Linda Coburn
Clerical errors caused Pierce College to forfeit all but one of the games won by both the men’s and women’s basketball teams this season.
This was the first time in 17 years that the women’s team would have qualified for the state championships. The men’s team was ranked number two in the state and would have been a strong contender in their playoffs also.
“We didn’t make the playoffs, not because of our record but because there was a mistake on our Form 3 [relating to team eligibility] and so we ended up technically forfeiting all but one of our games,” said Jim Couch, women’s basketball head coach.
Dr. Aviva Kamin, Western State Conference (WSC) commissioner, said that she does not recall any team in the past 20 years forfeiting an entire season due to paperwork problems.
“The women got their [eligibility] paperwork in during the last game. The men never got it in at all,” said Kamin.
Athletic Director Bob Lyons said Pierce appealed the original commissioner’s decision to a hearing board of the WSC. When that was turned down, they appealed the decision to the Commission on Athletics, which upheld the WSC’s ruling.
Taking it one step further, Mark Ringelberg, father of freshman Emilee Ringelberg, on behalf of the women’s team, filed a petition in Superior Court for an injunction to stop the sanctions. That petition was denied Thursday.
“It’s pointless to push ahead anymore at this time,” said Ringelberg. “There have already been multiple days in the [playoff] contest.”
He and other team parents are planning to meet with President Robert Garber to discuss what went wrong and how it can be avoided in the future. They are also taking their concerns to the L.A. Community College District board of trustees.
“Mr. Lyons is one of the only part-time athletic directors in the area,” said Ringelberg. “He’s a nice guy, but this is a full-time job.”
Lyons said it was important to note that there was never a question of whether any players individually were eligible.
“The problem lies in the reporting of eligibility,” said Lyons. “We had some eligibility information that was not reported in a timely fashion.”
Ralph Wesson, assistant coach for women’s basketball, said that other colleges have the eligibility rosters reviewed by the athletic department and coaches before being finalized. That is not the case at Pierce.
“There are no checks and balances,” said Wesson.
Lyons said eligibility forms were sent directly by admissions and records to the COA. “Admissions and records gave us a weekly eligibility report only,” said Lyons.
Shelley Gerstl, dean of admissions and records, was on vacation and unreachable for comment.
One of the clerks in her office who is involved with eligibility reporting declined to answer any questions pending approval from a supervisor, but she did say she was unaware of the problem.
Lyons has scheduled a meeting on Friday with everyone involved in eligibility reporting, including coaches and staff from the athletic department, admissions and records and the counseling office.
“We need to get the logistics down to a gnat’s eye,” said Lyons. “We just have to tighten up internal reporting and that’s what we’re going to do.”
“There were several places where the ball was dropped,” said President Garber. “A lot of people have their hands on the paperwork.”
Garber is not scheduled to be involved in Friday’s meeting.
“It’s unfortunate,” said men’s basketball head coach Ed Babayan. “But the rules are set and we can’t do anything about what happened.”
“All six of our sophomores already have multiple scholarship offers and will be at four-year universities next year on scholarship,” Babayan said.
The ramifications may well be felt into the next season. “All the schools are using this against us in the recruiting process,” said Wesson.
The women’s team had the seventh best record in the state.
“We stood a very good chance of at least being one of the top three or four teams in the playoffs,” Couch said. “This team had the best record in the history of the school and is one of the best teams I’ve ever coached.”
“It’s really devastating to us,” said Couch.
Arash Riah and Ivan Rogers look onto an empty South Gym, disappointed after the news of their forced 15 game forfeit following an error in eligibility reporting. (Alex Fuenes)