English debate

Eastie files complaint regarding hoop transfer

By Dan Ventura / School Notebook | Tuesday, February 9, 2010 | http://www.bostonherald.com | Other High School

Lynn English suffered its first loss of the boys basketball season last Sunday in Brockton. Now the Bulldogs could be facing some more potential woes.

Members of District A and District B will meet Friday morning at Malden High, with the central topic being a complaint filed by East Boston headmaster Michael Rubin against Lynn English. Rubin alleges that Lynn English illegally recruited Cory McMillan, a sophomore who led the Jets in scoring a year ago.

“I just think this whole thing is out of line and I want to put a stop to it,” Rubin said. “We’re not out to hurt the kid, but I do think the Lynn English coaching staff should be reprimanded for what happened. They took our kid, set him up with some football guy, just so that he could play basketball at Lynn English.

“There’s just no morals, no values over there.”

Lynn English school officials paint a different picture. Principal Andy Fila insisted it was McMillan’s family who sought out a way to get their son out of East Boston High.

“East Boston had five kids transfer out and the only one they complained about is Cory McMillan,” Fila said. “It didn’t seem to matter to them when he was tardy 93 times last year. McMillan and his family were looking to him to transfer for safety reasons. We’ve tried to talk to (East Boston), but they wouldn’t listen.”

Added English athletic director Gary Molea: “There’s always going to be two sides to every story. I know Cory said he wanted to come here for a better way of life because things were happening to him at East Boston.”

According to MIAA spokesperson Paul Wetzel, this sort of meeting so late into a season is very rare, and he couldn’t guess what sort of penalties could be levied against a school if found guilty.

Football update

The MIAA Football Committee held its annual postseason meeting yesterday in Franklin.

Among the topics discussed was the issue of the playoff proposal previously approved by the MIAA Board of Directors, who then took it upon themselves to clarify certain financial arrangements not originally detailed in the initial proposal.

Committee chairman Barry Cahill announced there will be no further adjustments to the proposal, stating that, “It will stand or fall on its own merits.” The proposal will be put to a final vote of MIAA member schools in a meeting to be held March 26.

The most discussed downsides of the proposal include issues surrounding travel, revenue and expenses. Proponents of the plan also set forth a recommendation that a secret ballot be used in an effort to alleviate pressure and allow each member school to vote in a manner that best serves the needs of its individual situation.

“Each school will have an opportunity to vote to give their student-athletes an opportunity to basically have a chance of being in the playoffs and playing for a state championship every year,” said Xaverian athletic director/football coach Charlie Stevenson.

Article URL: http://www.bostonherald.com/sports/high_school/general/view.bg?articleid=1231626