The Lion's Den: Evansville fires coach Walter McCarty after sexual misconduct investigation, hires Todd Lickliter as successor

Evansville has fired men's basketball coach Walter McCarty amidst an external investigation into reports of alleged sexual misconduct, the university announced Tuesday evening. McCarty had been on administrative leave since Dec. 26 while an external law firm investigated the allegations. Shortly after the announcement, it made official the hiring of Todd Lickliter as his successor.

The investigation into McCarty had not concluded when, Evansville says, it "received additional reports of alleged misconduct by Mr. McCarty during his tenure at UE," thus prompting the university to make the move on Tuesday.

"Last year, the University had issued warnings to Mr. McCarty regarding inappropriate off-court behavior with members of our campus community," Evansville said in a statement. "Mr. McCarty also participated in training concerning acceptable behavior under Title IX.

McCarty was in his second season as coach at Evansville and had the Purple Aces off to a 9-4 start -- including a stunning win on the road over Kentucky on Nov. 12 -- prior to being placed on administrative leave. The team has since lost six-straight and fallen to 0-6 in Missouri Valley Conference play under interim coach Bennie Seltzer.

Walter Lee McCarty is an American basketball coach and former professional player. McCarty played for the NBA's New York Knicks, Boston Celtics, Phoenix Suns, and the Los Angeles Clippers. He last served as head coach of the Evansville Purple Aces. Wikipedia

Born: February 1, 1974 (age 45 years), Evansville, IN

Height: 6′ 10″

Spouse: Erin McCarty

Teams coached: Evansville Purple Aces men's basketball (Head coach, 2018–2020), MORE

Movies: He Got Game, Coach Rick Pitino: Basketball Fundamentals

Education: University of Kentucky, Harrison High School

he is born on 2/1 and this firing comes on 1/21