The More They Transfer, the More Unsettling It Is

Whenever a high-profile high school basketball player switches schools, speculation inevitably focuses on somebody’s sinister motives.

Too many allegations of unethical conduct, whether it be a club coach’s engaging in undue influence or an assistant coach’s promising better exposure to college recruiters, have fueled the suspicion of wrongdoing.

The continued movement of top players despite tougher transfer rules keeps alive the theory that basketball is a sport with a Wild West, anything-goes mentality. This is the second year of a ruling that requires players who transfer without changing residences to sit out a season, but that hardly is discouraging the switching of schools among the upper echelon of players. They’re simply moving.

Compton Dominguez, with Coach Russell Otis, remains a favorite destination of transfer students. Last season, the Dons won their fifth state title under Otis, aided by transfer students from Carson, Bellflower, Rancho Palos Verdes and Baton Rouge, La.

This fall, the Dons have picked up sophomore guard Quinton Watkins from Bellflower St. John Bosco, junior forward Brantley Watson from Long Beach Jordan and senior guard Auston Autry from Torrance Bishop Montgomery.

Doug Mitchell, the coach at Bishop Montgomery, said Autry’s parents pulled their son from school in August and told him they were leaving for reasons not related to basketball. But Mitchell learned that Autry had played during the summer in Las Vegas for a travel team that included players from Dominguez.

Neither Mitchell nor anyone from St. John Bosco or Long Beach Jordan have made any allegations of illegal conduct in the transfers, so look for Watkins, Watson and Autry to be eligible this season as long as they changed residences.

Santa Margarita has suddenly become the hot transfer destination in Orange County, perhaps because 6-foot-8 junior James Keefe is the focus of big-time college recruiters. Arriving to bolster an already talented team are 6-3 sophomore Landon Pluimer from San Clemente, 6-1 sophomore Cheyne Martin from Laguna Beach and 6-5 junior Jonathon Gunderson from Santa Ana Mater Dei.

In another example of how players want to play for winning programs, Etiwanda was one victory away from reaching the state Division I championship game last season and returns three starters this season. So look who has showed up this season: 6-4 senior Marcus Carter from Claremont and 6-7 senior Rashad Austin from Mater Dei, who also played for Claremont and Alta Loma during his three years of high school and played for Dominguez the last two summers.

Perhaps the quietest place during the summer was Westchester. Banned from the City playoffs last season because of an alleged recruiting violation, the Comets were on their best behavior, avoiding any controversy, staying out of the transfer game and doing nothing to threaten their chances of winning a state Division I title now that 6-10 Amir Johnson is eligible after transferring last season from Los Angeles Verbum Dei.

Speaking of Verbum Dei, the Eagles lost another top player when Matt Shaw, a 6-7 junior, transferred to defending state Division I champion Fairfax. This time, school officials have made no allegations of recruiting as they did when Johnson left for Westchester.

Shaw’s mother, Valerie, said the move was made because she wanted to cut down on her daily 90-minute drives to the Verbum Dei campus and because of safety issues.

“We were hearing gunshots almost on a daily basis,” she said of her former neighborhood in Los Angeles.

She moved to a residence in the Fairfax attendance area and doesn’t hide the fact the Lions’ basketball success influenced her destination.

“I’d be kidding if I didn’t think basketball wasn’t a factor,” she said. “That school is known for sending athletes to some of the best colleges in the country. Academics is my main focus, but basketball is what’s going to get [Matt] a college scholarship.”

Shaw added: “Every parent has the right to make whatever decision is best for their family. I feel what I’ve done is best for me and my children. I don’t judge others for the decisions they make and, hopefully, they won’t judge me for the decisions I make.”

Shaw is right. She and others can send their sons and daughters to any school they want, as long as the rules are followed.

But what’s the motivation for the continuing movement of players? It’s clearly to help improve the chances of gaining a college scholarship.

“They want an advocate, and they want exposure,” said Mary Boykin, the mother of Fairfax senior Jamal Boykin, a four-year player for the Lions who has committed to Duke. “There’s a perception among parents that exposure can make the difference between a child being offered a scholarship and a child being invisible.”

In truth, any talented player will be discovered by college recruiters, regardless of which team he plays for or who his coach is.

“Nowadays, with summer programs, summer tournaments, spring tournaments, fall tournaments and scouting services, it’s very difficult not to be seen,” said UCLA assistant coach Donny Daniels.

College coaches don’t seem bothered by players moving from high school to high school.

“Our job isn’t to go, ‘Why are you moving?’ ” Daniels said. “Our job is to find them.”

And there are lots of players to find. Omondi Amoke, a 6-6 sophomore, went from Santa Barbara to Oxnard. Brothers Jimmy Smith, a 6-4 senior, and Jarrel Smith, a 6-6 junior, moved from Lake Oswego, Ore., to Lake Balboa Birmingham.

Then there’s the influx of foreign players. Brentwood picked up 6-8 junior Andreas Schreiber from Sweden. And 6-7 freshman Jin Soo Kim from South Korea has enrolled at Van Nuys Montclair Prep.

The scent of misdeed when a top player transfers, however, only encourages the belief that a system designed to give everyone an equal chance at success is out of control.

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Eric Sondheimer can be reached at eric.sondheimer@latimes.com.