Anyone wondering why City Section teams have such a hard time competing at the highest level with the best in the sports of football and basketball can blame Commissioner Vicky Lagos for enforcing the CIF transfer rules on the schools prevent the kind of all-star teams in the past that got Narbonne, Hawkins and others into trouble.
When the names of nine basketball players appeared in the City Section transfer portal after Palisades High filed paperwork in the fall, it immediately caught Lagos' attention.
She and her staff have a policy of visiting schools that receive multiple transfers for a particular sport to verify that CIF rules have been followed, rather than relying on the schools to police themselves.
She brings administrators, coaches and parents together in the same room as she goes through the necessary paperwork. This happened at Palisades, where four players were denied eligibility for violating pre-registration contact rules (recommendation: do not announce a player's arrival if he or she is not officially enrolled).
Lagos and her staff have done the seemingly impossible – forcing schools and parents to comply with CIF rules. The same cannot be said for the Southern Section, which has 560 schools and continues to rely on the schools to conduct their own research. And you wonder why the Southern Section has a perception problem – right or wrong – that rules are repeatedly broken, whether through recruiting or through students using false addresses.
According to spokesman Thom Simmons, the South Section has only used an investigator twice in the last two school years. Who knew parents and coaches followed the rules so well?
Kudos to the City Section, in partnership with the Los Angeles Unified School District, for letting aspiring coaches know that the rules apply to everyone. Knowing that someone is watching closely should be the motivation to follow rules. If the rules are followed, you will not form All-Star teams with players from other schools.
Yes, it hurt the city government. Basketball teams that once defeated elite Southern Section teams are nowhere to be found. Since 2017, the football teams have gone 0-9 in the state championship bowl final.
However, that doesn't mean all is lost. In basketball, a record three City Section teams qualified for state championship games – Chatsworth boys in Division IV, Verdugo Hills boys in Division V and Granada Hills girls in Division III. Chatsworth and Granada Hills were Open Division teams eliminated due to a tie. They came to Sacramento and played great in the playoffs against similar opponents. They would never have gotten this far at a higher level. So following rules can lead to competing for a championship.
The city section is once again facing the test. Narbonne is receiving three high-profile football transfers from Orange County. Expect a visit in the future.
The truth is that City teams play by the rules while some of their opponents don't. Other sections need to do a better job of enforcing their rules on school visits rather than trusting schools that are motivated to have championship teams, especially when transfers statewide will reach nearly 17,000 for the 2023-24 school year. Football transfers are already piling up, with multiple transfers taking place at top programs.
Just as officials place special emphasis in their rules each season, the CIF must also set a priority when schools receive multiple transfers. This does not mean there is fraud, but it is certainly a warning sign that should not be ignored. The CIF is expected to begin examining priorities for the future of college sports in the fall.
Otherwise, switch to the college sports transfer portal model, where players are paid, transfers are unlimited, and educational sports are limited to the Ivy League.
At the very least, changes need to be made, and adhering to the city government's policy of attending schools with multiple transfers from the same sport is a starting point.
Imagine if the southern section, the largest in the state, did the same. Suddenly the impression could arise that rules are being followed.
Last month, the City Section once again showed it is not afraid of enforcing rules by barring the Birmingham and El Camino Real soccer teams from participating in the state playoffs after an altercation at the end of their championship game. Old fashioned consequences.
If you want to change perceptions, you have to act. Section offices across the state are paid well to operate college sports. It is time to intervene so others can have confidence that there is a level playing field when it comes to transfers. The status quo is unacceptable.
Comments are closed.