Tennessee assistant basketball coach Rod Clark is serving a two-game suspension to open the 2023-24 season due to NCAA violations, KnoxNews Mike Wilson first reported and Tennessee confirmed Monday evening.
“The University and assistant men’s basketball coach Rod Clark are working collaboratively with the NCAA to address a violation,” Tennessee wrote in a statement Monday evening. “Coach Clark is suspended for the first two games of the 2023-24 season versus Tennessee Tech and Wisconsin.
“Coach Clark has acknowledged his error in judgement and accepted full responsibility. We appreciate his cooperation throughout the process. NCAA bylaws prohibit additional comments or details.”
Clark is entering his third-season with the Tennessee program after joining Rick Barnes’ staff in the spring of 2021. Prior to his time at Tennessee, Clark spent a season as an assistant coach at Austin Peay and a season as an assistant coach at the University of Illinois-Chicago.
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The 30-year old assistant coach worked in prep basketball before becoming an assistant coach at UIC. Clark was an assistant coach at Sunrise Christian Academy in Kansas and coached NIKE EYBL power MoKan Elite.
The violation which earned Clark a two-game suspension is his first compliance issue in his five-year college coaching tenure. Tennessee basketball hasn’t had any compliance issues or major NCAA violations in Rick Barnes’ nine-year tenure as head coach.
Tennessee opens up its highly anticipated 2023-24 season on Monday night at Thompson-Boling Arena at Food City Center. The ninth-ranked Vols are the media’s pick to win the SEC this season and open up the year against Tennessee Tech.
Tipoff between the Vols and Golden Eagles is at 6:30 p.m. ET on Monday night. Michael Wottreng, Steve Hamer and Sarah Detwiler are on the call for SEC Network+.
