UCLA RECRUITING BREACH? THREE SOURCES SAY BRUINS IMPROPERLY CONTACTED PROSPECTIVE PLAYERS.

Byline: Billy Witz Staff Writer

Two high school basketball players who were recruited by UCLA have told the Daily News they had contact with Bruins coaches at a time when NCAA rules prohibit such conduct.

Errick Craven, now a senior at Bishop Montgomery High of Torrance, said UCLA coach Steve Lavin met with him around March of last year at his high school coach's office. College coaches are prohibited from contacting recruits off the college campus until July 1 after the player's junior year.

Jamaal Williams, a senior at Centennial High of Corona, said, UCLA coaches called him ``all the time'' at home during his junior year. NCAA rules state schools may not contact recruits by phone until June 21st after their junior year of high school.

Also, an eyewitness has told the Daily News that on at least two occasions, Lavin spoke to two other players - one of them, prized recruit Cedric Bozeman - on the cell phone of traveling-team coach Pat Barrett last spring, during the players' junior years at Mater Dei High of Santa Ana. Bozeman and his high school teammate, Jamal Sampson, in separate interviews, denied ever speaking to Lavin on Barrett's cell phone. Barrett could not be reached for comment.

UCLA was made aware of the allegations that Lavin improperly contacted recruits through Barrett. An e-mail was sent anonymously last week to three UCLA senior administrators: vice chancellor Peter Blackman, athletic director Peter Dalis and associate athletic director Betsy Stephenson. The letter also was previously sent to Lavin's attorney, Arn Tellem. A copy was obtained by the Daily News.

Dalis on Wednesday dismissed the letter as not credible.

``We interviewed our whole staff,'' said Dalis, who added that no one in his department had examined the coaches' phone records as a result of the e-mail. ``My coaches have denied it. They've assured me that it didn't happen. Its clear that someone's attempting to destroy the program.''

Dalis said it's not uncommon for him to get letters or e-mails claiming wrongdoing by the basketball and football programs. He could not quantify how many others other than to say it was significant.

As for the claims by Williams and Craven, Dalis said: ``I would certainly talk to my coaches about it. It's the first I've heard of it.''

Lavin, who is out of town, was not made available for an interview at Dalis' request.

``Until (Dalis) can sit down and discuss the situation with coach Lavin, it would be inappropriate for coach Lavin to comment publicly,'' UCLA spokesman Marc Dellins said.

The eyewitness, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, provided the Daily News with a specific time and date when he said one of the calls involving Barrett's cell phone took place. UCLA declined a request Wednesday to allow the paper to examine Lavin's phone records.

In December, UCLA denied a public-records request by the Daily News to examine Lavin's phone records and the basketball office phone logs of calls to recruits that the school is required to maintain. An attorney for the university stated some phone calls are exempt from disclosure and determining which numbers are exempt would be excessively burdensome.

The possibility that UCLA has violated NCAA rules comes at a time when the basketball program is in the final month of a three-year NCAA probation sentence.

That sentence began as a result of improprieties that led to the firing of coach Jim Harrick in November 1996. Among the violations found then by investigators: excessive phone contacts with recruits, and the school provided Barrett with excessive amounts of tickets to UCLA games and a 1995 NCAA championship ring.

NCAA spokeswoman Jane Jankowski said it is not clear if these allegations would be considered major or secondary violations.

``Multiple secondary violations can be considered a major violation,'' Jankowski said. ``It depends if you have a number, a pattern that has been established, a willful violation of the rules. Ultimately that is something that the committee on infractions would have to determine.''

UCLA has been found guilty of major violations in two of its programs since 1997. In addition to the basketball infractions, the softball team was forced to forfeit a national championship after major violations were uncovered. The school was spared repeat-violator sanctions after the basketball violations because they had occurred before the starting date of the softball penalties.

However, if any major violations are uncovered at UCLA within five years of the April 30, 1998, date of the basketball sanctions, the school would be considered a repeat violator. As such, UCLA would be subject to severe sanctions.

Last spring, when the contacts were alleged to have taken place, UCLA's basketball program was reeling. JaRon Rush, Jerome Moiso and Jason Kapono each announced they were leaving school for the NBA (Kapono later changed his mind) and the Bruins' last two recruiting classes had produced only two players of note - Kapono and T.J. Cummings.

Also, Bozeman, considered one of the state's top prospects, had backed off an oral commitment to UCLA he'd made prior to his junior season.

Sampson, Bozeman and Josh Childress - all of whom played for Barrett - and Craven and Williams were all high on UCLA's recruiting list. (The e-mail sent to Dalis claims Childress, from Mayfair High of Lakewood and a longtime friend of Sampson, also was contacted through Barrett; Childress, who has signed a letter of intent with Stanford, did not return messages left at his home.)

Bozeman said he's never talked to Lavin on Barrett's cell phone. ``No. No. No,'' he said. ``You must be getting wrong information.''

Bozeman said he couldn't recall the first time Lavin called him. ``To tell you the truth, it was a long time ago,'' Bozeman said.

Sampson, who signed a letter of intent with Cal in November, also said he never spoke with Lavin through Barrett. ``There's no need to go through (Barrett),'' he said. ``I was either here (at home) or at school.''

In an interview last month, Sampson said he might have spoken with Lavin during the spring of 2000 but couldn't recall any details. Sampson said this week he occasionally talked to Lavin during his junior year from the office of Mater Dei coach Gary McKnight, but the conversations were permissible because Sampson initiated the calls. NCAA rules permit recruits to call college coaches at any time.

``If (Lavin) called coach McKnight and I walked into the office, I'd call him back and say hi so it wouldn't be against the rules or anything,'' Sampson said. ``Coach McKnight would usually have us call him back. I've talked to (Lavin) for a while but never when he was calling us.''

Craven, who starred for Bishop Montgomery with his twin brother Derrick, said he met with Lavin three times before July 1 of his junior year. Twice he visited UCLA with his mother on unofficial trips and met with Lavin in his office. Such visits are permissible under NCAA rules. The other visit occurred at Bishop Montgomery.

``Lavin came up to my school,'' Craven said. ``He was talking about if I went there what kind of role I'd play.''

Craven committed to USC in early July, shortly after UCLA's interest waned because it wasn't willing to also offer a scholarship to Derrick.

Williams, the Centennial player, said in two separate interviews that UCLA coaches phoned his home during his junior year in high school, with assistant coach Michael Holton usually calling.

Calls to Holton, who was named head coach at the University of Portland on Tuesday, were not returned.

``(UCLA) acted like they really wanted me,'' said Williams of his junior season. ``As the year went on, they still showed interest. All of a sudden, in the summer they acted like they weren't interested. They were calling me all the time, then the summer came and I didn't hear from them.''

Williams signed a letter of intent with New Mexico last November.

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(color) STEVE LAVIN

The UCLA men's basketball coach allegedly made illegal calls to high school recruits.