Dalonte Hill has had three strikes, and now he’s out as Maryland’s assistant coach.
The assistant under head basketball coach Mark Turgeon has announced his resignation this week after getting his third driving under the influence arrest since 2008, Alex Prewitt of The Washington Post reported Wednesday.
Dalonte Hill will reportedly be replaced on the staff by Dustin Clark, who is currently serving as director of basketball operations. Maryland will also bring on Juan Dixon as a special assistant. Dixon is the program’s all-time leading scorer and MVP of the 2002 Final Four.
In the latest arrest, Dalonte Hill was stopped by Howard County police and charged with driving while impaired, driving under the influence of alcohol and/or drugs, driving under the influence of a controlled dangerous substance, and failure to control vehicle speed in order to avoid an accident.
Hill had been on a leave of absence since last month, saying he needed to step away and take care of personal matters.
“I appreciate the support and encouragement I’ve received from coach [Mark] Turgeon and the athletic department,” Hill said in a statement released by the school. “But at this time it is in my best interest to take a leave of absence from the Maryland basketball program and focus my attention on some personal matters that need to be dealt with immediately.”
The team seemed supportive at the time as well.
“We will support him through this process,” Turgeon said in a statement at the time of Hill’s arrest. “We want him to focus on his personal life. Basketball is secondary at this point. His primary focus needs to be on his health and well-being.”
Dalone Hill was suspended for two games in January 2012 after his second DUI arrest. He came to Maryland after six seasons at Kansas State, where he was the highest-paid assistant coach in the nation and credited with landing top recruit Michael Beasley.
