West Adds Second Controversial Transfer in a Week

John Walsh, the well-traveled quarterback, was not the only athlete to transfer to West Torrance High this week.

Brian Fitzgerald, a highly regarded pitcher who played baseball for Redondo last season, checked into West on Tuesday. It came a day after Walsh returned to his old school after attending Carson the first half of his senior year.

Many believe Walsh’s family manipulated transfer rules in order for him to play football at Carson and enhance his position as a college prospect. He was expected to sign a letter of intent Wednesday with Brigham Young University.

Walsh, though, has nothing on West’s newest baseball player. This is Fitzgerald’s third high school in less than a year.

To fully understand Fitzgerald’s odyssey, a little background information is necessary.

Fitzgerald’s mother, Jan, and Harry Jenkins, the new West baseball coach, are engaged to be married. Knowing that, the rest of the story becomes less complicated. And more intriguing.

When Fitzgerald, a senior, transferred from Redondo to Palos Verdes last fall, Jenkins said he planned to become an assistant coach with the Palos Verdes baseball team. The situation changed several weeks later when Jenkins, a successful real estate developer and former coach at Redondo, was hired to become head coach at West.

Since then, observers have been waiting for Fitzgerald to transfer to West.

“I had heard that it was coming,” Redondo Coach Tim Ammentorp said. “I’m not shocked. I haven’t talked to Brian, so I don’t know anything about it. But I’m not all that surprised.

“Basically, I haven’t gotten into this. There’s not a lot I felt I could do. I wasn’t about to get into a bidding war for (Fitzgerald’s) services.”

The implication, and it’s an obvious one, is that Jenkins is moving his future stepson to wherever he plans to coach, which would make it a blatant case of recruiting.

Jenkins and Jan Fitzgerald strongly deny such allegations.

Fitzgerald said she rented a house in Palos Verdes so her son could attend a better school. Now she says she is moving into the West district for several reasons, but not so Brian can play baseball for the Warriors. She also has a daughter in sixth grade, and was not happy with the recent decision to close Palos Verdes High in June.

“I had an opportunity to purchase a new home,” she said. “It all came up very recently . . . I had the opportunity to jump right in. It’s something I needed to do for myself, my family and my piece of mind.

“Harry did not want me to do this. He was very much against it. We’ve gone back and forth for about two weeks. To this day, he is not happy with it. I’m the one who decided to move.”

Said Jenkins: “I have not run her family.”

Palos Verdes baseball Coach Gil Eberhard said he was disappointed when he learned of the transfer. Fitzgerald had been working out with his team since football season ended.

“I just assumed he was going to go here,” Eberhard said. “I don’t know, I’m not reading anything into (the transfer). When I talked to Harry, he said it was not his idea. But you can read whatever you want into it. All I can do is take their word for it.”

That, apparently, is all anyone can do.

Athletic Director Fred Petersen says there is renewed enthusiasm in West’s baseball program since Jenkins took over.

“I have not seen such an emotional lift on our campus concerning baseball as it is right now,” Petersen said. “(Jenkins) carries a charisma. Usually we have between 12 and 16 guys out for baseball this time of year. Here comes Harry, and now we have 62 guys for three teams. And we’re not even done with basketball, soccer and wrestling.

“I’ll tell you, it’s wonderful.”

West has not won a league baseball title since 1983, when the team was coached by Mike Pallazzo and led by catcher Greg Bochesa, who was South Bay player of the year.

Notre Dame, which signed Banning running back Travis Davis to a national letter of intent Wednesday, is reportedly having a poor recruiting year.

Recruiting analyst Tom Lemming told USA Today he rates the Irish “about 15th” among the nation’s incoming football classes.

The reason: Higher admissions standards.

“Notre Dame had 25 All-Americans dropped by the admissions office,” Lemming said. “They had to scramble to bring new kids in late. It’s usually an insult to a kid, but (Coach Lou) Holtz started working like a madman. He visited 15 to 20 prospects himself.”

It is unlikely Davis fell into this category because he was coveted by several big-time schools (Stanford, USC, Washington and UCLA). But it is correct to label Davis a late bloomer.

Because he was injured most of his junior year, Davis did not become a prize recruit until midway through last season.

However, with his combination of speed, power and good grades (900 SAT score), it wasn’t long before the major colleges started calling.

Super Prep magazine, which ranked Davis the eighth-best prospect in the West, summed it up nicely: “Grades plus ability like this are hard to find anywhere.”

When West Torrance’s Josh Gormley won the heavyweight title last season, he became only the third South Bay wrestler to capture a state individual title since the tournament was first held in 1973.

In that inaugural state meet, Steve Barrett (138 pounds) and John Jackson (165) of Miraleste each won titles to help the Marauders to third place.

The only other area teams to finish in the top six were Mira Costa (fifth in 1974) and West Torrance (third in 1976).

This year’s state tournament will be held March 1 and 2 at the University of the Pacific in Stockton.

Gormley will take his first step toward a possible second consecutive state title at 3 p.m. today in the Pioneer League final at North Torrance.

Gene Vollnogle, the retiring Carson High football coach, has been chosen Los Angeles County coach of the year by the National Football Foundation and Hall of Fame. The winningest coach in state history, with a 289-73-1 varsity record and 10 L.A. City Section titles, will be honored at an awards banquet March 6 at the Sportsman’s Lodge in Studio City.

Carson High will honor Vollnogle with a retirement dinner April 19 at the Carson Community Center. Tickets will go on sale soon. For more information, contact Marty Blankenship or Saul Pacheco at (213) 835-0181.

Vollnogle isn’t the only longtime Carson athletic figure who is stepping down. Jimmy Jinkawa, the school’s only athletic director since it opened in 1963, will relinquish his duties to Pacheco, a former assistant coach.

Unlike Vollnogle, though, Jinkawa will continue to teach at the school.

Notes

Contrary to what was reported here last week, West Torrance running back-linebacker Alex Schultz does not have any scholarship offers and most likely will play football for El Camino College next fall, the player said. . . . The athletic director and activities director jobs at Peninsula High are expected to be filled next week. After that, the school is expected to begin the tough task of selecting coaches. . . . El Segundo guard Ryan Machado scored a career-high 36 points, including five three-point baskets, Tuesday night to help the host Eagles upset Harvard of North Hollywood, 71-69. It was the first league defeat for Harvard, which fell to 17-4 overall and 8-1 in league. El Segundo improved to 16-8 and 6-3. . . . Mary Star guard Nick Mariani tied a CIF record with 25 assists Saturday in a 99-68 nonleague victory over Glendale Adventist. It marked the second time this season a South Bay player has set a CIF record against the private school. Last month, El Segundo guard Chris Hansen made 12 three-point baskets against Glendale Adventist.

South Bay’s Boys’ Basketball Top 10

Selected by Times Sportswriters Through Tuesday’s Games

Rank, School, League Record 1 Morningside (Ocean) 22-2 2 Westchester (Metro) 16-7 3 Inglewood (Bay) 15-8 4 Carson (Pacific) 13-9 5 San Pedro (Pacific) 17-5 6 Torrance (Pioneer) 15-6 7 Mira Costa (Ocean) 17-7 8 St. Bernard (Mission) 11-11 9 Hawthorne (Bay) 11-11 10 Leuzinger (Bay) 12-6