Basketball coach at Ave Maria fired
NAPLES (AP) — The first coach of Ave Maria University’s men’s basketball team says he’s been fired because he used profanity.
Ricky Benitez says he was fired Tuesday because he used profanity in a scrimmage.
Athletic director Brian Scanlan confirmed that Benitez is no longer the team’s coach, but declined to elaborate, citing privacy rules.
Some members of the team said Benitez did use profanity, but it wasn’t directed at players. Guard Daniel Vivas says Benitez “uses the same language as any coach.”
The team’s first game is scheduled Oct. 30 against Florida Christian College.
Ave Maria is a Roman Catholic university founded in 2003. This is its first season in intercollegiate athletics, competing as an NAIA independent school.