Walter McCarty was fired Tuesday as Evansville's head basketball coach in the midst of a university investigation into alleged sexual misconduct and possible Title IX violations, the school announced.

Hours later, former Butler and Iowa coach Todd Lickliter was introduced as the Purple Aces' newhead coach.

McCarty had been on administrative leave since late December.

In the statement announcing the firing, the school referenced that it "has received additional reports of alleged misconduct" by McCarty since an investigation was launched on Dec. 27 into "reports of alleged sexual misconduct and violations of the University's Title IX policy."

An independent investigation is still underway by a national law firm after the school previously said it "received a troubling report about Coach McCarty's interactions with a member of the campus community."

The statement also stated, "While the investigation of potential Title IX violations will continue under University policies, UE has decided that, based on the facts uncovered thus far, it is necessary to terminate Mr. McCarty's employment immediately."

Lickliter met with his new players Tuesday night, according to the Evansville Courier Press, and he will coach his first game Wednesday when the Purple Aces play host to Drake. He was an assistant coach under McCarty at Evansville last season but resigned in the offseason due to medical issues.

"We regret to be in this position to be making a change in the middle of the year, but Coach Lickliter's quality as a coach and a human being really makes him a fantastic candidate for being our head coach," Evansville athletic director Mark Spencer told the Courier Press. "I'm so happy to be able to bring him back to Evansville to be part of this community he loves so much."

Lickliter, 64, produced a 131-61 mark as Butler's head coach from 2001-02 to 2006-07, guiding the Bulldogs to two NCAA Tournament appearances. He was in charge at Iowa from 2007-08 to 2009-10, posting a 38-58 mark.

Since then, he spent three years as the head coach at NAIA Marian University in Indianapolis and 2015-18 as a scout for the Celtics.

Assistant coach Bennie Seltzer had been in charge of the Purple Aces since McCarty was placed on leave. Evansville got off to a 9-4 start this season and stunned then-No. 1-ranked Kentucky 67-64 on Nov. 12. Since Seltzer took over, Evansville lost all six games.

McCarty, a native of Evansville, Ind., was a former member of the Kentucky Wildcats and an assistant coach with the Boston Celtics and Indiana Pacers. He was hired by Evansville in March 2018, and he led the team to an 11-21 record in 2018-19.

McCarty's resume also includes time as an assistant under Rick Pitino at Louisville from 2007-10. He played 10 seasons in the NBA, primarily with the Celtics, after three seasons at Kentucky from 1993-96 that included an NCAA championship in 1996 under Pitino.

McCarty, who turns 46 on Feb. 1, was the 19th pick in the 1996 NBA Draft by the New York Knicks.

--Field Level Media