Questions Continue to Hound Calvin

The Compton Dominguez High boys’ basketball team, winner of three consecutive state Division II titles, opens its season tonight with a roster depleted by defections and a first-year coach operating under the watchful eye of a school board that didn’t vote to hire him.

Mack Calvin, a former college and professional coach, was hired in August to replace Russell Otis, who was fired in February for not having a proper teaching credential--at a time when he was ensnarled in a sexual molestation case based on claims made by a former player.

Otis, who guided the Dons to four state championships in 13 seasons, was acquitted of criminal charges. He has secured a credential and now teaches at Gardena High.

And still, Dominguez has a controversial coach.

In his first weeks on the job, Calvin may have violated a Southern Section undue influence rule, and he is the plaintiff in a hotly contested wrongful termination suit against a former college employer--one who he says accused him of NCAA violations.

A former USC star who spent four of his 11 professional seasons in the NBA, Calvin, 53, was hired even though he was not endorsed by a majority of the Compton Unified School District board.

Basil Kimbrew, a board member who voted against Calvin’s hiring, said Tuesday that he plans to spearhead a drive to bring Otis back as coach next season, once control of the district is returned to the board on Dec. 11. The state has run the district since 1993 because of woeful test scores and a $20-million budget deficit.

“No one has spoken to me about that,” Otis said of the plan to bring him back. “That hasn’t even crossed my mind. I’m not even going to comment.”

Allegations that Calvin was fired from coaching jobs at Cal State Dominguez Hills and Citrus College because of improprieties were brought to the attention of state administrator Randolph Ward before Calvin’s hiring was approved.

In a letter to Ward and district administrators, board member Saul Lankster II requested an investigation, saying that a source told him Calvin was fired by both schools “on allegations that had to do with gambling and misappropriation of student funds.”

But Ward hired Calvin without further investigation, noting that the coach had already passed a background check on his references and fingerprints.

Officials from the two colleges declined to comment. Calvin has not returned numerous phone calls since last speaking to The Times in late August. At that time, he denied allegations of wrongdoing at his former jobs and said he preferred to focus on the future.

“I am going to do the best job I can for [the Dominguez] program to develop the kids as players as well as people,” he said. “I plan to be there for a long time.”

Several Don players didn’t share those plans.

Point guard Keion Kindred is the only experienced senior left at Dominguez, No. 22 in The Times’ preseason rankings entering its opener tonight at 7 against Fresno Bullard in the Clovis West tournament.

As for Otis, he said he has pretty much divorced himself from the situation. He added that he didn’t know how Calvin was doing, but he wished Dominguez players “the best of luck.”

Otis’ departure was a big reason four players--including two starters--have left Dominguez since Calvin took over, including star forward Bobby Jones, who is now in Long Beach Poly’s lineup.

Also leaving was starting power forward Darius Sanders, who enrolled at Lynwood when it appeared that Otis would take over that program. Otis later pulled out of contention for the job, but Sanders transferred anyway. The others who left were forward Samir Hernandez, who now plays for Gardena Serra, and guard Saul Lankster III, the board member’s son, who joined Jones at Poly.

Jones said he transferred because the school refused to rehire Otis, or keep interim coach Steve Singleton, who guided the Dons to another state title last season.

“I would have been loyal to Dominguez if Dominguez had been loyal to me,” Jones said. “I had nothing against [Calvin].

“He had a great personality and seemed like he was a fair coach. I just needed a change of scenery.”

Hearing that Jones was ready to transfer, Calvin took the player to lunch shortly after being hired--a possible high school rules infraction.

Given an identical hypothetical scenario, Southern Section spokesman Thom Simmons said the lunch violated undue influence rules because the coach was attempting to keep the player at the school for athletic purposes. The lunch, Simmons said, was “an extra benefit, an inducement.”

Most of Calvin’s coaching experience is at the college and professional ranks. In his only previous season as a high school coach, he guided Englewood (Colo.) Cherry Creek to the state championship game.

“I’ve had a ton of calls of people asking me, ‘Why [return to] high school basketball?”’ Calvin said in August. “That’s where I have had my greatest success.”

At Dominguez, questions about Calvin’s background arose several weeks before the state administrator approved his hiring.

“I didn’t know how much stock to put into [the allegations],” board member Lankster II said, “so I wanted the state administrator and his personnel to investigate the situation and give me and the board the results. If the investigation had cleared him, I had no reason to vote against him.”

Lankster II and two other board members--Kimbrew and Carol Bradley-Jordan--voted against Calvin, deadlocking the board at 3-3, one vote shy of approval.

There is also the matter of his pending lawsuit, in which Calvin, who is African American, claims he was a victim of harassment and discrimination based on race while he was the coach at Dominguez Hills during the 1996-97 season. The school and Athletic Director Ron Prettyman are named as defendants.

The sides are scheduled for a settlement hearing on Monday in Los Angeles Superior Court.

According to Calvin’s complaint, Prettyman wrote a memo to Calvin alleging that he had seen Calvin engage in NCAA violations. The specific nature of the alleged violations is unclear. Prettyman and other Dominguez Hills officials declined to comment.

Calvin’s complaint says he required medical attention for stress and severe anxiety around July 1997.

Prettyman terminated Calvin’s one-year renewable contract in August of that year.

Dominguez Hills officials denied wrongdoing in their written response, adding that they “took prompt, effective remedial action.”

The suit seeks loss of wages and benefits, relief for emotional stress and related medical bills, attorneys’ fees and punitive damages.

If a settlement is not reached, a jury trial is scheduled to begin Jan. 30.