Freshman recruit Hines declared ineligible

By Hye Kwon
Daily Bruin Staff

Capping the anything but stellar recruiting year, the UCLA men’s
basketball team was dealt a blow by the NCAA at the start of this
new school year.

Rico "Dunkin’" Hines, a 6-foot-4-inch shooting guard from
Frederick, Md. – the only freshman recruit for Jim Harrick this
season – was declared academically ineligible to compete in his
freshman year by the NCAA last Monday.

Denying UCLA’s petition on behalf of Hines, the Council
Subcommittee on Initial Eligibility Waivers has ruled that a
Christology class that Hines took at St. John’s at Prospect Hall
did not meet the requirements of a core course. NCAA rules specify
that only core courses shall count toward an athlete’s grade-point
average, and without the Christology class, Hines’ GPA fell just
below the minimum standard.

After sitting out an academic year, Hines can become eligible to
play, but because UCLA has a policy of rejecting non-qualifiers,
Hines will not be a Bruin this year. But, apparently, that doesn’t
mean that Hines will never be coming to Westwood.

When the NCAA levied its decision on Monday, there were three
options that Hines could have exercised. One option was to plead
his case to a federal-court judge and obtain an injunction to
remain with the Bruins. Another option was to enroll at another
university that does accept non-qualified freshmen. The latter was
the path that former Bruin recruit Tommy Prince took last season,
after UCLA rejected him because of his academically ineligible
status. Since then, Prince has landed at Pepperdine via Arizona
State, where he will play for former UCLA assistant coach Lorenzo
Romar starting this fall.

The third option, which was the one that Hines ended up
exercising, was to enroll in his fifth year at a prep school and
wait out a year before going to college. Hines will start school
next Monday at Hargrave Military Academy in Chatham, Va. and will
join the school’s fifth-year basketball squad. If UCLA decides to
sign Hines once again this November, his four years of eligibility
will still remain.

"Rico’s sole interest is attending UCLA and playing for Jim
Harrick," the Hines’ family attorney Jim Jorgensen said. "Rico is
excited about (attending Hargrave) because he will be more mature
as a student and as an athlete if and when he gets his chance to
play for the Bruins."

Harrick and the coaching staff are on recruiting visits and were
unavailable for comment.

The absence of Hines this year means that the Bruins will suit
up only eight scholarship players for the 1996-97 season, including
former walk-on Bob Meyers and point-guard Brandon Loyd, who was
seldom used as a freshman last season.

As a senior in high school, Hines averaged 11.0 points, 5.2
rebounds and 3.3 assists on a St. John’s team that finished No. 7
in the USA Today prep ranking. As an athletic guard with great
jumping ability, Hines would likely have made an immediate impact
on the Bruins by adding much needed depth at the thin guard
positions.

* * *

In the midst of the gloom of Hines’ news, UCLA has received
great reports regarding next year’s squad. Harrick has reportedly
received early oral commitments from a pair of 6-foot, 1-inch
guards, enabling the Bruins to have a leg up on their competitors
in the recruiting war.

Baron Davis, who attends nearby Crossroads High School in Santa
Monica, announced that he would attend UCLA next year. Davis’
commitment comes as a huge victory for Harrick, who was competing
against Mike Krzyzewski of Duke and Roy Williams of Kansas for
Davis’ services.

Another player who has already given Harrick the initial nod is
Earl Watson from Washington High School in Kansas City. Scouting
reports say that Watson can run the team at the point or sink the
jumper from outside as the off guard, making the Bruins more
flexible in the backcourt.

In addition to consolidating the backcourt, Watson’s addition
was rumored to have given UCLA the inside track to sign 6-foot
6-inch JaRon Rush from Pembroke Hills School in Kansas City. Rush
is a close friend of Watson and has expressed interest in coming to
UCLA.

The Bruins are also rumored to be close to getting the verbal
commitment from twins Jarron and Jason Collins from
Harvard-Westlake High School in North Hollywood.

Another Bruin hopeful is Chris Burgess from Woodbridge High
School in Irvine, who averaged 26.3 points and 10.5 rebounds per
game as a junior and is considered one of the best power-forward
prospects in the nation.