The former Colorado coach of a nationally prominent girls basketball club is under arrest in New York, facing charges related to sexual assault, the Douglas County Sheriff's Office announced Tuesday.

Rick Lopez was arrested Friday in Onondaga County, New York, after a traffic stop.

Lopez had been the coach for the Colorado Hoopsters, a highly successful club team, before resigning during a tournament in Oregon last month. The team, which has sent players to several powerhouse college basketball teams, said only that he had left for personal reasons.

Lt. Tim Moore of the Douglas County Sheriff's Office said they had first investigated Lopez in July of 2003 but did not develop enough information to bring charges. Later that year one former player told The Denver Post that Lopez had tried to touch her genitals. A second player said she dated the coach and had sex with him. Another woman told the Post she witnessed improper contact between a teammate and Lopez.

The coach denied the allegations.

"The allegations concern us," said Pat Miller, the head of Hoopsters Basketball. "We’re moving forward and continue to play basketball. Our focus is on the girls and the families,"

Lopez is being held in New York under a $500,000 bond for investigation of sexual assault on a child by a person in a position of trust and sexual assault, on a Colorado warrant.

The sheriff's office said that the investigation is continuing and investigators would like to talk to anyone who might have information in the case.