Stanislaus State is investigating women’s basketball coach after player complaints
Stanislaus State is investigating its longtime women’s basketball coach over allegations he mistreated players.
The allegations against him include verbally abusing players, misusing the program’s money — including not providing players with their full per diem for meals — inappropriate physical contact during training and exceeding NCAA limits for training hours during the preseason, according to an April 26 story in the Signal, the university’s student newspaper.
Interim Chief Human Resources Officer Deb Doel-Hammond confirmed Tuesday the Turlock university is investigating coach Wayman Strickland.
Strickland, the women’s basketball coach since 2012, said Tuesday he could not comment and referred questions to the university’s administration.
The Signal reported many of the players were cut from the team in March after the 2023-24 season. The team started the season with 16 players but only five remained after the cuts, according to the Signal. The 2023-24 team had two seniors on it, according to a team roster.
The Signal article says the cuts came after players reported their concerns to the athletic department, but it could not confirm if they were cut because they came forward.
The story was based on interviews with six players who were given anonymity because they feared repercussions if their names were disclosed. The Bee was not able to reach players for comment.
The Signal reported Strickland and President Susan E. Borrego did not respond to its request for comment but Athletic Director Aaron Allarie replied to the student newspaper with this statement: “Your inquiry was referred to the Title IX office. We take allegations and the well-being of our campus community very seriously. To preserve the integrity of the Title IX process, we are unable to comment at this time.”
Title IX is the 1972 federal law that protects students from discrimination based on their sex. It applies to schools that receive federal funding. Stanislaus State is conducting a Title IX investigation.
Stanislaus State officials declined Tuesday to answer when the complaints were made, the nature of the allegations, the number of students who complained and why Strickland was not placed on leave. But the Signal’s April 26 story cites a player who said the athletic department had assigned someone to monitor team practices.
The story cites players who say they don’t believe they have the university’s support and question how deeply Stan State will investigate their complaints. It said players filed their first complaint in November.
Doel-Hammond said in an email, “We take allegations and the well-being of our campus community very seriously. (And) ... the university must preserve the integrity and confidentiality of the Title IX process and take care to not jeopardize the factual findings. Because of this, we are unable to comment on most of your questions at this time.”
Doel-Hammond said in general that “when (Title IX) allegations are substantiated, the university would release a redacted report for transparency.”
The Signal published a May 24 story about a protest held in support of the players outside the annual athletic awards banquet on campus. The story said Strickland attended the banquet despite the allegations against him.
Strickland was named the women’s basketball coach in July 2012 after serving as assistant coach for the women’s team at San Joaquin Delta College. He had been the girls’ head coach at Edison High in Stockton before that.
Strickland was paid $116,285 in 2022, according to Transparent California, a website that tracks public employee compensation. That was the site’s most recent year.
