BALTIMORE — University of Maryland men’s basketball assistant coach Bruce Shingler was arrested in October and charged with soliciting a prostitute, according to court documents obtained by The Baltimore Sun.
Shingler, 40, was suspended 30 days by the school late Wednesday night for violating his employment agreement. He could not be reached for comment and did not have an attorney listed in court documents. A university spokesperson confirmed Shingler’s date of birth, which matches that on the charging documents, but declined further comment.
According to court documents, Shingler responded to an advertisement, which was posted by an undercover detective for a Prince George’s County police special assignment team, on the “women seeking men” section of a website known to be utilized by women who exchange sex for money to solicit their clients.
On Oct. 14, that detective received a text from Shingler. At the end of the conversation, the detective advised Shingler where she was staying and to contact her when he arrived at a Holiday Inn in Largo.
Once in the hotel room, Shingler confirmed that he wanted to engage in sex, exchanging a fee of $80, according to the court documents. After Shingler handed over the money, the detective alerted the arrest team.
Shingler was arrested and taken to the department of corrections for processing. He waived an attorney at his initial appearance and was released without bail, according to court records. His trial date is scheduled for Feb. 28.
The charges carry a maximum sentence of one year.
Shingler, who grew up in Bladensburg, is in his first year as an assistant in College Park. He was hired in June after serving five seasons as an assistant at South Carolina, helping lead them to the program’s first Final Four appearance in the 2016-17 season. He also served as an assistant at Towson from 2012-16 and spent time on the staffs at Morgan State and Kansas State.
With Shingler’s ties to the Maryland area, he was hired to help former head coach Mark Turgeon with recruiting. Before being a college assistant, Shingler coached at his alma mater Bladensburg High School, leading them to an 18-5 record in his lone season. He also coached AAU for the DC Assault 17U team, sending over 40 members to Division I program in his tenure, including McDonald’s All-Americans Michael Beasley and Quinn Cook.
Shingler was a three-year starter at St. Augustine’s College.
“Maryland’s basketball tradition and fan base is unmatched and I look forward to the challenge of meeting the standard of Terrapin basketball,” Shingler said when he was introduced as an assistant in June. “On a personal note, Maryland is home. I grew up a Terp attending games at Cole Field House. My mother lived right across the street from campus. My wife, Lauren, went to St. John’s College High School. We can’t wait to get to campus and hit the ground running.”
After Maryland’s 94-87 victory over Northwestern Wednesday night, interim coach Danny Manning said he had no further comment beyond the statement made by the athletic department.
Manning said he hasn’t elevated an assistant to take Shingler’s place, as everything happened “pretty quickly.”
“We’re just trying to keep our head above water and move forward,” Manning said. “We’ll see how it plays out as we continue down this path.”
