Appeal Upheld, Clark Allowed to Play Basketball at Christian : High Schools: A three-member subcommittee of the Board of Managers voted to waive the public/private transfer penalty.

SAN DIEGO —  Finally, Tony Clark is free to play the game that got him into hot water in the first place.

The six-month case of the ex-Valhalla athlete who just wanted to play basketball came to a halt Thursday when Section Commissioner Kendall Webb announced that a three-member subcommittee of the Board of Managers upheld the appeal by Clark’s parents to waive the public/private transfer penalty.

Clark transferred to Christian this year, but because Valhalla Principal Bob Avant refused to sign the transfer form, he was banned from competition. The case then went to Webb, who refused to rule Clark eligible.

“Now I just want to concentrate on basketball, nothing else, just ball,” said Clark, who on Nov. 10 announced that he signed to play at Arizona.

“Coming into this season, I had college and this on my mind,” he said. “I can finally get on with things.”

No committee members could be reached for comment, but their decision read in part:

“Denial of the opportunity to compete would be a penalty placed against Tony Clark because of possible improper action of persons other than himself. In view of the foregoing, the committee upholds the appeal of Mr. and Mrs. Clark and waives the ineligibility at the varsity level.”

Webb said he supported the decision by the committee. “The committee did an excellent job of studying the issues and arriving at a logical conclusion,” he said. “It’s important we have a review process.”

Although Clark’s case has received extensive publicity, there have been similar cases. In 1981, Ken Johnson, a transfer from Alabama, led La Jolla to the 2-A section basketball championship. Webb ruled Ken Johnson ineligible on the basis that he was not a hardship case, but the subcommittee overruled him.

Webb said that while he also based this decision on whether Clark was a hardship case, the committee had other considerations.

“They didn’t base it on hardship,” Webb said, “They did it on if Tony Clark was given the same consideration as other athletes. And they saw he wasn’t. They couldn’t find a substantive reason not to support him.”

San Diego is one of the only sections in the state that gives principals the option of signing a transfer waiver for players.

“We may want to look at the possibility of removing the public-to-private form and going to the state rule that if you want to appeal a transfer waiver, you go directly to the commissioner,” Webb said.

Clark said he was prepared not to play his senior year but that he was relieved with the decision.

“I more or less prepared myself for ‘no’,” Clark said. “But when I found out it was yes, I was all over the place.”