Sources: 3 NMSU Bball Starters Out

LAS CRUCES — TheNMSUmen’sbasketball team may have suffered a crippling blow, as starters are out due to ‘eligibility issues,” ABC-7 has learned.

Sources close to theNMSU Basketball programreport three starters — two of them seniors — are out indefinitely because of eligibility issues. The players are Junior Paris Carter, and seniors Hatila Passos and Justin Hawkins.

All three saw action duringWednesday night’smatchup against the UNM Lobos in Albuquerque.Hawkins is the team’s leading scorer, averaging 18.2 points per game during 31 minutes of play. Passos and Carter average 10.5 points and 6 points respectively.

Anathletic department officialtold ABC-7 the 3 players were en route to Louisville for the Aggies road game on Saturday, but began their return to try to have those issues resolved.

The same source also saidif questions cannot be answered about theireligibility,the three couldbe out for the season.

More information is forthcoming from ABC-7 here on KVIA.com and in our later newscasts.