Colorado State head men’s basketball coach Larry Eustachy was put on administrative leave Saturday while athletic director Joe Parker completes his “climate assessment” of Eustachy’s program.

Associate head coach Steve Barnes is filling in for Eustachy in the meantime, beginning with a 76-67 loss to Nevada on Saturday night.

Staff and players didn’t find out about Eustachy’s leave until 50 minutes after it was made public Saturday and did not meet with Parker face to face at any point during the day, according to a source.

Parker released the following statement Saturday afternoon before the game against the Wolf Pack, three days after the university confirmed it is investigating the way Eustachy is running his program.

“I have asked head coach Larry Eustachy to temporarily step away from the men’s basketball program, as he has been placed on administrative leave while we conclude our climate assessment,” Parker said. “We are diligently working through this assessment as expeditiously as possible, understanding the importance of a thorough and fair process. No conclusions have been made. Associate head coach Steve Barnes has agreed to assume head coaching responsibilities for tonight’s game against Nevada, and until the assessment is complete.”

Eustachy coached CSU during Wednesday’s double-overtime loss to Wednesday. The Denver Post reported on Friday that Eustachy told his team earlier this week that university president Tony Frank had assured Eustachy his job was safe. CSU then released a statement denying that Frank ever made such statements to Eustachy.

Eustachy’s conduct was also investigated by the university during the 2013-14 season, according to a report published last year by the Fort Collins Coloradoan. That investigation concluded with then-athletic director Jack Graham recommending that Eustachy be terminated for creating “a culture of fear and intimidation and emotionally abused his players.”

Eustachy was instead put on an improvement plan, and according to the Coloradoan report, was “given a zero-tolerance policy in regard to throwing, punching or kicking objects and using ‘direct profane, derogatory, and/or demeaning language or gestures in the presence of or towards your players, staff or anyone else while acting in the scope’ of his employment.'”

The university’s current investigation is based on similar concerning behavior by Eustachy, sources have told the Reporter-Herald.

Eustachy, who is under contract for three more seasons with an average annual salary of $1.02 million, coached the Rams during their double-overtime loss to Wyoming on Wednesday, the same day the university confirmed it was conducting interviews with players and staff members in order to assess the program.

When asked about the investigation after that game, Eustachy said he couldn’t comment.

Both players who were at that press conference, Anthony Bonner and Deion James, supported their coach.

“I love my coach. That’s all I got to say about it,” Bonner said.

“To be honest, we’ve got his back 100 percent,” James said. “I can’t speak for others, but as of right now, we’re just focused on winning.”

Current and former players have also recently expressed their support for Eustachy on Twitter, most notably leading scorer Prentiss Nixon, who returned to the lineup Saturday with “#LARRYE” written on his sneakers.

Eustachy is in the midst of his worst stretch during his six seasons at CSU, in no small part because his two leading scorers, Nixon and J.D. Paige, had been out the past couple games with injuries. The Rams (10-15, 3-9 Mountain West) have lost six straight, the program’s longest losing streak since December 2008.

For the most part, Eustachy’s time leading the program has been a success, at least in terms of wins and losses. He’s currently tied with Stew Morrill for the second-most victories in program history with a record of 121-74, which also ranks second in win percentage (.621) behind Tiny “Boyd” Grant.

Eustachy has also coached the Rams to the three highest single-season win totals in program history, led by the 2014-15 team that won 27 games, followed by the 2012-13 (26 wins) and the 2016-17 teams (24). However, he’s led the program to the NCAA Tournament just once, his first season in 2013 when he inherited a team largely built by current Nebraska coach Tim Miles.

Sean Star: sstar@reporter-herald.com or twitter.com/seanvstar