Cebrum Says He Warned Myers of Undue Influence

Former Lynwood High School principal Harold Cebrum said he warned Ocean View principal John Myers that transfer students Ricky Butler and Desi Hazely had been unduly influenced in their decisions to move to the Huntington Beach school in August of 1983.

Butler and Hazely were the central figures in a three-month investigation by Huntington Beach Union High School District officials in which Ocean View basketball Coach Jim Harris was ultimately relieved of his duties Wednesday and the school was forced to forfeit its Sunset League title.

District officials declared Butler and Hazely ineligible for the 1984-85 season because of undue influence by Harris to retain the sophomores at Ocean View. Harris was relieved after eight seasons as the school’s only coach.

Cebrum, now the director of pupil personnel services for the Tustin Unified School District, said he was shocked by Myers action in wake of the district’s report.

“I couldn’t believe the 360-degree change John Myers has taken all of a sudden,” Cebrum said. “I warned him and now it appears to be the coach’s fault. Harris is the fall guy here.”

Cebrum said he also filed an undue influence complaint with the Southern Section office in August of 1983. The section confirmed that a complaint had been filed.

“We had problems getting supportive data,” Cebrum said. “We had the charges, but no one would substantiate the charges. Everyone knew that Laurant Brown was picking the players up in a big car and driving them down to Ocean View. But none of the parents would come forward.”

Butler and Hazely originally left their parents’ homes in Lynwood under the care of Brown, a La Canada landscape architect.

Brown met the boys while coaching his son’s youth basketball team, and with the permission of Butler’s and Hazely’s parents, moved the boys and his son, Derek, to Ocean View. Brown later moved back to Crescenta Valley and Butler and Hazely have lived with Harris and his family in El Toro for the past seven months.

“I took it upon myself to call John Myers when they first moved down there,” Cebrum said. “He was a new principal and so was I. I was trying to share something with him as one co-worker to another.

“I told him he better check into it. I called a second time, and John Myers told me he had checked into the matter and everything was legal.”

Lynwood co-Coach Bill Notley, who lives in Huntington Beach, said he also filed an undue influence complaint with the Southern Section office.

“Laurant Brown was buying clothes and gifts for the kids,” Notley said. “He’d come to Lynwood every day and pick the kids up and drive them to Huntington Beach for the summer basketball class.

“When I found out about this, I filed an undue influence complaint with the CIF and they ruled that there was not undue influence. They told me that it’s not illegal for a kid to go and play at another high school during the summer.”

Myers said he is taking the responsibility for the incident and that he remained in constant communication with Harris since Hazely and Butler transferred. But he emphasized that Harris broke rules that he was unaware of, thus leading to his dismissal.

“Jim and I had a close rapport from the beginning,” Myers said. “From the beginning, when the criticism began to surface, we talked constantly. Jim is a former athletic director who knew the rules and the rules were broken. (Myers refused to specify which rules were broken). There were rules broken that I wasn’t aware of.”

Myers also said that Southern Section officials could not substantiate any undue influence upon Butler and Hazely and he had no reasonable doubt.

“That’s the CIF’s responsibility,” Myers said last year regarding the undue influence charges. “I could have said ‘no’ when Mr. Brown first applied for admission. But I also knew I had no legal right to refuse him, and he certainly had the means to fight it in court.”

The matter appears to be headed for the courtroom. Harris, who will continue as a teacher in the physical education department, has retained an attorney, John Barnett.

“I think the only way I’ll get due process is through the courts,” Harris said. “I don’t think they’ll take me back as coach, so anything else that happens would be small consolation and very little satisfaction. All I want to do is coach.”

Myers reiterated that Harris’ contract would not be renewed next season.

“I did not ask him to resign and he didn’t offer to resign,” Myers said. “Anyone above a regular teaching assignment is subject to having his or her contract renewed each year. Jim Harris’ contract as basketball coach will not be renewed.”

In other developments:

- Ocean View will voluntarily forfeit its Southern Section runner-up plaque and officially forfeit its 24 victories. The Seahawks are now 0-28. The section’s executive council will rule in its next meeting on April 23 whether Ocean View must officially forfeit the plaque.

- The two unnamed players in the district’s report who were declared ineligible this season will be eligible next season according to Myers. The principal would not identify the players, but it’s common knowledge they were Butler and Hazely. However, Times sources claim the district will not accept the duo’s waiver from the Saddleback Unified School District if they wish to remain living with Harris next season.

- Myers does not plan any action against Harris’ assistant coaches, Tim Mennealy and Roger Holmes. Asked if they will be retained, Myers said, “That’s their choice.”

- Butler’s mother, Doris, said she hopes her 16-year-old son remains at Ocean View. “I would like him to stay at Ocean View,” she said. “I am happy with the situation. I like the type of person he was turning into. He has become a mild-mannered young man with good grades.”

- About 500 students walked out of class and staged a 30-minute sit-down protest outside Myers’ office Thursday to protest his decision of relieving Harris.