THE WAITING GAME TAFT BOYS' BASKETBALL FATE THIS SEASON HINGES ON CITY SECTION RULING.

Byline: RAMONA SHELBURNE 

LOCAL

They played a basketball game at Taft High in Woodland Hills on Friday night. But the only game of real consequence was the waiting game going on next door as Taft administrators, parents and players waited for word from the City Section on whether their last-ditch effort to clear up questions regarding the guardianship and eligibility of center Bernard Kamwa could be resolved before this morning's playoff seeding meeting.

That word never came, and so the Toreadors, who were expected to be one of the top four seeds in the City playoffs, went to bed Friday night not knowing whether they'd already played their last game of the season.

"We never heard anything from them so we have to assume that it's over," Taft coach Derrick Taylor said. "At this point we can't do anything. We've just got to man up and take it on the chin."

Friday morning, City Section commissioner Barbara Fiege informed the school via fax that they'd been restricted from playoff competition because an ineligible player had participated in a majority (six of 10) of the Toreadors' West Valley League games.

The Interscholastic Athletics Committee's Rule 234B states that "if an ineligible player is discovered prior to the seeding meeting, and as a result, school has had to forfeit majority of its league games, that team will not advance to playoffs."

Another Taft player, Dominick Brumfield, was declared ineligible for the preseason games he participated in because he was found not to have lived at the address he provided the school. However, that was immaterial to whether Taft was eligible to be seeded this morning because Brumfield did not participate in any league games.

The ineligible player who participated in league games was Kamwa, a 6-foot-8 transfer from Ribet Academy in Los Angeles, who was ruled ineligible over guardianship issues.

"I know the guardian went to present additional paperwork to the City Section (on Friday) afternoon but I haven't heard from anyone downtown," Taft principal Sharon Thomas said. "It's very disappointing because we've gone over our paperwork and it's all accurate, it's all legitimate.

"We took this issue very seriously. We haven't had this happen before at Taft. So I'm disappointed because the paperwork is clean."

The crucial question was whether Kamwa changed guardianship in 2005 while at Ribet Academy, or in 2006 after he moved into Taft's attendance area.

Taft presented the City Section with a copy of a notarized document from Kamwa's father in Cameroon stating that he transferred guardianship from his former guardian Al Fields to current guardian Jason Martin in August 2005. Neither the school nor Martin had the original change-of-guardianship form.

That's important because there is another document which indicates guardianship did not transfer until 2006, which would make Kamwa ineligible.

Martin went down to the City Section office and presented Fiege with other forms of documentation -- doctors' office visits, bills, cell phone records -- that he hoped would clear up the discrepancy.

Afterward, he called Taylor and told him his meeting with Fiege went well.

But Fiege apparently didn't feel it was necessary to call anyone from Taft afterward and let them know of her decision.

This is the part that doesn't sit right.

Either way -- in, out or still deciding -- Taft deserved the courtesy of a phone call.

Thomas left several messages with Fiege's secretary Friday afternoon, asking to be notified when Fiege had made a decision. Thomas said she left her cell phone number with Fiege's secretary, Barbara Jacobs, several times and implored her to have Fiege call her back either way so Thomas would know what to tell the players and their parents in a 4p.m. meeting.

By 7 p.m., no call had come and the administrators and parents packed up and headed over the gym for what appeared to have been the team's final game of the season against Birmingham of Lake Balboa.

Needless to say, it was an emotional game.

Nearly all of Taft's players emerged from the locker room in tears.

"I can't even explain it," Taft star junior guard Larry Drew Jr. said. "It all happened so fast. All week we're practicing and getting ready for the playoffs, then we're being investigated and now it's over."

The Daily News tried to get a final verdict from the City Section office Friday afternoon. But Fiege's secretary said that, when told what the Daily News was calling in regards to, her boss referred the call to the district communications office.

When the Daily News asked assistant commissioner John Aguirre who worked in the communications office and why the call would be referred there, he said, "I have no idea who works there."

"When it's things we can't talk about, it's district procedure to refer you to the office of communications," he said.

The Daily News later reached Trent Cornelius, the assistant commissioner who oversees basketball. Cornelius patiently answered questions about the procedural issues involved in the case.

He also indicated that, "They (Taft) have stated that they'll make a last attempt to answer the questions we may have at this time."

In other words, further developments were expected late Friday night. An answer -- yes, no or "we don't know yet" -- was expected.

Cornelius said he'd left the office about 5 p.m. while Fiege and Martin still were meeting, but he didn't know what Fiege's decision was.

He said he'd call Fiege. But as of press time, he had not called back with an answer despite several calls and messages left on his cell phone.

Just for kicks, I called Southern Section spokesman Thom Simmons on his cell phone around 9 p.m. Friday. He answered right away.

That was all that was called for Friday night. No matter what happened with Kamwa or Brumfield, Taft deserved a phone call with an answer.

The only thing certain at the end of the night was Taylor's plans for the future. There had been speculation earlier in the season that this might be his last year.

"I'm coming back next year. You can quote me on that," the coach said. "Simply because I will never go out under these type of circumstances."

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Photo:

(color) Taft High of Woodland Hills' Garrett Green shoots baskets Friday while waiting to hear whether his team will be allowed in the playoffs.

Alex Collins/Special to the Daily News