M. basketball threatene by allegations

Wednesday, October 9, 1996

BASKETBALL:

Potentially

crippling charges could mean poor recruiting classes in futureBy
Brent Boyd

Daily Bruin Senior Staff

Recent allegations of violations committed during the
recruitment of Baron Davis may have placed the future of UCLA men’s
basketball in serious jeopardy.

Although Pacific 10 conference representatives will be on campus
today, officials said the issue would not be resolved for
months.

And since UCLA is in the midst of the recruiting season, the
timing could not have been much worse for the Bruins.

With the investigation by the Pac-10 expected to take at least a
month, the approaching NCAA early-signing period of Nov. 13-20 is
dangerously close. As a result, many top players that have
considered UCLA may opt for other schools rather than risk playing
for a program under probation.

Among the nation’s top recruits, Davis’ oral commitment was seen
by many as a key ingredient in drawing other big-name players to
Westwood.

Chris Burgess, a top forward from Irvine’s Woodbridge High, is
one of those being highly recruited by the Bruins.

He has narrowed down his choices to UCLA, Kentucky, Duke, and
Brigham Young. But, with the program facing a possible NCAA
sanction, the lure of UCLA may have been dramatically
diminished.

"Because nothing is decided right now (in terms of the
investigation), I can’t really judge anything about my attending
school right now," Burgess said. "If the program did go on
probation, then I would go somewhere else. If at the time of
signing the chance of probation is 75 percent, I would sign or
commit elsewhere."

In addition to Davis and Burgess, UCLA was poised to recruit a
premier freshman class. Included among the other potential Bruins
are Lamar Odom of Christ the King in New York, as well as Jarron
and Jason Collins of Harvard-Westlake in North Hollywood.

A strong crop of freshmen next season will be needed to
contribute immediately due to the expected mass exodus of current
Bruins at season’s end and this year’s disappointing freshman
class.

When recruit Rico Hines was ruled ineligible last month, the
Bruins were left with only one remaining recruit for the season,
Steve Johnson.

Cameron Dollar, Charles O’Bannon, and Bob Myers will be
competing in their final year of eligibility, while Toby Bailey,
Jelani McCoy, and J.R. Henderson may leave school early at season’s
end in search of the NBA.

Harrick refused to discuss the allegations against him and their
potential consequences.

Even if the Bruins are not convicted of committing violations,
the incident is likely to stain the program.

"More than anything else, the rumors could hurt recruiting more
than some facts," San Diego State head coach Fred Trenkle said.

"Until the facts come out, the speculation can really hurt you
­ I’ve been around long enough to see the no judge, no jury
system in regard to rumors."

The entire basketball team and athletic department refused to
comment on the allegations’ consequences.

***

Although most students were unaware of the allegations, those
familiar with the incident were obviously shaken by the news.

First-year student Edward H. Kim was more disappointed with the
ethics of the Bruin coaching staff.

"I’m a big fan," he said, "But if this is what it takes to have
a winning team then I just don’t think that it’s worth it.

"We have a good enough basketball program that the coaches
should be able to recruit whoever they want here. I think this
gives UCLA too much of an advantage and it’s not fair to the other
schools."

Senior Robert Espinoza’s anger, however, was not directed at the
athletic department or basketball team, but at the ethics of the
Los Angeles Times.

"I think the media needs to get their nose out of the personal
lives of people," he said. "I don’t think the blame lies with the
coaches, but instead with the Times. If somebody wants to sell
their car, they should be able to ­ it’s their business."