Boys basketball: Laguna Beach forfeits stir PCL standings

Barry Faulkner

CERRITOS - The Laguna Beach High boys basketball team will forfeit

nine victories in which it used an ineligible player, interim CIF

Southern Section basketball administrator Hal Harkness said Thursday.

The decision propels Costa Mesa and Corona del Mar into a three-way tie

for first place with University in the Pacific Coast League, which opens

its second round tonight.

Harkness said 6-foot-10 senior center Chris Manker, who moved to Laguna

Beach from Iowa in December with his father, Steve, did not comply with

the bona fide change of address requirement in the section bylaws.

Harkness said the section recognizes Manker has now done so, making him

eligible for tonight’s 7 o’clock game against visiting CdM.

“(Manker, averaging 20 points and 12.5 rebounds in 11 games) has been

ruled residentially eligible as of Jan. 24,” Harkness said. “We got the

evidence we needed.”

Among the forfeited wins are league triumphs over CdM (Jan. 7), Estancia

(Jan. 12) and Costa Mesa (Jan. 19).

With the adjusted records, Mesa (17-5) and CdM (16-5) match University’s

3-1 league mark. Estancia improves to 13-8, 1-3, while Laguna Beach,

ranked No. 7 in CIF Division IV-AA, falls to 3-17, 0-4.

With only five regular-season games left, the Artists can not obtain the

10 wins necessary to be considered for an at-large playoff berth. Coach

Bret Fleming’s squad must now earn one of the league’s three guaranteed

berths to play in the postseason.

CdM, ranked No. 5 in CIF III-AA, Costa Mesa, No. 7 in III-AA, and

Estancia, have already been assured postseason berths, due to a

compromise made by the section office when it combined two divisions to

form Division III-AA. All three, however, had their league title chances

significantly enhanced by Thursday’s ruling.

Laguna Beach won 9 of 11 games when Manker entered the lineup Dec. 17 for

an Irvine World News Tournament victory over Mark Keppell.

Additional forfeits, including four wins en route to the Century

Tournament championship, include Jurupa Valley (Dec. 18), El Modena,

Sunny Hills, Cypress and St. John Bosco (Dec. 27-30).

PCL colleagues alerted first-year Laguna Beach Athletic Director Jonathan

Todd of eligibility issues surrounding Manker at a Jan. 4 league meeting.

Todd, as well as first-year principal Stuart Sims, maintained those

concerns were unfounded. The issue was raised again at a Jan. 18 league

meeting including principals and athletic directors. But, believing they

had followed transfer eligibility rules, Laguna Beach allowed Manker to

play and score a career-high 31 points in a 75-52 home win over Costa

Mesa the following night.

Harkness would not reveal specifics surrounding Manker’s eligibility, but

it centered around bylaw 219. The rule requires a transfer student to

complete a bona fide change of residence, effectively discontinuing use

of the former residence, before the athlete can compete at his new

school.

Steve Manker said he has lived with Chris in Laguna Beach since they

moved from West Des Moines. But Chris’ mother and Steve’s wife, Cindy,

has continued to reside in Iowa.