EL PASO, Texas (KTSM) — New Mexico State University has fired men’s basketball coach Greg Heiar, the university’s Chancellor Dan Arvizu announced Tuesday.
This comes on the heels of a rocky first year at the helm of the Aggies’ men’s basketball program.
The program was shut down over the weekend and the remainder of the team’s games were canceled after serious hazing allegations came to light. Arvizu specifically mentioned the hazing allegations in announcing his decision to fire Heiar.
The future of the rest of the coaching staff will be determined after “additional investigations are concluded,” Arvizu said in a letter.
“As I’ve stated previously, hazing has no place on our campus, and those found responsible will be held accountable for their actions. I am committed to the safety and well-being of all members of our campus community, as well as to the integrity of our university,” Arvizu said.
“Through an expansive review and full investigation, we will work to ensure we fully understand what happened here, and that those found responsible are held accountable. We will also ensure that support systems are in place to prevent this from happening again,” Arvizu continued.
The hazing accusations are the latest incidents in a tumultuous 2022-23 season under Heiar that also included: the arrest and firing of an assistant coach; an Oct. 15 fight involving several players at the UNM-NMSU football game against multiple UNM students; and then a deadly shooting in Albuquerque on Nov. 19 involving Aggies forward Mike Peake and four UNM students that was allegedly in retaliation to the fight.
Heiar was hired last March to succeed Chris Jans, who left to take the head coaching job at Mississippi State after leading the Aggies to a victory over the University of Connecticut in the opening round of the NCAA Tournament last March.
Heiar had most recently served as the head coach at Northwest Florida State College, where he led his team to the national junior college Division I championship.
The Aggies finished its first and only season under Heiar with a 9-15 record, 2-10 in WAC play.