Right or wrong, the head basketball coach any major university is a visible figure and therefore considered a role model. Drinking in a college dorm is a situation you need to avoid.

Being there was Larry Eustachy's first mistake.

But in this situation, it's not only about where he was, it's also where he wasn't. During the season, coaches don't have a lot of down time. After a game -- especially a loss -- most coaches go back to the hotel, hook up with their staff, order couple of pizzas and study game film.

That apparently didn't happen here.

For those coaches who enjoy an occasional beer or two, it's certainly their prerogative. But even something as innocent as that can put a coach in a compromising situation.

Generally, it's never a good idea for the coaches to drink alcohol on a team road trip. On the road, you're a family and you never know what might happen or when you might be needed.

Eustachy is now in a position where he needs to build back the trust of the many people affected by this -- including his players. Often, a coach will ban alcohol during the season. It's important that his players view Eustachy as a leader, not someone who speaks out of both sides of his mouth.

No one is perfect. We all have our flaws. Certainly, we've all done things we wish we had not done.

But the bottom line is: When you're a coach, you need to know better than to put yourself in such precarious situations.

Should Eustachy remain in Iowa, I would expect that he will be asked to travel with his team from this point forward. Currently, he tends to drive while his team takes charter flights (he doesn't like to fly).

But it's not for me to say what course of action should ultimately be taken. And from what I know of Bruce Van De Velde, he is a very well-respected athletic administrator who'll handle the situation justly.

Fran Fraschilla spent 23 years on the sidelines as a college basketball coach before joining ESPN this season as an broadcast analyst. He guided both Manhattan (1993, 1995) and St. John's (1998) to the NCAA Tournament in his nine seasons as a Division I head coach, leaving New Mexico following the end of the 2001-02 season.