Police Probe Use of Funds by Longtime School Coach

Los Alamitos police have taken over an investigation into alleged financial improprieties by former Los Alamitos High School basketball coach Steve Brooks, who resigned from his post early this month.

School and district administrators began probing the use of proceeds from basketball team activities in July, after about half a dozen parents of current and former players wrote letters raising questions about the program.

Brooks, a winning coach who led the basketball and volleyball teams at Los Alamitos High School for nearly 20 years, resigned his post Oct. 1 for “family and personal” reasons, school administrators said.

Brooks could not be reached for comment.

Police opened their inquiry within the last week, Los Alamitos Sgt. Todd Mattern said.

The school’s inquiry, which is ongoing, is being headed by Assistant Principal Jerry Halpin.

Halpin and Los Alamitos schools Supt. Carol Hart declined to comment on the investigation.

Sources who have participated in the investigation said that it has focused on the proceeds from a winter basketball tournament that Brooks hosted at Los Alamitos for at least the last dozen years. School and district administrators are trying to trace profits from the more recent tournaments. They have been unable to account for some of the money, which should have been deposited in school or Booster Club accounts, the sources said.

Administrators apparently have been unable to determine how much money the tournaments netted from entrance fees and ticket sales, or what amount of money remains unaccounted for.

At least six schools that have participated in the annual winter tournament have been asked to provide school investigators with canceled checks that were written to enter their teams in the contests, sources said. While some of those checks were indeed placed in the Los Alamitos High School student activity account, sources said, others were deposited in a non-school account at Farmers & Merchants Bank and were endorsed by Brooks.

Brooks’ sudden departure has bitterly divided Los Alamitos basketball team parents. Privately, several of those who support Brooks have accused the parents who lodged complaints of engaging in a personal vendetta against him.

While Brooks enjoys strong support among the families of varsity players, he apparently was less popular with junior varsity basketball players. Nine junior varsity team members quit the program in early September.

Parent Mike Obradovitch wrote one of the letters that prompted the school’s inquiry this summer. His son was part of the exodus from the junior varsity team.

“The questions that I asked were very general and very basic questions regarding the operation and the administration of the overall program,” Obradovitch said.

Other parents, however, responded to Brooks’ resignation with stormy criticism of the school and district administrations. A school board meeting Monday night drew more than two dozen basketball team parents supportive of the coach, many of whom lambasted district officials for what they believe was the coach’s forced resignation.

Ken Rakusin, whose son is on the varsity team, characterized Brooks as a role model and a caring coach.

“I watched him take care of these kids as if they were his own,” Rakusin said.

Brooks’ departure has jeopardized the team’s success and put into question some of the players’ college basketball prospects, parents said.

“This action has put the whole basketball program in a state of chaos,” said Booster Club President Nancy Grgas. The Booster Club, which raises more than $30,000 a year for the team, was asked to turn over its books to the district as part of the investigation. Fighting back tears, Grgas urged the board to state publicly that the club has done nothing wrong.

Her husband, Victor Grgas, blasted district officials for acting too hastily when they “forced” Brooks to resign. “You could have waited until the season was over,” he said.