NOTEBOOK : Davis May Be Ineligible to Play for Crenshaw

Crenshaw High senior guard Tommie Davis may lose his eligibility to play basketball if he remains at Crenshaw after the City Section made a ruling last week on its transfer guidelines.

Directed by the California Interscholastic Federation, the City Section tightened guidelines governing the often-controversial “opportunity transfer rules” to conform with the federation’s other athletic sections.

Any student granted an opportunity transfer for disciplinary reasons will lose athletic eligibility for one year beginning with the winter sports season.

Thursday’s ruling may affect the eligibility of Davis, who transferred to Crenshaw after being suspended from Fremont in June for fighting.

The 5-foot-8 point guard lost his appeal to return to Fremont during the summer and decided to transfer to Crenshaw, which won the 1993 City and State Division I titles.

“It will have an effect on Tommie Davis because he has an opportunity transfer for disciplinary reasons to Crenshaw,” City Athletic Commissioner Barbara Fiege said Friday. “He has a right to return to Fremont and keep his eligibility. But if he stays at Crenshaw, he will not be allowed to play.”

However, Davis said he received a letter from Dan Isaacs, Los Angeles Unified School District’s assistant superintendent of school operations, and Richard Browning, director, senior high school division, that he would be eligible to play at Crenshaw.

“I plan to stay at Crenshaw and play basketball this season,” Davis said. “This is crazy. I’m going to talk with City officials Monday and straighten this thing out.”

Davis averaged 18 points, six assists and three steals last season at Fremont. He recently made a verbal commitment to play college basketball at Houston for the 1994-95 season. Crenshaw has four starters returning from its championship teams, including City Player of the Year Kristaan Johnson.

With the addition of Davis, Crenshaw was named the second-best team in the nation by Street & Smith’s magazine.

Davis was told by district officials that he could return to Fremont after the 10-week grading period if he desired. Davis said his mother wants him to remain at Crenshaw.