Principal to Announce Action Against Ocean View Team

Ocean View High School principal John Myers said he would announce today whether or not he would take any action following Huntington Beach Union High School District’s investigation into the Seahawks’ basketball program.

“I really don’t think it would be proper for me to comment on anything until I’ve reached a decision,” Myers said Tuesday.

The investigation began three weeks ago and was completed last week under the request of another school in the district. Myers received the results of the investigation last Friday.

District athletic director Bill Boswell, who completed the investigation, refused to comment, saying, “I could lose my job if I said anything. The report is in John Myers’ hands and he will decide what action to take.”

Ocean View (24-4) reached the championship game of the Southern Section 5-A division playoffs. Two Lynwood transfers--starting center Ricky Butler and sixth-man Desi Hazely--played key roles in the Seahawks’ success.

Both players live with Ocean View Coach Jim Harris, who became their legal guardian. Harris lives in El Toro but Butler and Hazely received waivers from the Saddleback Valley Unified School District to become eligible at Ocean View.

Four other players are competing for Ocean View on intradistrict transfers that Boswell said were “perfectly legal and on record in the district office.”

Reports of an impending investigation surfaced at the Long Beach Arena during the championship game, but Harris downplayed the investigation when contacted by a Times’ reporter the following day.

“There is nothing formal going on that I’m aware of,” Harris said at that time. “It’s been an ongoing thing as far as the district is concerned. The closer we got to the championship game, the more people made comments about it (becoming the players’ legal guardian).

“I know the district had to answer a lot of phone calls from people and explain the situation to them. It did make me take kind of a second look at the motives of what I do. And it made me more sure that what I’m doing is right, especially after we got the kids’ report cards. I was really proud.”