Columnist Nick Christensen: New transfer rule would benefit all parties

Nick Christensen

Friday, Sept. 2, 2005 | 1:53 a.m.

Nick Christensen covers high school athletics for the Sun. Reach him at (702) 259-4085 or by e-mail at nick.christensen@lasvegassun.com.

It's overdrive week at the Clark County School District's athletics office.

With the new school year come the transfers of hundreds of high school students, many of whom will want to participate in high school sports. The question that the athletics office, and district athletic director Bill Garis, must answer is which of these students is eligible to play at his or her new school.

"We spend probably 90 percent of our time dealing with this stuff, then we have it again prior to each season," Garis said. "It's not that we mind doing that, but we could be doing other things that might be a little more productive."

CCSD and NIAA eligibility rules are very specific as to the circumstances that make a player eligible to play at a school after a transfer. Some are straightforward, such as the transfer of Eric Jordan to Shadow Ridge long after his family moved to the neighborhood.

Some are not. It's an unspoken truth -- or well-publicized lie? -- that some schools' boosters have apartments that are rented for athletic recruits. Transfers in and out of Bishop Gorman and other private schools have it even tougher. To get in, they have to prove they hit the jackpot or otherwise came into enough money to afford the private school's tuition. To get out, they have to prove that they can't afford it anymore.

Again, we're just talking about athletic eligibility. Students can go to school -- remember, these big buildings exist to educate teenagers, not to pump out the next Steven Jackson -- wherever they darn well please.

But there is a proposal to take a lot of Garis' workload -- and permanently cut out some of the miles of red tape that a transfer can often involve.

It's called a one-time transfer rule, and is pretty simple on paper.

An approved zone variance is all it would take to transfer schools and retain eligibility. But a student could only do it once.

"That would be it," Garis said. "It wouldn't matter if a kid decided to physically move, they would not be eligible. It would eliminate all this hassle and paperwork and people finding ways around the rules anyway."

It would also save the district and NIAA from lawsuits inevitably filed by the well-heeled that want to see their children play sports no matter what.

Nevermind that if those parents invested as much time in their children's education -- again, remember, why those gigantic buildings are there to begin with -- as they did in their athletic eligibility, their children could probably find a full-ride somewhere, or at least a Millennium Scholarship.

So why hasn't this gone into place yet?

Surprisingly, it's the schools themselves that are opposing the one-time transfer rule. Some are concerned that children might run away for their senior years, putting a damper on athletics at their old school while impairing their education at the new school.

Garis has been pragmatic in his tenure as athletic director, acknowledging last year that the too-harsh drug policy was prompting sympathetic coaches and administrators from failing to report violations. And he's acknowledging that the current transfer rules are essentially useless, as students whose parents like the concept of the four-schools-in-four-years track can find a way to pull it off.

This policy would put an end to school-shopping. And frankly, how families move zones three times in four years? Few, if any, student-athletes would be left in the stands because they'd already used their one free pass. The only exception should be for students who move out of county or state. It's easier to believe a move to Reno or Elko is legitimate. And I find it hard to fault Nate Schulte for coming back after just weeks at Brewster Academy. You can't fault a kid for homesickness.

If only the schools themselves were as pragmatic as the CCSD office. Again, this is about education first. The constant struggle about transfers takes up too much of everybody's time and resources -- most importantly, those of the students.

Spread Around Town

Western 34, Chaparral 6

We're assuming a lot here -- that Western's defense is as good as it was last year, that Western's offense is as improved as it's been hyped to be, and that Chaparral didn't get any blue-chip transfers this week.

Green Valley 42, Bonanza 12

This game should be over early, as Green Valley looked mighty impressive in last week's victory against Sierra Vista. Aaron Bagsby, Jr. continued to impress from what we saw on the highlight reels.

Liberty 23, Clark 20

The Patriots pulled this one off last year, and we've got no reason to think they won't do it again.

Bishop Gorman 32, Las Vegas 24

This one could be even closer. Frank Nails Field is a tough place to go to and win at, but the Gaels are, on paper, a good team. Vegas' game-time experience could spell trouble for the G-men, though.

Shadow Ridge 66, Eldorado 21

The Mustangs are looking for vengeance, and the Sundevils were most unimpressive against the run last week.

Silverado 24, Cimarron-Memorial 15

We liked what we saw from the Skyhawks at the end of last week's loss at Cheyenne, and we tend to think that Silverado will look good from the get-go this week.

Foothill 14, Palo Verde 10

Panthers D-coordinator Charlie Jarvis has consistently found ways to stop a team that relies on a good running back. But the Falcons are a little more multidimensional, and looked a lot better last week than the defending champions, who are on the state's longest winning streak (15 games).

Sierra Vista 23, Valley 14

If Valley's going to show some flashes of success, it probably won't be until later in the year. The Mountain Lions figure to pose the Vikings some problems.

Spring Valley 14, Arbor View 12

Why? Because, theoretically, the Grizzlies are better than 2A The Meadows.

Basic 21, Rancho 14

Basic has got to get back on the right track at some point, and this is as good of a week as any to start.

Canyon Springs 21, Del Sol 16

The best battle of the second-year schools this season, we're counting on the Pioneers to show a little more size and depth than the Dragons.

Durango 26, Mojave 23

The young men at Durango are hungry for a win, while the Rattlers feasted on Chaparral last week.

Coronado 24, Centennial 16

Coronado came very close to knocking off the state champs last week, showing us that they've got enough to defeat the Bulldogs.

Cheyenne 33, Desert Pines 21

This won't be as bad as last week for the Jaguars, but Cheyenne looked good in that double-wing against Silverado -- and if the Skyhawks didn't have an answer, we don't think D.P. will, either.

Settled Early

Off the Uprights: Hurricane (Utah) at Moapa Valley, Spring Creek at Pahrump Valley, Mohave (Bullhead City, Ariz.) at Boulder City, Fernley at Virgin Valley, Milford (Utah) at The Meadows.

Out of Bounds: McQueen at North Valleys, Elko at Carson, Bishop Manogue at Hug, Spanish Springs at Douglas, Reed at Wooster, Galena at South Tahoe.

LAS VEGAS SUN

Dropped from rankings: Eldorado, Las Vegas