Maryland basketball assistant coach Dalonte Hill to take leave of absence

Maryland assistant basketball coach Dalonte Hill will be taking a leave of absence from coaching, effective immediately,  the University announced in a release Tuesday.

"I appreciate the support and encouragement I've received from Coach Turgeon and the athletic department," said Hill. "But at this time it is in my best interest to take a leave of absence from the Maryland basketball program and focus my attention on some personal matters that need to be dealt with immediately."

The Washington Post's Alex Prewitt discovered that Hill was arrested on Sunday, after looking at the Maryland Judiciary Case Search website.

Maryland public arrest records show Hill was booked on five charges after being stopped Sunday evening on North Laurel Road in Laurel: driving a vehicle while under the influence of alcohol; attempting to drive a vehicle while impaired by alcohol; attempting to drive a vehicle while impaired by controlled dangerous substance; attempting to drive a vehicle while impaired by drugs or alcohol or alcohol and drugs; and failure to control vehicle speed on highway to avoid collision.

It's important to note that these are all alledged crimes. This is, however, the third time Hill has been charged with a DUI since 2008. The first occurred while he was coaching at Kansas State and the second happened in January of 2012. Again, per Prewitt's story:

In 2012, Hill pleaded guilty to driving while impaired by alcohol after he was arrested in January of that year on the Baltimore-Washington Parkway. He received probation.

"We will support him through this process," said Maryland men's basketball head coach Mark Turgeon in the written release. "We want him to focus on his personal life. Basketball is secondary at this point. His primary focus needs to be on his health and well-being."

"I accept Dalonte's decision to take a leave of absence," Maryland director of athletics Kevin Anderson said. "We've encouraged him to take the time he needs to address these personal issues."

Where does Maryland go from here? That remains unclear. But for now they'll continue on without Hill, not knowing when he'll rejoin the team.