Otis Makes Quick Impact in Return to Dominguez

Russell Otis returned to coaching Thursday and, if nothing else, one thing became obvious -- Compton Dominguez High isn’t far from becoming a good team.

Dominguez lost to Fairfax, 64-61, and while nobody is saying the Dons should reserve room for another state championship banner, it appears the dreary 15-12 mark of last season is part of the past.

Otis was on the sideline for the first time in almost two years, wearing a black sweater, black slacks and black dress shoes in front of a sparse crowd of about 200 at a first-round game of the Encinitas Torrey Pines tournament. He has been with the team for two weeks, since the Compton Unified School District board approved his rehiring in a highly charged 4-3 vote on Dec. 10.

A little more than two years ago, Otis was arrested and charged with sexually molesting a former player, allegations that became public in November 2000. Within months, Otis was fired by the state-appointed leader of the Compton school district for lacking a permanent teaching credential, a detail that had never before been an issue.

Otis, 40, was acquitted of all charges, but his request for reinstatement at Dominguez was initially denied. Last year, he taught at Gardena but did not coach.

Otis conducted open tryouts upon his return in order to bolster the Dons’ roster, a stunning necessity on a campus that never lacked for basketball players and won four state championships.

After the Dons (2-3) scared Fairfax (10-0), Otis said the future was foremost on his mind.

“It was a good feeling for me to be back, doing what I love to be doing,” Otis said. “It didn’t feel like I was away.

“Give us a few days. We only had four or five days of practice. I tell [the players], ‘Listen to me and we’re going to be all right.’ ”

Dominguez used to be a magnet for top players, among them 7-foot Tyson Chandler, who made the jump from Dominguez directly to the Chicago Bulls after the Dons won the state championship in 2000.

The program foundered immediately without Otis.

Players defected to other schools. The team became ordinary, losing more games last season than the previous three seasons combined. Mack Calvin, a former NBA player, lasted one season as coach and abruptly resigned a month before the Dons began practice this season.

There are noticeable differences in Otis’ return.

The Nike swoosh, a familiar sight during Dominguez’s days of dominance, was all but absent on the Dons’ bench Thursday. Players wore a variety of shoes and displayed little evidence of the sneaker giant that sponsored Dominguez for nearly seven years until Otis’ dismissal.

Playing in the 12-team elite division of the tournament, Dominguez was thoroughly outsized against Fairfax, but almost outplayed the Lions, who are No. 2 in The Times’ rankings.

Dominguez trailed the entire game, but a free throw by Travon Free put the Dons ahead, 57-56, with 1:46 remaining. The Dons pushed the lead to 61-58 on a drive by Jason Murdock with one minute left, but Kevin Bell scored six points in the final minute -- a three-pointer and three free throws -- to ensure a Fairfax victory.

“It felt good to finally be under the order of Coach Otis,” said Free, a senior forward and the team’s top player. “The way he teaches and instructs, you learn so much in such a short time. When I found out he was coming back, it took a mountain of pressure off me.”

Free, who has committed to Long Beach State, scored 24 points for Dominguez. Jamal Boykin had 20 points and Alex Bausley had 12 for Fairfax.