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Berkeley moves to fire assistant coach over sex harassment

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SAN FRANCISCO (AP) The men’s basketball coach at the University of California, Berkeley, said Monday that he is moving to fire an assistant coach who violated the school’s sexual harassment policy.

It comes as the university has faced criticism for its handling of substantiated sexual harassment allegations involving an astronomy professor and the dean of its law school.

Assistant coach Yann Hufnagel has been suspended pending termination proceedings and will not be traveling with the team during the upcoming NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament, the athletic department said in a statement.

The person who accused Hufnagel of sexual harassment is not affiliated with the school, university spokesman Dan Mogulof said. Hufnagel didn’t immediately reply to an email seeking comment on head coach Cuonzo Martin’s decision to fire him.

University of California President Janet Napolitano announced on Friday a new process for reviewing sexual harassment claims against administrators. A new systemwide committee would review and approve all proposed penalties for high-level administrators who violate sexual assault and harassment policies. She also ordered university leaders to complete sexual assault and harassment training by March 25.

This was Hufnagel’s second year as an assistant coach. He worked with the university’s guards last year and the team’s backcourt was considered one of the best in the Pac 12 conference, the school said.

Before a year at Vanderbilt University and his two years at UC Berkeley, Hufnagel spent four years as an assistant basketball at Harvard University. He was credited with helping develop guard Jeremy Lin, a Harvard graduate who now plays for the NBA’s Charlotte Hornets.

The NCAA tournament selection committee on Sunday made the 23-10 Bears a fourth seed in the South Region. It’s the school’s first appearance in the NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament since 2013. They face Hawaii Friday.

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Associated Press writer Paul Elias contributed to this story.