My name is Mike Cianciolo and I would like to apologize for my part in a story that originated with a tweet I made too quickly.

On Monday, March 24, I tweeted that Shaka Smart, currently the basketball coach at Virginia Commonwealth University, was to be named as the new head coach at Marquette University. As many of you know, the departure of Buzz Williams to Virginia Tech was big news and fans, alumni and reporters are waiting to hear who will replace him.

My tweet became the source members of the local media may have used as confirmation to make their own announcements that Mr. Smart was hired by Marquette. For this, I also apologize.

I would like to explain what happened on my end of this story. Sources I trusted told me the Marquette Athletic Department was going to hire Mr. Smart. Like any budding reporter, I became excited by the possibility of a scoop and jumped the gun in sharing the information on my personal Twitter account. I did not confirm the information before I tweeted it. I made the classic mistake, made by many who learn this same lesson, that double confirmation (or triple confirmation) is the most important thing a reporter can get before sharing any news.

I am currently a sophomore and the Sports Director for MUTV (a student-run television station) at Marquette University. My mistake will be a part of my education going forward and will inform my professional career as I pursue it. My mistake is embarrassing, but pretending it didn’t happen won’t ease my discomfort. I take responsibility for my error and for any part I played in the error others made as well.

Thank you for your interest in this story, in Marquette basketball and, I hope, for your forgiveness.