Edwards Kemedjio
The University at Albany is conducting an investigation of Dwayne Killings, head coach of the basketball team for an alleged physical altercation involving one of his players.
The incident occurred prior to a game in late November, and Killings has been away from the team on leave for the past weeks following their final game of the season on March 6th.
Killings was given a five-year contract valued at over 372,000 dollars a year prior to the season to replace longtime head coach Will Brown as leader of the program. He coach UAlbany to a 13-18 record before falling to Hartford in the American East Tournament quarterfinals.
The story was broken by Jeff Goodman, former ESPN, Fox, and CBS analyst and current contributor to the Field of 68 Media Network, a media platform dedicated to college basketball.
Goodman tweeted Monday. “There has been an ongoing investigation into an incident involving Albany head coach Dwayne Killings and a player back in November, source told @stadium. Killings has been away from the team the last few weeks on leave.”
Goodman's tweet was followed by a statement released by the University on Monday:
"In late February, the University’s Office of Employee Relations was made aware of an incident alleged to have occurred just prior to a men’s basketball road game in late November 2021. Consistent with campus policy and practice, the University immediately began a thorough and impartial investigation. Because this process is ongoing, the University cannot comment further at this time."
Given the timeline of events, it is likely that the incident occurred during the Eastern Kentucky Invitational, where the school took on Eastern Kentucky, Kentucky, and Eastern Illinois University.
This news comes amid an offseason that has seen three UAlbany players enter the transfer portal. American East Defensive Player of the Year Jamel Horton, who was a vocal leader in the locker room, entered the portal for his final year of eligibility.
Joining him are Jarvis Doles, who started 24 games this season and was third on the team in total rebounds, and Luke Fizulich, who was at Marquette during the 2020-2021 season with Killings who was an assistant coach.