Transfer Proposal Runs Into Trouble

A California Interscholastic Federation proposal that aims to curb the rise in transfers for athletic purposes got a chilly reception at a state federated council meeting in Ontario and may require an overhaul before reaching a vote next year.

The proposal, presented by CIF attorney Andrew Patterson on Friday, sparked a volley of questions and had to be removed from the agenda so the council could finish its business on time.

The proposal would require school officials to certify that no one connected with schools’ booster clubs or athletic departments had contact with prospective transfers.

In addition to curtailing transfers for athletic purposes, the measure aims to allow school officials to scrutinize the role of intermediaries in transfers involving foreign athletes.

But several concerns have been raised about the proposal, including: enforcement, especially in cases involving athletes transferring from foreign countries; misinterpretation of the proposal’s wording; and how to handle contact between a player at one school and another player at a second school.

“I think the council believes there is some more work to be done,” said Southern Section Commissioner Jim Staunton, a member of the risk management committee that submitted the proposal, which is intended in part to protect the CIF from litigation. “[But] it’s a proposal whose time has come.”

The proposal will be discussed again at the next state council meeting in October before it faces a vote in February or May 2002. If passed, it would be enacted on a two-year trial basis beginning with the 2002-03 school year.

Los Angeles City Section Director Barbara Fiege expressed concern that the proposal could be a logistical nightmare for her section, which handles a higher volume of transfers than other sections. Desegregation and sibling permits are only two of the unique transfer methods offered by the City Section.

“The number of transfers is difficult for our athletic directors to keep up with,” Fiege said. “That concerns me greatly. All it will take is one [illegal contact incident] falling through the cracks and we’re going to have forfeits.”

Tyson Chandler of Compton Dominguez is enrolled in an independent study program and is working out daily on the court and in the weight room in preparation for the NBA draft.

Chandler, a 7-foot-1 senior, averaged 26 points, 13 rebounds and seven blocked shots this season for Dominguez before suffering an ankle injury in the state regional semifinals.

Long Beach Poly football Coach Jerry Jaso interviewed last week for a position on the Long Beach City College faculty and coaching staff and will have a second interview May 21.

Jaso guided Poly to Southern Section Division I titles in 1997, 1999 and 2000.

Long Beach Poly is scheduled to play Concord De La Salle, which has won a national-record 113 consecutive games, on Oct. 6. The Jackrabbits begin spring practice Monday.

“I’m looking forward to going to the second interview, but right now I’m still the Poly coach,” Jaso said. “We’re getting ready for spring practice and next season.”

Record-breaking performances were the order of the day Tuesday at the Southern Section diving finals in divisions I and II.

Allison Brennan of Huntington Beach Edison High won her second consecutive Division I girls’ title, scoring 621.65 points. Brennan broke the record of 568.10, set by Mission Viejo Capistrano Valley’s Erica Sorgi in 1997.

Michael Hilde of Laguna Hills won the boys’ Division I title with 610.25 points. Hilde won the Division II title last year, while attending Anaheim Servite.

In Division II, Louie Gagnet of Irvine University won the the boys’ title with 640.95 points, breaking the division record of 601.80 set last year by Hilde.

Kristin Littell of Chino Hills Don Lugo won her third consecutive girls’ title, scoring a record 553.10 points. The old mark of 529.25 was set in 1994 by Sandy Zubrin of Corona del Mar.