As facts slowly surface, most of UCLA believe Harrick vindicated

Friday, October 11, 1996

BASKETBALL:

Officials silent, but selling price of Blazer deemed fair by
local automobile dealersBy Hye Kwon

Daily Bruin Staff

Entering the third day of investigation into the sale of Jim
Harrick’s Chevy Blazer, officials from the UCLA Athletic Department
and the Pacific 10 conference are still keeping their lips sealed
to the general public.

It is likely that until the investigation is complete,
statements will not be forthcoming from investigator David Price,
Baron Davis’ sister Lisa Hodoh, Harrick, Athletic Director Peter
Dalis and other individuals directly involved in the matter.

Since Tuesday, Harrick’s son Glenn has come forth to claim that
the deal with Hodoh was arranged by himself, without the prior
knowledge of his father. It has also been clarified that Harrick’s
Blazer was a two-wheel drive, which lowers the Kelley Blue Book
price considerably.

While these facts are surfacing one by one to remold and correct
the original information issued by the Los Angeles Times on
Tuesday, the UCLA community has been formulating their own
conclusions about the affair.

Most individuals interviewed by the Daily Bruin believe Harrick
and the men’s basketball program will be vindicated of their
charges, citing the incorrect information regarding the price of
the Blazer.

"It sounds like (Harrick) should be found innocent because the
dealerships now say the price was fair," said Thomas Garcia,
first-year English major. "Harrick should be able to sell the car
to (Hodoh) if he wants to."

Garcia added that he is skeptical of the allegations because
they came from a news source.

"I think newspapers and journalists in general are making a big
deal out of nothing," Garcia said. "They’re just trying to break a
big story for themselves."

Even if Pac-10 officials conclude that the truck was sold at a
fair market price, there might still be controversy surrounding the
act of Glenn Harrick making a financial deal with a recruit’s
family member.

David Black, a third-year Chinese major, believes that UCLA is
deserving of a reprimand because of the questionable ethics
involved in the deal.

"There should be some action taken against the coach and the
school," Black said. "(Harrick) shouldn’t have sold the car to
(Hodoh). If he really wanted to sell the car, he should have sold
it to anyone besides a recruit’s sister. That would be offering an
incentive to come to this school."

A considerable portion of the campus expresses reservations
about making conclusions regarding the case without the knowedge of
all the details currently being investigated.

"I’m aware of the information in the newspapers but beyond that
I really don’t know much," said David Fallon, a first-year computer
science major. "I think the decision should be left to the people
in charge of the investigation. But, as a fan, I’m just worried
about the consequences of a possible sanction."

Ahmar Qasim contributed to this report.

Harrick’s Blazer was a two-wheel drive, which lowers the Kelley
Blue Book price …