Evansville fires McCarty, Lickliter takes helm
Walter McCarty has been fired as Evansville‘s coach after an investigation revealed additional allegations of off-court misconduct, the university announced Tuesday.
Later Tuesday, Evansville announced the hiring of Todd Lickliter as McCarthy’s replacement. Lickliter will coach the Purple Aces on Wednesday night against Drake.
McCarty was initially put on administrative leave by the university on Dec. 26, after reports of alleged sexual misconduct and violations of Evansville’s Title IX policy.
In a statement announcing the decision, which is effective immediately, the school said it had received additional reports of off-court misconduct with members of the “campus community” during McCarty’s tenure of less than two seasons. It also noted that McCarty had previously participated in a training program about unacceptable behavior.
“While the investigation of potential Title IX violations will continue under University policies, UE has decided that, based on the facts uncovered thus far, it is necessary to terminate Mr. McCarty’s employment immediately,” the school said in a statement. “There is no place at UE for any behavior by any University employee or student that jeopardizes the safety and security of others.”
In a separate memo sent to members of the Evansville community obtained by ESPN, university president Christopher M. Pietruszkiewicz said that as part of the ongoing investigation, the school found that McCarty attempted to improperly influence witnesses.
McCarty finishes his career at Evansville with a record of 20-25.
McCarty was hired by the Purple Aces in 2018 after spending six seasons as an assistant coach in the NBA for the Boston Celtics and Indiana Pacers. He also spent three seasons as an assistant coach at Louisville under Rick Pitino.
McCarty won a national championship as a member of Pitino’s 1996 Kentucky team before being drafted in the first round by the New York Knicks. McCarty played for four teams during his 10-year NBA career.
Earlier this season, McCarty led Evansville to a victory at Kentucky, one of the biggest upsets in recent college basketball history.
Lickliter was an assistant coach at Evansville last season and has head coaching experience at Butler (2001-07) and Iowa (2007-10).
Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.