sCOLLEGE BASKETBALL roundup

Montague’s expulsion hangs over Bulldogs

Providence, R.I.

There’s no question that Yale has had to deal with some tough off the court issues on their way to the NCAA Tournament following the expulsion last month of captain Jack Montague because of a sexual assault allegation.

But Yale’s players say they are refusing to let it be a distraction as the 12th-seeded Bulldogs head into their West Region first-round matchup with fifth seed Baylor.

“I really can’t comment on the Jack situation specifically, but like I’ve said before basketball is a sanctuary. We go to one of the hardest academic schools in the country, and when we step on the court all the outside distractions are gone,” said senior forward and Ivy League player of the year Justin Sears.

“This is the game we love to play. And when I step on the court, I’m not thinking about anything except putting the ball in the basket and helping my team win,” he said.

Montague was averaging 9.7 points per game prior to his Feb. 10 expulsion from the university over a sexual encounter that occurred in October 2014. Montague’s attorney, Max Stern, said this week that the dispute is about whether the woman consented to the sex. Montague claims she consented, she claims she did not, Stern said.

Montague has not been charged with any crimes and police and prosecutors say there is no investigation. Stern said Montague plans to sue to school over his dismissal.

Yale’s players publicly supported Montague after he was dismissed, wearing warm-up T-shirts during a nationally televised Feb. 26 game against Harvard that featured Montague’s number, nickname and the word “Yale” spelled backward. That drew backlash from campus groups, prompting the team to apologize.

The team went 7-1 without Montague, finishing 22-6 and winning the Ivy League championship with a 13-1 league record.

It is Yale’s first appearance in the NCAA tournament since 1962.

Cal Berkeley to review head coach’s role in case

Berkeley, Calif.

Officials at the University of California, Berkeley, are reviewing whether the men’s head basketball coach correctly handled sexual harassment allegations against one of his assistants.

The review aims “to dispel any doubts” about Coach Cuonzo Martin’s role in the case that led to the firing of assistant coach Yann Hufnagel, athletic director Mike Williams said in a statement late Tuesday.

“We firmly believe the results will support our confidence in Coach Martin,” Williams said.

Supervisors and managers are required to promptly forward any sexual misconduct complaints, and those who fail to do so may face discipline, campus policy says. That includes head coaches, UC Berkeley spokesman Dan Mogulof said Wednesday.

A report shows the university launched the inquiry into Hufnagel in early July after a female journalist sent Martin a long email describing in graphic detail the unwelcome advances she received from his assistant.

The journalist wrote the email six weeks after she first told Martin by phone about her concern Hufnagel was sexually harassing her. Her name and news organization were redacted from the report released Tuesday.

Hufnagel, 33, is at least the fourth campus employee in the last year to face sexual harassment allegations that were substantiated during campus investigations.

He said in a Tweet Wednesday that he has hired an attorney to fight UC Berkeley’s decision to fire him.

“These last days have been gut-wrenching,” Hufnagel said. “Being ripped away from the team that I love deeply has been, in a word, unbearable.”

Associated Press