Ball State University basketball coach Ronny Thompson has resigned from his position after only one season at the helm of the team, university officials confirmed Thursday night.
Matt McCollester, assistant director of Ball State Athletics, Communication and Marketing, said the university would be holding a press conference at 2 p.m. Friday to officially make the announcement. Additional details regarding the terms of Thompson's release were being worked out between university lawyers and representatives for Thompson prior to that event, he added.
Tony Proudfoot, associate vice president for Marketing and Communications, said the search for a new coach will begin immediately.
Proudfoot said several factors contributed to Thompson's decision to resign.
"Coach Thompson has expressed concern about the recent NCAA investigation as well as other issues," Proudfoot said.
The university self-reported two sets of NCAA rules violations in the past year after members of Thompson's staff regularly attended "open gym" for short periods of time. In August, the NCAA accepted Collins' proposed punishment for the first set of infractions, which included a letter of reprimand to the coaching staff and a loss of 870 minutes of scheduled practice time. The NCAA has yet to inform Ball State of the penalties from the second set of incidents.
In addition, Thompson and his staff had anonymous notes, containing racial slurs and the words "cheater" and "liar" written on them, shoved under their doors in late June. The university announced that it would conduct both a criminal investigation into the notes and a "climate assessment" of the athletic department.
Proudfoot said Thursday that both efforts will continue even after Thompson's resignation.
Thompson, who guided the Cardinals to a 9-22 record in his only season in Muncie, was said to be on the recruiting trail as late as Wednesday night. Both President Jo Ann Gora and Director of Intercollegiate Athletics Tom Collins reiterated Wednesday in separate interviews that Thompson was still the coach of the men's team.
Thompson, who informed Gora of his resignation in an e-mail, caught the university off-guard with his announcement, Proudfoot said.
"Tom Collins did not know beforehand," Proudfoot said. "(But) he's aware now."
Lisa Collier, who served as Thompson's secretary for the past year, said she only found out about Thompson's resignation on Thursday.
"I enjoyed working with him," Collier said.
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