City Section Set to Enforce Transfer Rule : Preps: After ignoring ‘opportunity transfer’ rule for seven years, officials will now comply with state regulations.

The City Section, the subject of much negative publicity regarding its transfer rules, has decided to get back in the enforcement business. After seven years of ignoring a rule regarding “opportunity transfers,” the section has turned itself in to the CIF, the state’s governing body.

On Monday, officials of the City Section voted to make students who transfer due to disciplinary reasons ineligible to participate in athletics for one school year, starting after football season.

Officials of the section don’t really know why they haven’t enforced the rule for seven years, but admit it was the attention paid to some well-known local athletes that woke them up.

“Because of the publicity of several high-profile cases, it was brought up by the (rules committee) chairperson of IAC (Interscholastic Athletic Committee),” said Barbara Fiege, City Section athletic commissioner. “She (Sue Kamiyama, Bell athletic director) found our rules were out off compliance and she brought them to the attention of the CIF.”

One case is that of standout basketball player Tommie Davis, who was projected to be the starting point guard at Crenshaw High this season.

Davis, a senior, attended nearby Fremont High the past three school years before transferring to Crenshaw over the summer on an opportunity transfer. Davis lives in the Locke district, but attended Fremont on an “open permit.”

The permit was revoked by school officials because of his involvement in several fights.

Davis, who this month made an unwritten commitment to play basketball at the University of Houston, left Fremont after several appeals by his mother, Dorothy Bates.

The appeals process led them to assistant superintendent Dick Browning, who denied Davis’ appeal after hearing the evidence.

Browning did allow Davis to attend Crenshaw, which won City Division 4-A and State Division I championships last season, and gave him an option of returning to Fremont after a 10-week period.

“I have a letter from Browning,” Davis said. “They told me I could play at Crenshaw, and if I wanted to transfer back to Fremont after 10 weeks, I could do that too. I want to stay here (Crenshaw), and I’m not going anywhere.”

Browning confirmed that he told Davis he would be eligible to play basketball at Crenshaw.

But after Monday’s ruling, Davis is no longer eligible, pending an appeal.

“I’m aware now he no longer has eligibility,” Browning said. “I was not aware our policy was not in compliance at the time. There was a district policy on this that we had been following for a while.”

Sam Sullivan, Fremont’s longtime basketball coach, said Davis got into a fight with another player, which resulted in his transfer.

“Tommy is an honor student who was a credit to our school,” Sullivan said. “I don’t condone what he did, but I don’t think he should have been transferred in the first place.”

Browning said that Davis will be able to appeal for a hardship transfer, which may allow him to stay at Crenshaw if it is approved.

Fiege said she is not sure how many athletes will be affected by the decision to enforce the rule.

A special meeting of the rules committee will hear appeals on Nov. 3.