UA basketball recruit in good shape after car crash

University of Arizona basketball recruit Luke Recker remained hospitalized but in good condition last night after being injured in a car crash this weekend that left his girlfriend paralyzed and the driver dead.

Recker, 21, a college basketball star recruited in May from Indiana University, suffered severe cuts to his face and had to undergo surgery Monday to repair a partially amputated ear.

According to Colorado State Patrol reports, Bob Hardwick, 21, drifted across the center line at about 70 mph and collided head on with the Ford Taurus that carried Recker.

The Taurus' driver, John Hollbert, 23, was killed in the accident.

Kelly Craig, 19, remained in critical condition last night. She sustained major facial fractures and doctors had to remove her spleen.

Kirby Lewis, Colorado State Patrol's criminal investigator, said Hardwick was charged with vehicular homicide, vehicular assault and careless driving and being held on a $500,000 bond.

"There are indications that alcohol was involved," he said.

Mercy Hospital spokesman Joe Plunk said Recker was in good condition and he could possibly be released from the hospital today.

UA head basketball coach Lute Olson released a statement Monday after receiving word of the crash.

"All of us in the UA basketball family are hoping and praying for each of the individuals and families involved in this tragic incident," Olson wrote.

Arizona sophomore forward Richard Jefferson said he played against Recker in high school and had kept in touch with him during the summer.

"I was shocked because I had just talked to him," he said. "We were suppose to do the Jordan Camp in Santa Barbara on August 1st."

Recker announced his transfer to Arizona in May. He averaged 16.1 points and 4.0 rebounds per game as a sophomore at Indiana. Due to NCAA transfer rules Recker must sit out the 1999-2000 season, but then he will have two remaining years of eligibility.