Crenshaw Is Cleared of Rules Violations : Boys’ basketball: Investigation into allegations that transfers did not meet residence eligibility requirements finds no evidence of wrongdoing.

The Crenshaw High boys’ basketball team, under investigation for alleged eligibility violations, was cleared of any wrongdoing by the L.A. Unified School District’s athletic department on Thursday.

The announcement concluded a five-week investigation by Hal Harkness, district athletic commissioner. It was prompted by a May 8 article in The Times that alleged four of the team’s nine transfers last season did not meet residence eligibility requirements.

The players The Times identified as not living where eligibility forms said they were living were seniors Calvin Valrie and Rico Laurie, junior Reggie McFerren and sophomore Ronnie Arch.

Harkness’ findings were presented Wednesday to the district’s athletic rules committee, a nine-member group headed by Bell Athletic Director Sue Kamiyama.

Kamiyama said on Tuesday the meeting would be open to the public, but she changed her mind the following day after protests by Harkness. He threatened to cancel the meeting unless it was closed. Harkness and committee members refused comment until Thursday.

Crenshaw Principal Yvonne Noble attended Wednesday’s proceedings, but she left before the committee debated the findings.

“The findings are not a surprise because I never had any doubt (there was no) wrongdoing,” said Noble, who is in her first year as principal.

Noble took part in the investigation, arranging for the players in question and their parents to talk with Harkness. He visited Crenshaw once during the investigation. Harkness said he based his findings on parent interviews, documents at the school and other outside sources. He interviewed the parents of three of the four students.

Harkness said that he did not doubt that the people in The Times story were quoted accurately. Many of the interviews were taped.

“People in the inner-city often lie to outsiders to protect their children,” said Harkness, who recently announced his resignation effective Oct. 1. “I also had access to more records . . . which clarified many things.”

Crenshaw, the most successful basketball team in district history, could have been stripped of the City Section and State titles it won last season if any of the players in question had been ruled ineligible. McFerren and Arch could have lost one year of eligibility.

The team is coached by Willie West, who has won a record five State and 12 City Section titles since 1970. He denied any violations during the investigation. He was not at school Thursday and calls to his home were not returned.

“This entire story has greatly hurt Willie,” Noble said. “And it has deeply hurt the kids. The school will get over this, but I’m not sure the individuals ever will.”

The Times began looking into the school’s basketball eligibility roster in March. After visiting the homes of the nine varsity players who transferred to Crenshaw last fall, it was found that four of those players were not living at their given addresses.

Ronnie Arch Sr., Arch’s father, admitted that his son was living with him in the Dorsey High area and was not attending Crenshaw through a magnet program or on a special permit.

The article also alleged that volunteer assistant coaches Maurice Duckett and Edmond Flournoy had illegal contact with players outside the Crenshaw district, a section violation. But Harkness said past rules only pertained to paid coaches and not volunteers.

That policy was recently changed, however, making it illegal for volunteer coaches to have any kind of contact with players outside the school boundary.