Charges by Female Player to Be Studied, UCLA Says

The UCLA women’s basketball program is undergoing an “internal review,” according to the university’s senior associate athletic director, Judith Holland.

The review, Holland said, was based on a letter written by Wannette Lockhart, mother of UCLA junior guard Detra Lockhart. In the letter, written to Holland, the player’s mother alleged that UCLA Coach Billie Moore was guilty of “bigotry and verbal abuse” toward her daughter, who is black. Moore is white.

Moore recently finished her 16th season as Bruin women’s basketball coach. Her 1978 team won a national championship. She was the coach of the 1976 Olympic team, which won a silver medal at Montreal.

Wannette Lockhart, in her letter, complained to Holland that Moore exercised “inappropriate” punishment of her daughter last December during the UCLA team’s trip between Kentucky and New Jersey. She said her daughter was ordered to carry team equipment luggage after being late to a team meeting and later got into a shouting match with her coach.

Said Moore Friday: “I don’t have any comment, other than to say allegations were made against me, and the university felt the best way to handle it was internally, with an investigation.” This season, Lockhart was Moore’s first substitute and ranked fifth on the team with 595 minutes played. UCLA had a 13-14 record.

Holland said the internal review would be completed in about two weeks.