SoCalHoops High School News

Frank Robinson Not Eligible....
Appeal Pending--(Nov. 27, 2001)

We've held off writing anything about Frank Robinson (6'-3" Sr. G) from Littlerock, principally because we were asked to do so by Frank and his family members closest to him, but now that Eric Sondheimer of the Los Angeles Times has reported that Frank is currently ineligible at Littlerock, some clarity is needed. Here's what the Times carried this morning:

"Robinson Is Not Cleared to Play for Littlerock -- Frank Robinson, a 6-foot-3 senior forward who averaged 39 points for Chatsworth's junior varsity basketball team last season before transferring to Littlerock this semester, is ineligible to play for the Lobos until the Southern Section completes an investigation, Athletic Director Jim Bauer said.

"Robinson played for Littlerock as a sophomore,  transferred to Chatsworth and was restricted to playing junior varsity last season. He returned to Littlerock after an altercation at Chatsworth. Robinson has not practiced with the Lobos pending the outcome of his eligibility investigation."

Now here's the part that's not   mentioned in the story above:  When Frank first transferred to Chatsworth, it was without a change of residence on the part of his legal guardian (or at least that was the finding by Chatsworth and the LA City CIF at the time), and thus he was prevented from having varsity eligibility at the new school pursuant to CIF Bylaw 214 governing transfer eligibility.  And despite the implication above that Robinson's transfer from Chatsworth back to Littlerock was the result of an "altercation" his current status has literally nothing to do with anything other than the fact that the second transfer again took place after May 15, and may be deemed to be a transfer without a change of residence.  The last word we heard was that Robinson would apply for a hardship waiver, and based on our reading  of the bylaw in question, it would seem that eligibility shouldn't be restricted at the home school to which he's returning because Robinson did not play varsity at Chatsworth.

Unless he is granted eligibility for his senior season, Robinson could be one of the very few potential D-I players to have gone from playing varsity as a freshman and soph, to jv as junior,  to playing no ball at all during his senior year. 

 
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