Another UNLV Inquiry : College basketball: Recruitment of former Lakewood Artesia standout O’Bannon to be studied by NCAA.

The NCAA has charged the Nevada Las Vegas basketball program with rule violations stemming from the school’s recruitment last year of Ed O’Bannon, who was a standout at Lakewood Artesia High.

The charges are outlined in a supplemental letter of official inquiry from the NCAA that was received by UNLV last Friday.

The university already has responded to a letter of official inquiry from the NCAA describing allegations in 29 areas, many focusing on the Rebels’ recruitment of former New York high school star Lloyd Daniels in 1986 and ’87.

UNLV President Robert Maxson acknowledged Monday that he had received a supplemental letter of official inquiry from the NCAA late last Friday, but declined to comment on its contents.

Maxson said he has forwarded the letter to Donald Klasic, general counsel for the University of Nevada system, for review.

“We can’t treat this (letter) any differently than we did the first one,” Maxson said. “Once we get something like this, we turn it over to the attorneys.”

UNLV Coach Jerry Tarkanian said that he has seen the supplemental letter of inquiry, but would not comment on its contents.

Calling the matter “unbelievably minor,” Tarkanian said: “We’re not concerned about any of it because we think we can handle all of it and there’s nothing there.”

Tarkanian announced June 7 that next season would be his last at UNLV. That was less than two weeks after the Las Vegas Review-Journal had published photographs showing three former UNLV players in the company of convicted sports fixer Richard Perry.

The supplemental letter of official inquiry stems from the recruitment of O’Bannon, who signed with UCLA last summer after having made an unwritten commitment to UNLV.

According to sources who asked not to be identified, the NCAA has been chiefly concerned with O’Bannon’s transportation and lodging during an unofficial visit to UNLV last year. NCAA rules prohibit a school’s coaches or representatives from paying for such visits.

NCAA enforcement representatives visited UNLV in March, reportedly to interview Rebel players about O’Bannon’s recruitment.

In a recent interview with The Times, O’Bannon acknowledged that he has talked to NCAA enforcement representatives, but declined further comment.

“Everything that was said (to the NCAA) . . . is supposed to stay in the room,” he said.

A 6-foot-8 forward, O’Bannon was considered one of the top recruits in the nation when he came out of high school last year.

He announced last spring that he would attend UNLV, but did not sign a letter of intent to attend the school because of concern over how the NCAA’s investigation of the Daniels situation would turn out.

Shortly after the NCAA Committee on Infractions announced last summer that it would bar the Rebels from postseason play in 1991 as a final penalty resulting from the 1977 case--which prompted Tarkanian to take the NCAA to court--O’Bannon signed with UCLA. He was unable to play for the Bruins last season, however, because of a knee injury.

Under NCAA enforcement procedures, a school is sent a supplemental letter of official inquiry when new information leading to alleged rules violations is developed while the school is responding to a previous letter of official inquiry. The school usually is asked to respond to the new charges in a matter of weeks.

UNLV responded two weeks ago to its original letter of inquiry, which was sent to the school last December.

Although UNLV made the letter public, blacking out names and the identifying characteristics of individuals, the school has refused to make public its response.

Klasic said he would decide today whether UNLV would make the supplemental letter public.