Meetings begin with players from suspended New Mexico State basketball program

Feb. 11—New Mexico State University administrators began meeting with Aggie basketball players and coaches on Saturday afternoon when the team returned to Las Cruces early from a road trip in California, one day after program was placed on indefinite suspension.

The entire coaching staff has been placed on paid administrative leave, and it is unclear if the team will return to the court this season — one that has been an immense disappointment under first-year coach Greg Heiar, on and off the court.

As initially reported Friday night, the Journal has confirmed a police report filed with the NMSU Police Department in the past week alleges multiple Aggie players being involved in ongoing hazing of a teammate that escalated to potential criminal levels. No players have been charged with a crime, and the school has chosen not to comment on the matter other than two statements Friday night — one announcing the program's suspension and one on behalf of the Board of Regents supporting the decision.

Saturday evening, NMSU Chancellor Dan E. Arvizu sent an email to the entire NMSU community, acknowledging the hazing allegations are the reason for the indefinite suspension of the program.

"To ensure we fully understood this situation, we cancelled (the team's Saturday night game against Cal-Baptist), called the team back to Las Cruces and placed the coaching staff on paid administrative leave. Once our student-athletes arrived on campus, they were met and interviewed by university personnel who are specially trained to conduct investigations into these kinds of matters."

Arvizu added he was "heartbroken and sickened" to hear of the allegations and that more information will be shared "as we can, going forward."

Also on Saturday, two players — neither of whom had played in a game this season — announced they are leaving the program, one specifically stating the program no longer "aligns with my beliefs and core values."

The recent allegation, the school made clear Friday, is unrelated to the ongoing independent investigation into the program's handling of the aftermath of the Nov. 19 shooting in Albuquerque that involved currently suspended player Mike Peake being shot in the leg, and also shooting and killing a UNM student. Police say the UNM student plotted with three other students to attack Peake after the Aggie player left the team hotel at 3 a.m. to meet with a 17-year-old girl the morning of their rivalry game against New Mexico.

UNM student Brandon Travis had been beat up in a fight that involved Peake, at least one other Aggie teammate and a UTEP basketball player at an October UNM-NMSU football game in Las Cruces. No players were suspended for that fight.

Peake, who brought a gun on the November trip to Albuquerque unbeknownst to his coaches, used it in self defense when attacked on the UNM campus that morning, but had also snuck out of his team hotel to be there. And three teammates who also had snuck out were seen on video arriving at the scene after the shootings, taking a gun and another item from Peake and leaving the scene before police arrived.

On Saturday, while the NMSU administrators began their questioning of the coaching staff and players based on the recent hazing allegations, guard Shahar Lazar, a former member of the Israeli army who committed over the summer to play for Heiar but was sitting out this season as a redshirt, posted on social media, in part, "Having served several years in the Israeli military, I was raised on the values of excellence, discipline, respect, reliability and accountability. However, in retrospect, I don't believe the program that I originally committed to currently aligns with my beliefs and core values."

He is leaving with four years of playing eligibility remaining.

Guard Kent Olewiler, a walk-on who also hasn't appeared in a game this season, posted on Twitter, "My recruitment is officially 100% open."

"UNMSU" STRIKES AGAIN: The frequency of national media outlets mixing up the NMSU Aggies and UNM Lobos in reporting has become something that's turned into a social media game of sorts for fans and media in the state, often using the #UNMSU tag on posts on Twitter pointing out whenever it happens. But the latest such example isn't a case of mistaken identity that can be so easily laughed off.

Saturday night's NBC Nightly News — a broadcast the network's own website claimed as recently as Dec. 28 drew a Saturday evening audience of 5.3 million viewers — ran a story with the heading across the bottom of the screen reading "New Mexico State Suspends College Basketball Program." The picture that ran on the screen with it was of UNM Lobo Jaelen House. As a tease going into commercial at one point, it also ran a photo of UNM Lobo Javonte Johnson.

Neither House, nor Johnson, nor anyone with the Lobo men's basketball program is associated with the recent hazing allegations or shutdown of the NMSU program.