Maryland basketball assistant Dalonte Hill was suspended for the next two games after being arrested early Thursday morning for driving under the influence of alcohol.
According to an Anne Arundel County police report, Hill was pulled over while driving south on the Baltimore/Washington Parkway near Maryland Route 32 at 1:55 a.m. on Thursday.
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Police said Hill was observed driving a 2008 GMC Yukon erratically, abruptly swerving and making an unsafe lane change. After pulling Hill over, an officer detected “the strong odor of an alcoholic beverage” and saw Hill’s eyes were red and watery.
According to the report, Hill told the officer he had “three beers at the club.” The officer wrote that Hill’s speech was slow and extremely slurred.
The officer then asked Hill to take a field sobriety test. Hill had “difficulty maintaining his balance” and later “became uncooperative and refused to submit to the test.”
Hill, who turned 33 on Thursday, was previously arrested for DUI in 2008 while he was an assistant at Kansas State. Hill was suspended for one game for that incident.
Maryland coach Mark Turgeon said Hill “will not be with us the next two games, pending further investigation.” Maryland plays Temple at the Palestra in Philadelphia on Saturday and plays host to Duke on Wednesday.
Turgeon and a team spokesman declined further comment.
Hill is in his first season at Maryland. He previously was an assistant at Charlotte (2003-06) and Kansas State (2006-11). He was paid more than $400,000 annually at Kansas State. His contract at Maryland has not yet been released by the school.
Hill has significant recruiting ties to the Washington area, and his hire was considered a coup in that regard when he was added to the Terrapins’ staff in May. He was responsible for helping recruit Michael Beasley, an eventual NBA lottery pick, to Kansas State. Hill also served as the head coach at local AAU juggernaut D.C. Assault before entering college coaching.
—- Patrick Stevens
