Mass. basketball coach fired for 'take out' order

AMHERST, Mass. (AP) — An assistant basketball coach at a Massachusetts high school has been fired for telling one of his players to 'take out' another team's coach.

Eric Wheeler was fired Thursday by Amherst Regional High School following an investigation into Monday's incident in which an Amherst player is seen on video pushing South Hadley High coach Jeff Guiel (GYLE) to the ground from behind. Gueil was out of bounds.

School officials say Wheeler was apparently frustrated because game officials had not penalized Gueil for stepping out of the coaching box and thought contact with a player would result in a technical foul.

Amherst officials determined that head coach Jim Matuszko had no knowledge of the situation. The 16-year-old player also faces punishment.

Gueil, an attorney, says he is "exploring all the options."

Video courtesy MassLive.com: Jay King

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