MCCANDLESS, Allegheny County — A former standout basketball player at Knoch High School who went on to coach girls varsity basketball at Pine-Richland High School has waived his right to a preliminary hearing on charges he had sex with a 16-year-old female player.

Defense attorney Robert Andrews declined to comment Wednesday after 33-year-old Pine-Richland coach Cliff Foster waived his right to a preliminary hearing.

Foster was suspended last month by the district and charged with institutional sexual assault and corruption of a minor.

Police began investigating after an Allegheny County child welfare caseworker received a report about a possible relationship between Foster and the girl.

Police say the girl also played for an Amateur Athletic Union club team Foster founded and allegedly had sex with him in hotel rooms on trips to Florida, Illinois, Kentucky, Ohio and Washington, D.C.

While at Knoch, Foster was named Butler Eagle Boys Basketball Player of the Year for the 1999-2000 season, averaging 19.7 points and 10.3 assists per game as the team’s point guard.

He went on to a standout basketball career at La Roche College, where he set school records of 636 career assists, 201 assists in one season and 238 career steals.

During his senior season, he led La Roche to its first Allegheny Mountain Collegiate Conference championship.

Foster was hired as girls basketball coach at Pine-Richland before the 2012-13 season.

His three-year record there is 40-32. Pine-Richland was 21-6 last season — its best girls basketball record in years.