their work is underway and running in parallel to our own internal investigation into this matter.". Additionally, five players were drafted into the NBA G League. Updated: Jan 2, 2023 / 06:52 AM MST. Minnesota then beat SMU 65-63 for the NIT title. Coach Eloy Brazil said his coaching career has been incredible. 1-on-1 with new NMSU Men's Basketball Coach. LAS CRUCES, N.M. (KRQE) - After a scandal-plagued men's basketball season for New Mexico State University, new coach Jason Hooten is vowing a dramatic change in culture. 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. "It is a great day for Lobo Basketball and for everyone who loves our program and our University," New Mexico athletic director Eddie Nuez said in a release. The release by New Mexico State police called Peake who was also shot at the scene a victim acting in self-defense. At least one other player and a member of the staff were subjected to the same or similar treatment from those individual defendants. 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. 1 in the national polls, eventually going 31-6 overall. 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. LAS CRUCES, N.M. Former New Mexico State basketball players Deuce Benjamin and Shakiru Odunewu, along with current Las Cruces High Basketball Coach William Benjamin, filed a lawsuit Wednesday against the university, two of its coaches and three players alleging hazing allegations against members of the men's basketball team made earlier this year were actually sexual assault. 7 Apr. "When the behavior goes too far, and crosses the line into nonconsensual touching, it is not mere hazing; it is battery and sexual assault. Heiar will be formally introduced to the Las Cruces and NM State communities Monday (March 28) afternoon at 4:00 p.m. during his introductory press conference. Heiar's strong recruiting ties helped bolster a Tiger class that ranked No. Under Pitino, Minnesota players were awarded All-Big Ten honors 12 times including Nate Mason, who was named First Team All-Big Ten by the coaches and media in 2016-17. The New Mexico State University men's basketball coach has been fired days after the program was suspended for the rest of the season amid an investigation into alleged hazing incidents, the school's chancellor said. I am excited that we have selected Greg Heiar to serve as our new head coach," New . Last season in 2020-21, Minnesota climbed up to No. He also was named the NABC District 7 Coach of the Year and Reggie Lynch was named Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year. 4 recruit in Class of 2024, commits to Arizona, NBA announces 242 players declaring early for draft.