Titan Coach Being Probed About Calls : Fullerton: Source tells university officials that players have used coach’s office phone in violation of NCAA rules.

The Cal State Fullerton athletic department is investigating allegations that women’s volleyball team members were allowed to use coach Jim Huffman’s office telephone to make long-distance calls, a violation of NCAA rules, school officials have confirmed.

“We are looking into the phone questions,” Athletic Director Ed Carroll said Thursday.

Carroll said a complaint from “a single source” prompted the inquiry. Carroll and Fullerton Associate Athletic Director Leanne Grotke declined to say who made the allegation.

Huffman told a reporter that within the past two weeks “Leanne (Grotke) asked me if I’d let anybody make long-distance phone calls and I said, ‘No.’ ”

Huffman, who was named head coach in 1989, said the rules prohibiting student-athletes from using their coaching staff’s office telephones are “kind of nebulous.”

“You can’t do anything . . . for an athlete that you wouldn’t do for anybody else,” Huffman said. “I can’t lend an athlete my car because I wouldn’t lend just anybody my car. On top of that, you can’t give an advantage” to a student-athlete.

“If I let kids come in and make long-distance calls that would be an advantage,” Huffman said. He added that such an advantage would be an improper enticement in recruiting athletes from out-of-state.

Assistant volleyball coach Marlon Sano, who shares Huffman’s small office, told a reporter that, “Sometimes there will be calls made to home” if, for example, a student has left something at home.

“(But) we never gave any permission to make long-distance calls,” Sano said. “We just flat out didn’t.”

Huffman replaced Fran Cummings, who resigned under pressure. In his first season, Huffman’s team broke a 34-match Big West Conference losing streak by upsetting then-18th-ranked San Diego State. But the Titans finished with an 8-23 record, 1-17 in the conference.

Part of the rationale for hiring Huffman was his ability to raise funds for the volleyball program. Huffman said that last year’s fund-raisers accounted for about $15,000. His goal is $30,000 this year.

The funds, which have been raised largely by putting on grass-court tournaments open to the public, have increased the volleyball program’s scholarships from six the year before he was hired to 11, Huffman said.