Congratulations to tiny Bethune-Cookman for choosing the worst possible time to get rid of its longtime coach.
Three months after completing its best season in 30 years and four days before the start of the critical July evaluation period, B-CU announced Monday that it has severed ties with 10th-year coach Clifford Reed.
According to the Daytona News-Journal, Reed was fired for insubordination and refusing to cooperate with a university investigation into accusations made by a student in January that she had been assaulted by members of the men's basketball team. Police dropped the case without making any arrests when the student told authorities she no longer wanted to pursue the matter.
Reed would not speak to the News-Journal about the police investigation, but he defended his reputation after being fired.
"My reputation and evaluations speak for themselves," said Reed, a B-CU alum. "People around here will tell you that I'm the most disciplined guy on campus. ... I enjoyed my time at Bethune-Cookman. I thank them for giving me the opportunity to start my coaching career."
Bethune-Cookman is coming off a 21-win season that ended with a MEAC regular season title and a berth in the NIT, yet the program suddenly finds itself on unstable footing. It won't be easy to recruit next month when prospects are uncertain who will be leading the program in the future, nor will it be easy to find a new coach this late in the process when so many potential candidates are already settled elsewhere.
Worse yet, Bethune-Cookman's best player is Clifford Reed's son, who averaged 19.1 points per game as a junior. C.J. Reed told the News-Journal he's unsure what his next move will be .
"No idea about next year or anything," Reed said. "I'm just really confused right now and upset."
Katherine Heigl Lorri Bagley Leslie Bega Maria Sharapova Lindsay Price
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