Taco Bell Signs Former College Basketball Star To Record Two-Month, $5.15-An-Hour Contract

NEWARK, NJ—A downtown Taco Bell announced Monday the signing of Antwaine Hooks, the Most Valuable Player of University of Connecticut's 1995-96 basketball team. The record-setting eight-week contract, worth an estimated $1,560, is the lowest ever signed by an All-American.

Hooks, 19, a Newark native who as a sophomore last year averaged 19.3 points and 8.4 rebounds, was drafted by the Sacramento Kings in the 1997 NBA Draft, but failed to make the team. He was subsequently cut from the New Jersey Nets practice squad.

The 6' 10" Hooks is expected to start immediately for his new team. "His first day is tomorrow, and I plan to have him in there from the get-go," said Reggie Witherspoon, the store's assistant day-shift manager. "Lashonda [Ewell] called in sick, so he'll be alternating between the grill and dining-area wipedown in the morning, and I'm going to start training him on register in the afternoon. From what I've seen of Hooks, he looks like he could be a serious impact cashier."

The record-breaking minimum-wage deal bests the previous low, a $5.50-an-hour, three-month contract offered by a Covington, KY, Dairy Queen to Jerrod Dawes, the University of Louisville's point guard from 1993 to 1996.