Amateur Status of Pirates’ Key Player Questioned

Andrew Gaze, who in a six-month stay at Seton Hall helped the university to the NCAA basketball final, had $25,000 placed in a family fund by his club team in Australia, the New York Times reported today.

The newspaper quoted Bruce Ward, general manager of the Melbourne Tigers, as saying that the money was put into a trust fund over a period of six months in 1988, when the team became professional.

He said it had come from a fund of $362,000 established by sponsors for the Tigers, who are coached by Gaze’s father, Lindsay.

The newspaper quoted an official of the NCAA as saying the payments raised questions about whether the rules on amateur status were violated. However, the organization has not started a formal investigation.

Unaware of Funds

Seton Hall Coach P. J. Carlesimo said he was unaware of the money going into the fund and Gaze himself said the money was “more like expenses.”

Gaze, 23, enrolled at Seton Hall last October and averaged 13.6 points per game for the Pirates on their run to the title game, which they lost 80-79 in overtime to Michigan.

His three-point shooting plus his maturity and experience--he had played for the Australian team in the last two Olympics--was cited as a key factor in keeping the Pirates together and he was the MVP of the West regional.

Last Friday, Gaze left and returned to Melbourne, where he signed a contract for $50,000 with the Tigers, whom he first joined as a junior 16 years ago.

Gaze said of the fund: “It was more like a scholarship, helping out with my expenses more than anything else.”