The North Carolina women's basketball coaching staff has been placed on paid administrative leave pending an internal investigation after complaints were brought up by players and others, the school said in a press release.
That includes head coach Sylvia Hatchell and her three assistants, a spokesperson confirmed.
Hatchell has coached at North Carolina since 1986. She is in the national Naismith Hall of Fame. She is the only women's basketball coach to win national championships at three different levels _ AIAW, NAIA, and NCAA.
"The Charlotte-based firm Parker Poe Adams & Bernstein will conduct the review and assess the culture of the women's basketball program and the experience of our student-athletes," the school's statement said.
Hatchell issued a statement Monday afternoon via a spokesperson for her Raleigh-based attorney Wade Smith:
"I've had the privilege of coaching more than 200 young women during my 44 years in basketball," her statement read. "My goal has always been to help them become the very best people they can be, on the basketball court and in life.
"I love each and every one of the players I've coached and would do anything to encourage and support them. They are like family to me. I love them all.
"Of course, I will cooperate fully in this review. I look forward to a prompt conclusion of this matter and the continuation of our very successful women's basketball program."
In 2016, North Carolina extended Hatchell's contract through 2020 after nearly letting her old contract expire while her program was a major focus of the NCAA's investigation into academic fraud at North Carolina, particularly the involvement of academic counselor Jan Boxill. The NCAA ended up deciding it "could not conclude academic violations" in the case and imposed no sanctions.
In the meantime, several key players transferred out of the program and the Tar Heels missed the NCAA Tournament in 2016, 2017 and 2018, the longest gap in almost 30 years at North Carolina. This year's team went 18-15 and lost in the first round of the NCAA Tournament.
Efforts to reach North Carolina athletic director Bubba Cunningham on Monday afternoon were unsuccessful.
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Hatchell has won a national title (1994), eight ACC championships and has taken the Tar Heels to three Final Fours. In 2013, she was diagnosed with leukemia and missed that entire season, but was back on the bench in 2014-15.
Associate head coach Andrew Calder has been with the program for 33 years. The other assistant coaches are former UNC player Sylvia Crawley and recruiting coordinator Bett Shelby.
