San Antonio, Texas: UTSA Suspends Basketball Coach Austin Claunch After DWI Arrest, Days Before Season Opener

UTSA has suspended men's basketball coach Austin Claunch after his arrest on suspicion of driving while intoxicated, days before the Roadrunners open their season, the university announced on Wednesday.

KTSA reported that assistant coach Nick Bowman will serve as acting head coach while university officials review the circumstances of the arrest and determine the next steps. USA Today reported that Claunch, 36, was arrested on Tuesday, October 27.

The university statement

Athletic director Lisa Campos said the school takes the matter seriously. "UTSA Athletics holds its coaches, staff, and student-athletes to high standards of conduct and accountability," Campos said in the university release. "We take this matter seriously and will address it in accordance with university policies and procedures."

Claunch also spoke in the same release, and he did not dispute the seriousness of the arrest. "I made a grave error in judgment, and I deeply regret my actions and the disappointment I have caused," he said. "I sincerely apologize to the young men I have privilege of coaching, my fellow coaches and colleagues, President Taylor Eighmy, Dr. Lisa Campos and the entire Roadrunner community."

"I recognize the responsibility that comes with being a head coach and the example I am expected to set, both on and off the court. I fell short of those expectations, and for that, I am truly sorry. I take responsibility for my decisions and am committed to learning from the experience and earning back the trust and confidence of those who have placed their faith in me."

Suspension lands days before the opener

The timing leaves the program without its head coach at the start of the season. UTSA opens on Monday, November 2, at San Jose State, and Bowman will lead the team while the review continues. The university has not said how long the suspension will last.

Claunch is in his third season as UTSA's head coach. He took the job in 2024 after working as an assistant at Alabama, and he was previously the head coach at Nicholls, where he was the youngest head coach in Division I from 2018 to 2021. His UTSA teams have struggled on the court, and the Roadrunners brought in a heavily rebuilt roster for this season, which made the opener at San Jose State a first test of the new group. That test will now be run by the acting head coach.

The university said its review of the arrest is continuing and that it will determine appropriate next steps under its own policies. No court outcome in the case has been reported.