Portrayal of Cleveland, Locale Criticized by Coach

Editor: I am writing this letter in response to the article which appeared in the Valley Sports section on Dec. 2, 1987, by Rich Tosches. Not only was I disturbed by the dismal picture painted of Cleveland High School and the city of Reseda, but by the lack of professionalism on the part of Mr. Tosches in writing this story. I was frequently misquoted and some of my statements were taken out of context.

It was apparent at the beginning of my interview with Mr. Tosches that he had come prepared to find substantiation of the biased perceptions of Cleveland that existed in his mind’s eye--at whatever cost. Unfortunately he did so at a price I am unwilling to pay.

Early in the article, Mr. Tosches quotes me as saying, “The average kid on my team is a kid like Michael Gray, a single-parent home with just his mother trying to work and pay bills.” This quote was taken out of context. It should first be pointed out that Mr. Tosches interviewed Michael before me and got some information on Michael’s background. Mr. Tosches then interviewed me and asked if Michael fit the profile of the average player on my team. I emphatically said no, since 12 of the 15 players on my team live with both of their parents. My answer apparently did not follow the angle that Mr. Tosches wanted to pursue, so he asked me if the average player, since I’ve been coaching at the school, fits the profile. I thought about this for a while and then stated, “probably,” since I couldn’t give an accurate count for the eight-year period. This account is quite different from what appeared in the article. I am not disputing the fact that some of our players do come from single-parent homes, but I do not feel that this situation is just unique to Cleveland High School. Coach Hawking has pointed out to me, since the article appeared, that several of his players have come from single-parent homes as well.

Mr. Tosches also creates a picture that Cleveland High School is a gang-infested school smothered in graffiti, and he chooses to use three small tree stumps which have painted markings on them as a “living billboard” of the gang problem at our school. I challenge you to visit our campus and check out our buildings for graffiti and you will find Mr. Tosches’ comments an example of journalistic hyperbole. I am sure that if he had searched a little harder he might have found a few gum wads stuck to the bottom of our students’ desks, which would have definitely been a “living billboard” of our oral hygiene problem at the school. It amazes me to think that after spending one hour on our campus he has become such an authority of our problems.

Mr. Tosches also quotes me in the article as saying that I am constantly concerned about my players becoming involved in gangs. He asked me if I could ever remember losing any player to gangs since I’ve been coaching. I told him that I could maybe think of one we might have lost to a gang. But yet, he chose to use this as an example of a serious problem that I must face. I feel that it is quite unfair to stereotype my entire program as gang candidates because of the deeds of one in the past. I am very proud to say that I, just as Coach Hawking, only allow students in our program who have solid character and are academically oriented. I believe that our record of players who have attended college after high school proves this point.

Further in the article, Mr. Tosches states that at Simi Valley High “Education is not part of the school, but it is school.” Is this to say that at Cleveland High we don’t consider education the most important part of a student’s schooling? I am very dedicated to the academic enrichment of all of my students no matter what their race or economic standing. I am sure that this reflects the overall attitude of the staff here at Cleveland High. Six years ago, before any other school in the area, we instituted a mandatory study hall for our basketball players. Study hall runs anywhere from one to two hours a day. The players must be in attendance or they will not be allowed to practice or participate in games. As well as studying, players receive tutoring, academic counseling and college advisement during this time.

The article also states that, in my three years as head coach, I have had four players ruled academically ineligible. The correct number is three. It should also be pointed out that all of these players who were ruled academically ineligible at Cleveland would have been eligible to play at Simi Valley High. This is because their guidelines for eligibility are not as strict as ours. Under the Los Angeles Unified School District policy, these players were ruled ineligible for receiving one fail in their academic subjects. A player at Simi Valley would be eligible to play. This is a dilemma that all of the coaches in the LAUSD must face. We are different from Simi Valley in this case because of rules, not because of ethnicity or academic ability as Mr. Tosches tries to point out.

I also feel that it is necessary for me to shed some light on Michael Gray’s academic standing, since he was so unjustifiably singled out in the article. This is the first failing mark that Michael has ever received since attending Cleveland. It should also be noted that this grade is not a final grade for the course, but only a progress check which will not appear on his records. Michael’s overall grade-point average for this semester is 2.7. Mr. Tosches’ choice of the verb “flunked” to describe Michael’s situation again displays his need to exaggerate the situation here at Cleveland.

On several occasions during the interview, Mr. Tosches attempted to coax me into saying that the people from Simi Valley looked down on us, and that they had very little respect for us. I stated that I didn’t believe that was the case at all, and that there is a tremendous amount of respect between the two schools and communities. Simi Valley High has participated in our basketball summer league for the past five years, and I have never felt a sense of disrespect among the people involved.

I found Mr. Tosches’ comments comparing Martin Luther King to E. F. Hutton as offensive, insulting, insensitive and racist. I would also find it very hard to believe that the people of Simi Valley were not offended by the inference that they don’t observe Martin Luther King’s birthday as a meaningful day.

I truly don’t believe that race or affluence are the things that bring people together or keep them apart. The very fact that this game is being played proves that. I would hope that the communities of Simi Valley, Reseda and the areas of Los Angeles where some of our students reside have much more in common than the fact that they have winning basketball programs. But that they are all communities made up of people who believe that we can live and exist together, no matter our race, color or creed.

BOBBY F. BRASWELL

Basketball Coach

Cleveland High School