CARBONDALE - An SIU men's basketball assistant coach has been charged with lying to a grand jury.

Shane Hawkins, an SIU assistant since 2002, was indicted Wednesday as part of an investigation into the Barton County (Kan.) Community College athletic department. Hawkins, 29, was an assistant coach at Barton County Community College from 1999-2001.

The case hit the national spotlight Wednesday when The Associated Press reported that Hawkins and a former Barton County track coach were charged in the far-reaching investigation.

Five former members of the Barton County athletic department have been accused of multiple improprieties, including the misuse of student grant money and falsifying academic credentials.

Hawkins was not available for comment. Attempts to reach athletic director Paul Kowalczyk were unsuccessful.

SIU head coach Chris Lowery, speaking after Wednesday's practice, said it has not been proven Hawkins did anything wrong.

"There's two sides in something like this in who was lying," Lowery said.

"You don't know exactly what somebody is trying to get. So at this point we're just going to support Hawk as much as possible and continue to go with our day-to-day stuff with our program."

So far, the ties with SIU stop at Hawkins. SIU assistant Jack Owens coached at Barton County from 2000-02. Owens' name has not been publicly linked to the investigation.

"At this point we're not going to name anybody else," Lowery said. "We're just going to let who's been named and let the legal course take its action."

Hawkins coached alongside Ryan Wolf at Barton County. Wolf is awaiting trial for charges that could result in millions of dollars in fines and a lengthy prison sentence.

Lowery said he learned of Hawkins' indictment "just recently." The Salukis head coach also said he was aware his assistants could become involved as the Barton County investigation moved forward.

"Considering the fact that two of my assistants worked there, you never know what could happen there," Lowery said. "Obviously they haven't been named in any of the wrongdoings. In those things like that, people might try to take down people with them. As far as that goes we're just going to sit back and play it by ear."

Hawkins, 29, is a well-known figure in Southern Illinois athletics. The former Pinckneyville High School standout played at SIU from 1994-98 and holds the program record for made 3-pointers (314).

According to the SIU media guide, Hawkins had multiple responsibilities at Barton County. They included recruiting and monitoring the academic progress of student-athletes.

Former Barton County basketball coaches Wolf and Dave "Soupy" Campbell have pleaded not guilty to multiple charges, including embezzlement and theft.

Track coach Lyle Lashley was charged with seven counts.

In September, former basketball coach Matt Skillman pleaded guilty to fraud and embezzlement charges.

Asked if Hawkins' indictment reflected poorly on the SIU basketball program, Lowery said he didn't think so.

"Obviously the players and myself are the main focus of the program.

Something like this can be tracked, but at this point it's innocent until proven guilty," Lowery said. "We don't know anything. This is news to us. We want to concentrate on basketball. That's why we're going to let take the legal (system) take its course."

paul.klee@thesouthern.com

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