Boykin Story Sparks Probe by University : Basketball: Texas El Paso to investigate former player’s published comments on use of boosters’ cars.

Shelton Boykin’s published allegations of possible rules violations at Texas El Paso will result in a report by the university to the Western Athletic Conference, according to an El Paso newspaper.

The Herald-Post, in its Friday afternoon edition, reported that UTEP Athletic Director Brad Hovious had notified WAC officials that the school would investigate the allegations.

Boykin, however, when contacted Friday afternoon by Hovious, denied making such allegations and said that he had been misunderstood.

In Friday’s sports section of The Times’ Valley edition, Boykin, a former San Fernando High star and current member of the Valley College basketball team, was quoted as saying that while he was at UTEP basketball players were able to use boosters’ cars. Boykin played for UTEP during the 1987-88 season.

After Valley’s game Friday against Antelope Valley, Boykin again claimed that he had been misunderstood.

“It was like, if you wanted a ride somewhere, there were some friends around--just like we have friends out here--that come pick us up and take us places,” Boykin said.

Boykin originally was quoted as saying: “When we wanted to go out, we’d get a car. They were nice cars, Cadillacs, Mercedes, Jaguars. . . . The coaches didn’t loan the cars, but people around the area did. The coaches went by the books, but the people, that’s a different story.

“They took care of us; they had some nice supporters. They’re good people, but after the season everything slowed down.”

Such activities are a violation of National Collegiate Athletic Assn. rules. Extra benefits, such as the use of an automobile, are prohibited according to Article Three, Section 1 of the NCAA Constitution.

The Times’ feature story on Boykin was distributed over the Los Angeles Times-Washington News Service and picked up by the El Paso Times.

The Friday edition of the El Paso Times quoted UTEP Coach Don Haskins as saying: “Boykin needs to name names of the people who gave them (cars). I don’t believe it. It’s news to me. I didn’t know Shelton Boykin was driving Cadillacs.”

And UTEP President Diana Natalicio was quoted as saying: “I don’t even know who this player is. I just have no evidence that anything of this sort has been going on. Ever. We’ve heard these rumors before. You check these things out and you never seem to find any basis for it. People back off when you start checking it out.”

A 1989 story in New York Newsday contained a similar allegation by Sean Harris, Boykin’s former teammate.

“The other guys on the team, their ‘shoogs’ (sugar daddies) were loaded,” Harris said in the Newsday story. “Some of the guys (players) drive around in cars from the ‘shoogs’ that they borrow.”

The UTEP basketball program has never been under official NCAA investigation.