| | BUFFALO, N.Y. -- University at Buffalo men's basketball
coach Tim Cohane resigned amid an investigation of the program and
as the team prepared for its biggest home game of the season.
Cohane's resignation was accepted Friday night, university
president William Greiner said Saturday. Associate head coach Frank
Valenti and assistant coach Jasper Walker were reassigned to other
posts within the university, outside the athletic department.
Erie Community College coach Reggie Witherspoon was named
interim head coach, just in time for Buffalo (2-3) to play host to
No. 2 North Carolina on Tuesday night.
Cohane, who was in his seventh season as Buffalo's head coach,
confirmed the resignation when reached at home Saturday, but he
refused to comment further.
Buffalo self-reported infractions to the Mid-American Conference
in October. Conference investigators conducted interviews on campus
and the report has been reviewed by school officials.
One part of the investigation involved tryouts of prospective
recruits in the university's Alumni Arena by Cohane and his staff,
a violation of NCAA rules, The Buffalo News has reported.
Greiner said Cohane had not been forced out.
"I'm a lawyer, and I'll tell you it was a resignation,"
Greiner said. "This was a mutually agreed outcome."
The Mid-American Conference report detailing infractions will be
made public probably within 2-4 weeks, Greiner said.
"We have given the first response to that report," he said.
"The next stage is for us to work with the conference office to
develop corrective measures."
The final report, including the school's corrective measures,
will be sent to the NCAA.
"We've never had, fortunately, an experience with this
before," Greiner said. "We consider the matter a very serious
matter, we consider our response to it a very serious response and
we expect there will be some ramifications for it."
In two-plus seasons at Erie Community College, Witherspoon has a
44-23 record, including last season's 24-5 mark and a No. 17
ranking in the national junior college poll.
Buffalo went 5-24 in its first season in the Mid-American last
year. Cohane posted a record of 80-93 at Buffalo since 1993.
Witherspoon, whose team will follow Tuesday's big game against
North Carolina with one against Indiana in the Indiana
Classic on Friday night, held his first practice Saturday. Asked
about Tuesday's game against the Tar Heels, Witherspoon joked:
"What big game is that?"
"I said to the guys in practice today: 'You're playing at home
in front of 9,000 people, against the No. 2 ranked team in the
country,' " Witherspoon said. "As an athlete, you want that
challenge. I'll tell you right now, it's a lot better than playing
at the YMCA at noon."
Buffalo will conduct a national search for the coach's position
early next year, athletic director Bob Arkeilpane said.
"If (Witherspoon) chooses to become a candidate, that's up to
him," Arkeilpane said. | |
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