The College Basketball Post

Pressure on Sean Miller building as Arizona moves to fire assistant coach Mark Phelps
Yahoo Sports

The pressure on embattled Arizona coach Sean Miller increased Wednesday night with the school announcing that assistant coach Mark Phelps was being suspended with the intent of firing him.

An Arizona statement said the school has “initiated the process to terminate” Phelps, placing him on indefinite suspension in the meantime. Yahoo Sports confirmed multiple media reports that the suspension was related to academic work by former Arizona recruit Shareef O’Neal, son of former NBA star Shaquille O’Neal, who is now at UCLA.

As Yahoo Sports reported Monday, Miller’s future at Arizona already was cloudy — and that was before the Phelps news broke. He is now the third current or former Miller assistant tied to alleged NCAA improprieties.

Earlier this year, former Arizona assistant Emanuel “Book” Richardson accepted a felony plea in lieu of standing trial.

Last year, former Arizona assistant Joe Pasternack was accused in federal court of offering $50,000 to the family of top recruit Brian Bowen for him to attend Arizona.

And now a third Arizona assistant, Phelps, is under scrutiny.
 
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