Mt. Vernon's Ben Rhoades will return to teaching, but basketball coaching job under review
Mt. Vernon boys basketball coach Ben Rhoades will return to his teaching position later this month following his Feb. 20 arrest for operating a vehicle while intoxicated, though his position as coach is still under review by the school.
According to the Mt. Vernon school corporation, Rhoades will remain on leave through March 26 and return to his teaching assignment the following day. “His extracurricular position as varsity coach is still under review and the timeline for the decision is undetermined,” according to a release Tuesday morning from the school.
Mt. Vernon plays its opening game in Class 4A Sectional 9 Wednesday night at Muncie Central against the host Bearcats. The assistant coaching staff is handling the coaching duties for the rest of the season.
In the release from the school, Mt. Vernon arrived at its decision to reinstate Rhoades to his teaching position “after significant consideration and due diligence related to Mr. Rhoades’ first-time offense.” The statement continued:
“Mt. Vernon does not approve or condone the behavior that led to Mr. Rhoades’ arrest. We believe that Mr. Rhoades is seeking the help and support he needs to recover from this event and ensure that it does not happen again. While it will take significant time, we expect him to prove that this one-time mistake does not define him as a person or teacher, and that he will work diligently to earn the trust back of the MV community.”
Rhoades, 44, is in his fifth season at Mt. Vernon with a 74-42 overall record, leading the Marauders to sectional titles each of the past two seasons. He has a bench trial set for April 3.
Call Star reporter Kyle Neddenriep at (317) 444-6649.
This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Mt. Vernon basketball coach Ben Rhoades back to teaching after arrest
