A former New Mexico State assistant basketball coach was fired late last week by a California high school after school officials learned he had been charged with academic fraud by the NCAA.

The Los Angeles Times reported that Chris Nordquist — who worked under Iowa State assistant Gar Forman at New Mexico State — was fired as girls’ basketball coach at Channel Islands High School in Oxnard, Calif.

Then NCAA has charged Nordquist and Forman with 11 infractions, most stemming from correspondence courses through Southeastern College of the Assemblies of God.

Some Aggie players used to the courses to meet eligibility requirements

Nordquist has admitted to some of the violations. Forman, through his lawyer, has denied the charges.

Channel Islands High officials said they were unaware of the allegations against Nordquist, also an English teacher at the high school, when he was hired.

“I was drinking coffee, eating breakfast, and I turned the page in the sports section and said, ‘Whoa, I think that person is under our employ,'” Bill Studt, superintendent of the Oxnard Union High School District, told the Times.

Iowa State officials have said the university is taking the accusations seriously and “looking into the matter.”