Report: UConn Fires Men's Basketball Coach Kevin Ollie "For Just Cause"

UConn men’s basketball coach Kevin Ollie has reportedly been fired “with just cause,” per this ESPN report.

“It is unfortunate that this decision became necessary,” athletic director David Benedict said in a statement. “As with all of our programs, we hold men’s basketball to the highest standards. We will begin a national search immediately to identify our next head coach.”

The school announced in January that it was the subject of an NCAA investigation but did not provide specific details. Hearst Connecticut Media cited unidentified sources saying the inquiry was related to recruiting.

Ollie’s Huskies won the 2014 NCAA championship in his second season as head coach, but they also finished below .500 in each of the past two seasons, something they hadn’t done in any season since 1987. It was a weird, uneven tenure, basketball-wise:

If the “cause” is related to the ongoing NCAA investigation, it is certainly conveniently timed to a rare and unacceptable period of basketball futility.