BLISS WONDERS IF SIGNS WERE PRESENT

WACO, Texas - Since one of his players vanished six weeks ago and
a former player was charged with murder, Baylor University's
basketball coach has been wondering if he missed any signs that such a
tragedy was about to unfold.

"What you do is you second-guess yourself," coach Dave Bliss said
Monday.

"... Were there things that had indicated to us that this situation
may have the opportunity to occur?"

The decomposed body of Patrick Dennehy, a 6-foot-10 center, was found
Friday night in a field three miles south of town and was identified
Sunday.

Carlton Dotson, who played basketball at Baylor last season, was
arrested last week in his home state of Maryland on a murder charge
from Texas. Dotson, 21, remains jailed without bond, awaiting
extradition to Texas.

Investigators recovered a 9mm pistol, shell casings and what appeared
to be Dennehy's shoes near his body, The Dallas Morning News reported
in its Tuesday editions, citing a law enforcement official who spoke
on the condition of anonymity.

But authorities believe he was killed with another gun that has not
been found, and that Dennehy died in a clearing in the field and was
moved 15 or 20 feet into the tall weeds, the newspaper reported. The
McLennan County Sheriff's Office declined to comment on the report
Monday night, a dispatcher told The Associated Press.

Dennehy's funeral is to be held at Jubilee Christian Center, a
Pentecostal church in San Jose, Calif., later this week or early next
week, said pastor Dick Bernal. Dennehy's mother wanted his funeral and
burial in San Jose because he was at his happiest there and it was his
home, Bernal said.

A campus-wide memorial service for Dennehy is being planned for
September at Baylor, the world's largest Baptist university with
14,000 students.

Dennehy's family reported him missing June 19, seven days after he was
last seen on campus. Dennehy's vehicle was found abandoned in a
Virginia Beach, Va., parking lot June 25.

Dotson was arrested July 21 after calling 911, saying he needed help
because he was hearing voices, authorities said. He told FBI agents
that he shot Dennehy after the player tried to shoot him, according to
the arrest warrant affidavit. But after his arrest, Dotson told The
Associated Press that he "didn't confess to anything."

Bliss confirmed Monday that the coaching staff received a letter from
the mother of Dotson's estranged wife who was concerned about his
mental health. Bliss said the letter arrived in June after Dotson had
returned to Maryland and that he gave it to authorities investigating
Dennehy's disappearance.

Melissa Kethley said in an interview Tuesday on ABC's "Good Morning
America" that Dotson met with a therapist she believed was paid for by
Baylor because the couple had insufficient funds for such treatment.

"They sent him to a therapist before December," she said. "I don't
know if it was because of psychological problems or not. But he had
started to see a therapist."

Citing student privacy laws, Bliss said he could not comment on
whether coaches arranged for Dotson to see a therapist or if Dotson
lost his scholarship last spring after failing a drug test and not
showing up to take another one.

"Carlton Dotson and I had a conversation about playing time, and he
thought it would be a better opportunity if he went somewhere else,"
Bliss said.

Baylor opened a new inquiry last week into possible NCAA violations,
prompted by claims made by some of Dennehy's relatives and friends.
Bliss, who just returned from a recruiting trip, said he knew of no
wrongdoing on the part of coaches.

Three Baylor Law School professors will investigate allegations that
an assistant coach told Dennehy his education and living expenses
would be paid if he gave up his scholarship for a year. Attending
Baylor costs more than $17,000 a year in tuition and fees.

The committee also will examine whether Dennehy received $1,200 to
$1,800 from an assistant coach toward a car loan for his sport utility
vehicle, and if players passed urine tests despite smoking marijuana.

Bliss said Monday that the team does not have a drug problem and that
drug tests are given regularly. He said he never suspected drug use by
any player but if so, he would have given a random test.

Dotson and Dennehy arrived last summer in Waco, about 100 miles south
of Fort Worth.

Dotson was a transfer from Paris Junior College in East Texas and
eligible to play. Dennehy, because of NCAA eligibility rules, had to
sit out a year after transferring from New Mexico, where he was kicked
off the team for losing his temper.