MIAA hears complaint about English basketball recruiting

MALDEN – The Massachusetts Interscholastic Athletic Association basketball committees from Districts A and B convened Friday at Malden High to hear a complaint by East Boston High headmaster Michael Rubin that Lynn English has illegally, and on several occasions, tried to pry students away from other schools – including his own – to play boys basketball for the Bulldogs.Rubin accused English assistant Simmie Anderson of enticing East Boston student Cory McMillan to transfer to English and also claimed Anderson instigated an incident with him at an Eastie-Madison Park game over the Christmas break.Lynn School Superintendent Cathie Latham – who was at the hearing – confirmed that she immediately suspended Anderson for the remainder of this season upon being apprised of the incident. She also said further, more severe repercussions would be forthcoming if – as it has been alleged – Anderson attended last Sunday’s English-Brockton game. That would be a clear violation of the terms of his suspension, which prohibits him from attending the Bulldogs’ road games.”We are embarrassed by this incident,” Latham told the hearing.Latham made it clear at the hearing that she would tolerate no recruiting on the part of any school and vowed to strengthen existing regulations in efforts to keep it from happening.She also told the committee that when former Charlestown coach Jack O’Brien agreed to take over the English job in 2006 (an agreement rescinded before ever conducting a formal practice) she personally went down to the Parent Information Center (she was an assistant superintendent at the time) and asked a group of Charlestown students seeking to transfer to leave.English principal Andy Fila was not at the hearing, but the school was represented by Latham, School Committee secretary Tom Iarrobino, assistant principal Tom Strangie and athletic director Gary Molea.While Rubin charges that Anderson approached McMillan – who lives in Jamaica Plain – about transferring to English (“he’s had no qualms about telling me this,” Rubin said), Molea said it was the other way around – that McMillan’s family approached Anderson, who then told Fila. Molea said that Fila handled all the arrangements that resulted in McMillan moving in with a guardian (English team manager Billy Dutch). Latham produced a notarized agreement of guardianship between McMillan’s family and Dutch.English has been subject to numerous rumors about its involvement in recruiting players, but Rubin is the first school official to make an out-and-out accusation for the record.”This has to stop,” he said. “I want a level playing field, so that if we crown a state champion, it’s a pure champion.”McMillan is one of two transfers – Salem’s Bryan Ortiz being the other – denied waivers to play by the MIAA. Last October, Rubin refused to sign the Form 200 request by English based on his belief that McMillan was illegally recruited.There are three other transfers, however, who are playing for the Bulldogs this year: Jordan Rogers, who came in from Brookline High, Howard Holman (Tech) and Jarell Byrd (Classical).Both Tech and Classical approved the transfers of their respective players (Tech also gave Josh Cheever the go-ahead to transfer to Classical), as did Brookline.But Rubin also hinted that there also might be improprieties involving Rogers, who has emerged as a key contributor to this year’s Bulldogs. Molea said that the Rogers family has moved to Lynn, but Rubin disputes that.The Bulldogs received similar contributions last season in their run to the Division 1 state final from two Charlestown transfers – Eugene Turner and Archie Allen.The two committees – which represent the districts in which both schools are placed – went into executive session after the hearing. They will submit a recommendation with the MIAA, which can either uphold it, overturn it, or reach its own decision as to how to proceed with the complaint.Rubin, who coached the East Boston basketball team for 24 years p