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Former Syracuse women’s basketball head coach Quentin Hillsman will not coach Leganés Basketball, a professional team in Madrid, Spain.

After the team announced that Hillsman would take over head coaching duties last Wednesday, Leganés moved away from Hillsman due to backlash and visa issues, Paco Simón of Al Cabo de La Calle reported.

The backlash was the result of a report from The Athletic that detailed an alleged pattern of inappropriate behavior and bullying during Hillsman’s time at Syracuse. The report came after 12 players left the team following the 2020-21 season. Director of Athletics John Wildhack publicly supported Hillsman in a statement just weeks before Syracuse University launched an external investigation into the allegations against Hillsman. 

In a Leganés Basketball statement, Hillsman said he’d always dreamed of training at a club in Europe, calling the game “smart.” 

“Coming to train in Spain, to a competition like the Endesa League and in a modest but ambitious team like Leganés is a new challenge in my career,” Hillsman said.

Syracuse women’s basketball associate head coach Vonn Read was named Hillsman’s replacement as acting head coach following Hillsman’s resignation in early August. After three years as an assistant coach with the University at Albany and the University of Kentucky, Read joined the Orange before the 2011-12 season. He was promoted to associate head coach in 2013.

“Our program has everything a coach could ask for, but most especially talented and committed student-athletes who are as successful off the court as they are on it,” Read said in a statement at the time of his hiring.

Published on September 6, 2021 at 6:37 pm

Contact Anish: asvasude@syr.edu | @anish_vasu