Hofstra fires basketball coach Mo Cassara

Hofstra fired men's basketball coach Mo Cassara on Friday.

CBSSports.com reported athletic director Jeff Hathaway made the decision Thursday.

The past three years have been tumultuous for Cassara, whom Hofstra hired as an assistant in 2010 after he got swept up in Boston College's firing of head coach Al Skinner. Cassara soon found himself promoted to the Pride's head coach after Tim Welsh was arrested and charged with driving while intoxicated a month after Welsh's hiring.

Hofstra finished 21-12 and 14-4 in the Colonial Athletic Association in Cassara's first season as head coach but fell to 7-25 this past season while dealing with several off-court issues.

Sophomore Shaquille Stokes and three freshmen were arrested for stealing more than $10,000 worth of laptop computers early in the 2012-13 season. UConn transfer Jamal Coombs-McDaniel was later arrested for marijuana possession.

"We are very thankful to Mo Cassara for his hard work and dedication to the Hofstra Basketball program over the last three years," Hofstra athletic director Jeff Hathaway said in a statement. "Mo is a tireless worker and has tremendous passion for the game and the students that he coached. I personally want to thank him for his commitment to Hofstra Athletics and the University community during his tenure. We wish him the very best."

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