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Friday, March 20, 1998

Family says UT promises probe of report leak

AUSTIN (AP) -- The family of University of Texas basketball player Luke Axtell says they have been assured the school will investigate release of the player's academic progress report, which was read on an Austin radio station following Axtell's academic suspension.

University athletics officials had no immediate comment Thursday on the family's statement, which comes amid turmoil swirling around the Longhorns basketball program.

The public tumult began Tuesday, when UT issued a statement saying coach Tom Penders had placed Axtell on academic suspension. On Wednesday, a radio broadcaster read from the player's academic report on the air.

"Someone in the athletic department has chosen to make confidential information public regarding Luke's grades and interim progress reports, some of which are false," Axtell's mother, Mollie, said in a prepared statement.

"We have been told this is a violation of federal law. We have discussed their improprieties with (UT athletic director) DeLoss Dodds. We have been assured by Dodds that this issue has been referred to the university's legal counsel and is under investigation," the statement said.

The 6-foot-9 Axtell was second on the team in scoring with a 13.3 points per game average; led the team in 3-point shooting (39 percent) and was second on the team in average minutes played per game (28.7).

The night his suspension was announced, Axtell phoned the Austin American-Statesman from West Texas, where he is on spring break, and criticized Penders. The player told the newspaper he had asked for and received permission from Dodds to transfer.

Axtell also said freshman guard Bernard Smith, sophomore Gabe Muoneke and 7-foot freshman Chris Mihm, a high school teammate of Axtell's at Austin Westlake, were unhappy with Penders and were considering leaving.

Penders, who's vacationing on the Caribbean island of St. Martin, said in a phone interview that Axtell "refused to go to study hall or meet with tutors and his performance has been indicative of that. Our players know they have to take care of the academic side of things before they take care of basketball."

Dodds, in a written statement Wednesday, called the situation "a family issue, as all team matters are in athletics," and said the most important aspect of resolving it "is communications between the two. This process is under way."