In a stunning move on Monday morning, California assist Yann Hufnagel was dismissed from the team pending termination over accusations of sexual harassment. The announcement was made by administration in a standard issued statement.
California’s head men’s basketball coach, Cuonzo Martin, has initiated termination proceedings under University of California policy against assistant coach, Yann Hufnagel, Cal’s Intercollegiate Athletics Department announced today. Effective immediately, Hufnagel has been relieved of his duties pending the outcome of the termination process and will not be traveling with the team during its NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament run. The actions follow a finding, issued today by UC Berkeley’s Office of the Prevention of Harassment and Discrimination (OPHD) that Hufnagel violated the University’s sexual harassment policy. Note: The university will distribute a redacted version of the investigative report later today, once the complainant has been provided with a copy and has an opportunity to review the findings.
The Golden Bears are a No. 4 seed in the NCAA Tournament and face Hawai’i on Friday, where they will obviously be without Hufnagel on the bench. Hufnagel was in his second season with the Golden Bears after coming with head coach Cuonzo Martin to Berkeley. Previously, he coached at Vanderbilt and Harvard.
According to BearTerritory.com, the harassment claim is being made by a female reporter and had been under investigation since last summer.
Right now, the only focus should be on our basketball team! My time to exonerate myself of a fruitless claim by a reporter will come.
— Yann Hufnagel (@yhufnagel) March 14, 2016
Hufnagel primarily works with Cal’s perimeter players as an assistant, but his value is truly found on the recruiting trail. California signed one of the top-five recruiting classes in the country a year ago, with the likes of Jaylen Brown and Ivan Rabb committing to play for the Golden Bears. Hufnagel is often credited as being a primary reason for the program’s recent run of impressive recruiting.
Not only does this shake up the makeup of Cal’s program, but it alters the landscape of Pac-12 basketball recruiting. While Arizona and UCLA have always been the prime recruiting powers in the conference, Cal’s recent surge had put the rest of the conference on notice that the Golden Bears, and Hufnagel in particular, were going to be a power to be reckoned with.
Now, they must replace one of the best recruiters in the country in a pivotal offseason where they’re likely to lose Brown and Rabb, while Tyrone Wallace is set to graduate in May.
