by Steven Fernandez
Daily Lobo
A UNM men's basketball player was suspended for the remainder of the 2005-06 season after resisting arrest Sunday.
Junior Kyle Prochaska is the latest member of the basketball team to be arrested in a season that has been filled with off-court issues.
Prochaska was found passed out in the back of his vehicle, a 1989 Dodge Spirit, early Sunday after he said he spent Saturday night drinking with friends.
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Prochaska and head coach Ritchie McKay addressed the incident at a news conference at The Pit on Monday.
Prochaska admitted being drunk and driving the vehicle that night. He said getting suspended for the rest of the season is a fair decision.
"It was coach's decision. I'd agree with it," Prochaska said.
McKay said he is disappointed Prochaska put himself in that situation and expressed concern for his future.
"I think it's unfortunate," he said. "I love Kyle to death. He's a good kid. He shouldn't be marked by this one incident."
McKay said Prochaska will not be allowed to return to the team this season because he violated team policy. McKay said it is against team rules to consume alcohol during the basketball season.
A police report stated Prochaska spit and yelled profanities at Bernalillo County Sheriff's officers. The report stated they found Prochaska in the car, which was missing a front tire, against a chain link fence in the 5000 block of Second Street S.W.
According to the report, officers asked Prochaska for his name and he responded by shouting curse words. The report stated he became loud and obnoxious and continued fighting police even after officers used pepper spray. He was handcuffed and placed in the back of a police car, where he continued spitting in the back of the vehicle, the report stated.
Prochaska was not charged with driving under the influence because he was not driving when police found him, according to the report. He faces misdemeanor charges of resisting, evading and obstructing an officer.
Prochaska said after he started driving he realized he should not have been driving because he was intoxicated, and he pulled over to the side of the road. Prochaska said he does not have a problem with alcohol, but said he made a mistake over the weekend.
The suspended player decided to talk to the media Monday because he wants the team to be able to move on with the rest of the season, he said.
McKay said he did not want to discuss whether Prochaska would be allowed to return to the team next season.
"We're not even thinking about that at this point," McKay said. "We're thinking about what's in Kyle's best interest at the moment. I think it's in his best interest to fully concentrate on issues he may have."
This is the second time during the 2005-06 season that McKay suspended Prochaska. When the Lobos played New Mexico State University in Las Cruces earlier this season, Prochaska was suspended for violating team rules. Neither Prochaska nor McKay would comment on whether the incident was alcohol-related.
Sunday's incident is another event in what has been a controversial basketball season. Including Prochaska, four UNM players have found themselves in trouble with the law.
In September, Aaron Johnson was temporarily kicked off the team after fighting with police outside a bar. Johnson pleaded guilty to two misdemeanor charges of resisting arrest. He was allowed to remain on the team.
In August, transfer J.R. Giddens was involved in a bar fight in Kansas and pleaded no contest to misdemeanor battery.
In July, Josh Jenkins was suspended after being charged with rape. The charge was later dropped and Jenkins transferred to Barton County Community College in Kansas.
The UNM men's basketball team (16-9, 7-5) is on a four-game winning streak and returns to action Wednesday night against Air Force Academy in Colorado.
