Westchester Is Banned From Postseason

Westchester High, the two-time defending state Division I champion in boys’ basketball, was banned from postseason play for one year on Tuesday after the City Section Rules Committee ruled that an assistant coach recruited 6-foot-9 center Amir Johnson from Los Angeles Verbum Dei.

After 2 1/2 hours of deliberations, the seven-member panel ruled Johnson ineligible for one year for giving false testimony and barred Comet assistant Marlon Morton from being associated as a coach with Westchester or any other City Section school for one year. Westchester was also placed on one year probation.

Barbara Fiege, the City Section commissioner, said the sanctions were severe because Westchester was already on probation for “pre-enrollment contact” with an athlete in 2002.

The Comets, who have won four consecutive City championships, are 4-0 this season and ranked No. 1 among Southern California high school teams by The Times. Westchester can appeal the Rules Committee decision to a three-person section panel. An appeal to the CIF state office is another option.

“We’re going to appeal it, and that’s it,” Coach Ed Azzam said. He declined to elaborate. Other school officials could not be reached for comment.

The allegation of undue influence against Westchester was lodged the day before Thanksgiving by Verbum Dei. On Tuesday, the Rules Committee heard close to three hours of mostly conflicting testimony. The primary allegation centered around whether Morton told Johnson to transfer during an open-gym workout at Verbum Dei last summer.

Vernon Owens, dean of student affairs at Verbum Dei, and Gerald Diggs, the father of a Verbum Dei basketball player, said under oath that they saw Morton with Johnson in the Verbum Dei gym.

Owens said he overheard Morton telling Johnson, “You might as well dump this and go to Westchester.” Owens said he immediately told Morton to leave the gym. Diggs confirmed Owens’ account.

Morton and Johnson both denied that the incident ever took place.

“It’s something made up,” Johnson told the committee.

Added Morton: “I would not jeopardize Westchester, this young man or myself. These are blatant lies.”

Johnson, a junior who helped Verbum Dei win the Southern Section Division IV-A title last season, moved into the Westchester attendance area last month and enrolled on Nov. 4.

Rev. John Weling, president of Verbum Dei, testified that he was “perplexed” that Westchester administrators believed “none of this happened.”

“I’m blaming Marlon Morton and for [him] having the gall to do it on our campus,” Weling said.

Westchester Principal Dana Perryman told the committee she investigated the allegation and came away convinced that “this incident did not happen.”

She said she warned the assistant basketball coaches last year about “the consequences of recruiting” after the Comets were put on probation for a rules violation. She said she “threatened” to banish anyone involved in the recruitment of a player.

Westchester is scheduled to participate in a tournament this weekend in Florida. Johnson won’t be able to play unless he obtains a temporary restraining order in court.

In 1998, Narbonne’s girls’ team was banned from the playoffs for one year because three players used phony addresses to gain admittance to school.