Bruin Basketball Recruits Still Under Scrutiny

Signaling the continuation of a summer-long NCAA investigation, an automobile salesman who said he leased two 1997 Ford Explorers driven by incoming UCLA freshmen basketball players Schea Cotton and Baron Davis has been questioned by officials examining the transactions.

Athletic Director Peter T. Dalis’ office was informed Monday that two members of the NCAA enforcement staff interviewed salesman Lloyd Caren by phone Friday about the vehicles leased to Cotton’s father, James, and Davis’ sister, Lisa Hodoh, while Caren worked at Dave Wilson Ford of Orange. Caren said that Karl Hicks, the enforcement staff’s lead investigator, conducted the 45-minute interview.

At issue, according to Caren, was how the elder Cotton and Hodoh obtained financing for the sport-utility vehicles; whether Nike, the athletic shoe and sportswear apparel giant, assisted Cotton and Hodoh financially; and the nature of Caren’s relationship with local youth-league coach Pat Barrett.

Barrett most recently has worked for Nike, calling himself a consultant. In that role, he has been paid a salary and has provided shoes and apparel to distribute to basketball players.

The NCAA does not comment on ongoing investigations, but a UCLA official acknowledged Monday that Hicks was in the Southland last week.

“He was doing some follow-up work on a Pac-10 report about some matters that occurred prior to [former coach] Jim Harrick’s termination,” said Marc Dellins, UCLA sports information director. “As a matter of procedure, it’s routine for the NCAA to do that.”

Last month, a high-ranking NCAA enforcement official, Rich Hilliard, one of four NCAA directors of enforcement, said no evidence of rules violations by UCLA had been found during the most recent investigation. However, Hilliard also said the investigation would continue if further information became available. Hicks recently located Caren, according to the automobile salesman.

“They wanted to know where the money came from and whether Nike supplemented the car payments,” said Caren, who recently transferred to another dealership. “They wanted to know if I took money from a third party--which I didn’t.”

Nike officials could not be reached for comment Monday.

Hicks also questioned Caren about Barrett, who coached Cotton and Davis in youth leagues, and about an associate of Barrett’s with ties to the Southland automobile business. Barrett has not cooperated with this NCAA investigation.

“[Hicks] dropped a lot of names and asked me if I knew Pat and Butch Goodman, and I told him I did,” Caren said. “But was Pat there when the transactions were made? No. To me, [the NCAA] is just really determined to find something no matter what. There is nothing there.”

If it were proven that a third party was involved in the financing of the vehicles, that could be a violation of NCAA rules regarding amateurism.

Barrett did not return phone calls Monday, and Davis and Hodoh could not be reached for comment. Gaynell Cotton, Schea’s mother, said she thought the investigation was essentially closed.

“This is just ridiculous,” she said. “We gave those people everything they asked for, all the documentation they wanted we provided.

“We’re just tired of this whole thing. We knew that if they found any other information they would keep digging, but this is crazy. What are they going to do next, dismantle this truck and look at every piece?”