Penders: Just Doing Job

Texas basketball coach Tom Penders said Monday he was just doing his job when he reported a possible NCAA rules violation involving the parents of one of his players and a Texas booster.

Penders said he received a phone call Thursday that the booster flew the parents of the Longhorns’ 7-foot freshman center, Chris Mihm, to Texas’ Feb. 24 game at Oklahoma State on a private jet.

The Texas coach, embroiled in controversy the past two weeks because of player complaints and an assistant coach’s public release of a player’s grades, said he reported the information to compliance director Barbara Walker on Friday while they were in San Antonio for the Final Four.

Gary and Nina Mihm said they are friends with the booster, Rick Hawkins, and the plane trip was not special treatment.

Hawkins, a season-ticket holder and Texas Foundation member, said:

“I was taking my son, his AAU teammate and his coach to the Texas game, and I told the Mihms if they wanted to catch a ride, they could do it.”

Mihm is one of four players who met at the home of athletic director DeLoss Dodds March 8 to complain about Penders.

Dodds said the school would look into Penders’ report, but added he didn’t think it “sounded like major issues.”