SoCalHoops High School News

LA Westchester Boys' Program Placed
On Probation: No LAWSG In 2001--(Oct. 19, 2000)

The LA Times, reported today (in a story by sportswriter Gary Klein) that LA Westchester's boys' basketball team has been placed on probation by the LA City Section Rules Committee, which earlier this week found that Westchester violated a rule which prohibits transfer students form playing for a new school until they have official completed the paperwork checking the player out of the former school and checking them into the new school.  While the story didn't mention it, Westchester received several transfer students this past summer, including most notably a transfer from Hassan Adams (6'-4" Jr. SG/PG)  who checked in from Verbum Dei early in June.   According to the story, which quoted City Section Commissioner Barbara Fiege, the violation reportedly occurred at the LA Watts Summer Games and involved using a player who had not yet officially enrolled at the school. As a result of the violation, the Rules Committee determined that  Westchester will not be permitted to participate in next year's LA Watts Summer Games.  While the story didn't say so, there will not be any further repercussions and the team will be permitted to participate in all schedule CIF competitions, including the LA City Section Championship playoffs. Westchester, featuring a number of top players, including Chad Bell (7'-0" Sr. C) who recently committed to New Mexico,  is the current defending City Section Champion and is one of about five teams this year expected to again contend for a title.

Ordinarily, neither the City nor Southern Sections of the CIF exercise jurisdiction over summer leagues or summer tournament play, but because of some historical anomaly, the City Section treats the LAWSG as a "sanctioned event".  Other teams have received various forms of punishments for violations occurring at the Games, including one incident several years ago when a school was sanctioned for permitting several incoming 9th grade students (who had not yet finished their junior high school academic years) to sit on the bench during the tournament. 

 
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