Maryland basketball assistant suspended after arrest for soliciting prostitute

New details have emerged on the suspension of Maryland basketball assistant Bruce Shingler. Shingler’s 30-day suspension, announced Wednesday, allegedly stems from an October incident in which he was arrested on charges of soliciting a prostitute.

The coach reportedly responded to an advertisement posted by an undercover police officer on the “women seeking men” page of an unnamed website. The two exchanged text messages and eventually agreed to meet at a hotel in Largo, Maryland. Once there, Shingler agreed to pay $80 for sex and an arresting unit was alerted.

The trial date for his case is set for Feb. 28. Maryland cited “a violation of his employment agreement” as the initial reason for the suspension.

Shingler is in his first season with the Terrapins after spending the previous five years as an assistant at South Carolina under Frank Martin. A Maryland native, he also has coached at in-state schools Towson and Morgan State.

The suspension comes a little more than a month after Terrapins coach Mark Turgeon resigned just eight games into the season on Dec. 3. First-year assistant and former Wake Forest coach Danny Manning is currently serving as the interim head coach.

Manning declined to comment on the situation following a 94-87 double overtime victory against Northwestern on Wednesday.

“Our athletic department will handle everything from there,” Manning said.

Based on these comments and the weight of the news, Shingler’s future with the program remains uncertain.

It has been a disappointing season already for the Terrapins, which currently sits at 9-7 and 1-4 in the Big Ten. The recent suspension of its assistant coach for solicitating a prostitute is another distraction for Maryland basketball in an already rough season.

The Terps appear unlikely to make the NCAA Tournament barring a drastic turnaround in the second half of the season. They finished with a 17-14 record last year, earning a 10 seed before falling in the second round.

Maryland basketball will look to block out the noise as it focuses on its upcoming game against Rutgers set for 2 p.m. ET Saturday.