The Evansville Purple Aces are coming off one of the biggest upsets in college basketball history, which was an upset of the Kentucky Wildcats earlier this season. Although, the team is facing a major change at the top after some unfortunate circumstances. The Purple Aces dismissed head coach Walter McCarty on Tuesday amid allegations of sexual misconduct. McCarty was placed on administrative leave on December 26th after the allegations initially came out, as he was also reportedly guilty of violating the program's Title IX policy. The school released a statement regarding the situation on Tuesday, letting everyone know that these changes were effective immediately.
The Purple Aces also announced that they quickly hired Todd Lickliter as their new head coach, replacing McCarty right away. He is expected to make his team debut as the head coach on Wednesday night when Evansville takes on Drake. Lickliter was an assistant coach with the team last season, but does have experience as a head coach in the game with some top-name programs. He coached the Butler Bulldogs from 2001 to 2007 and the Iowa Hawkeyes in the Big Ten from 2007 to 2010.
McCarty was formerly a player on Calipari's Wildcats and won a National Championship with them in 1996, before getting drafted in the first round of the NBA Draft. He ended up playing 10 years in the league for four different teams, and was an assistant with the Boston Celtics for six seasons. He leaves Evansville after a season and a half, where he went 20-25, but his inability to improve with his actions cost him his job. The team attempted to help him, including a training program about unacceptable behavior, but the progress was not there to keep him with the school.
The Purple Aces also announced that they quickly hired Todd Lickliter as their new head coach, replacing McCarty right away. He is expected to make his team debut as the head coach on Wednesday night when Evansville takes on Drake. Lickliter was an assistant coach with the team last season, but does have experience as a head coach in the game with some top-name programs. He coached the Butler Bulldogs from 2001 to 2007 and the Iowa Hawkeyes in the Big Ten from 2007 to 2010.
McCarty was formerly a player on Calipari's Wildcats and won a National Championship with them in 1996, before getting drafted in the first round of the NBA Draft. He ended up playing 10 years in the league for four different teams, and was an assistant with the Boston Celtics for six seasons. He leaves Evansville after a season and a half, where he went 20-25, but his inability to improve with his actions cost him his job. The team attempted to help him, including a training program about unacceptable behavior, but the progress was not there to keep him with the school.
