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Accusations continue to fly toward Villa Park
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The CIF-SS says it is looking into the matter but isn't in a 'full-scale' investigation.
Century League basketball is warming up, even though the season is months away.
Actually, it's heating up.
Tustin boys basketball coach Ringo Bossenmeyer has accused Century League rival Villa Park of breaking CIF-Southern Section undue influence rules.
More than one incoming transfer boys basketball player at Villa Park in recent years has established residential eligibility at an Extended Stay America Hotel in the Villa Park attendance area. Among them was point guard Kertd Elisaldez, who transferred from St. John Bosco of Bellflower before the 2005-06 season, his junior year.
When Elisaldez graduated, point guard Jeff Jefferson tried to transfer from Brethren Christian to Villa Park for the 2007-08 season, but was ruled ineligible at Villa Park. As CIF-SS spokesman Thom Simmons explained it, Jefferson's parents moved to Las Vegas, Jefferson moved in with his aunt here in Orange County, the parents returned and moved into the Extended Stay America location, but since Jefferson's athletic eligibility was tied to his aunt's residence Jefferson was not athletically eligible at Villa Park.
Bossenmeyer on Monday said he contacted CIF-SS assistant commissioner Rainer Wulf to follow up on a letter sent to the CIF-SS office last week regarding the aforementioned events, to offer himself to Wulf for any follow-up conversations.
Undue influence, as defined by the CIF-SS Blue Book's rules, regulations and bylaws, is "any act, gesture or communication … which may be objectively seen as an inducement, or part of a process of inducing a student, or his or her parent or guardian, by or on behalf of, a member school, to enroll in, transfer to, or remain in, a particular school for athletic purposes."
Bossenmeyer, a much-respected veteran coach, contends that Villa Park has violated that rule.
"I don't have any doubt of that," Bossenmeyer said Tuesday. "Do I have any direct knowledge of that? No."
So he has requested that the CIF-SS office look into it. If it can be proven that Villa Park boys basketball coach Kevin Reynolds or anyone acting upon the behalf of the school, program or coach pointed a prospective transfer to the extended-stay hotel, then that might be a violation. There is a lot of gray area in that rule and in so many Blue Book rules, and it can be very challenging proving the undue influence rule has been violated.
"Their transfers always fit the need of the team at that time," Bossenmeyer said. "I respect Kevin as a coach. This is just me questioning the number of transfers and how they always seem to be fitting the needs of the team at the time."
Reynolds responded, but said he had to put a limit on his response.
“If people are going to pursue an allegation,” he said Tuesday, “there should be evidence and not just hearsay and speculation. People have moved on their own accord.
“There is nothing illegal about staying at an Extended Stay, whether it’s near Villa Park or another school. There’s no rules violation there. I have no control over where people choose to live.”
Said Simmons: "We're still gathering information from people who are forthcoming with information. Is there a full-scale CIF investigation at this time? No, not at this time. Is it possible there will be one down the road? Absolutely."
Taking a look around Orange County high school sports:
•At the end of the 2007-08 boys basketball season, JSerra was a sure-thing preseason top 10 team for the 2008-09 season. But that's not the case now, with the departure of Coach Tom Lewis, who left to pursue personal coaching opportunities, and three would-have-been returning starters: All-County guard Demetrius Walker, who is in Arizona; guard Casey James, now at Capistrano Valley; and point guard Tommy Stangl, destination unknown but we have a good guess that requires verification.
•Mission Viejo's football program has expanded its on-the-field excellence to off-the-field excellence with its participation in the Pediatric Cancer Research Foundation. The Diablos are raising money and awareness for the organization, which is dedicated to improving the quality of life, care and survival rates of children with malignant diseases. More information will be coming in these pages and at ocvarsity.com about Mission's involvement in the program, including PCRF activities preceding Mission Viejo's football home game Sept. 26 against Vista.
•Five county football teams are in calhisports.com's state top 25: Orange Lutheran, at No. 3; Mater Dei, No. 4; No. 10 Los Alamitos; No. 12 Mission Viejo; and No. 24 Edison. De La Salle of Concord is No. 1, and Long Beach Poly is No. 2. Clovis West of Fresno, which Servite plays, at Clovis West, Friday is No. 19. That's the first of Servite's four consecutive games against state-ranked opponents; after Clovis West, the Friars play No. 7 Crespi of Encino, No. 24 Edison, and No. 23 Notre Dame of Sherman Oaks.
•Yours truly crumpled under the pressure and put St. Margaret's at No. 25 in his personal 11-25 county football rankings. That's going to be permanent. St. Margaret's league and nonleague schedule is composed of Division XI or lower opponents with the exception of Army-Navy of Carlsbad, a CIF-San Diego Section Division V team that was 1-7 last year.
•Football playoff division names changed before last year, from names like Division I, Division II, etc. to names like Northern Division, Southeast Division, etc. although the geography names are sometimes way off – Saddleback Valley Christian, in San Juan Capistrano, is in the Northeast Division while La Habra is in the Southwest Division. They changed the names so the Division XI, XII and XIII guys would feel better about themselves. But when the CIF-SS office distributed the new playoff groupings for this season, they did it in the old Division I, II, III etc. order by listing the Pac-5 Division first, the Inland Division second, on down to the Northeast Division last as the 13th division.
Contact the writer: sfryer@ocregister.com
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