Artesia Case Closed Without Sanctions

After meeting Monday with Gary Smuts, the superintendent of the ABC Unified School District, Southern Section Commissioner Jim Staunton said Tuesday he would not seek any sanctions against the Artesia boys’ basketball program.

“There’s nothing we can document as far as a Southern Section violation,” Staunton said.

An outside investigator hired by the ABC District conducted an 11-week investigation into allegations against the boys’ basketball program and was unable to substantiate any violations.

Staunton said the case could be reopened if additional evidence or facts surface.

Kathy Frazier, a spokeswoman for the district, said an allegation that a club coach was paying rent for several players’ families at a nearby apartment complex could not be verified because the manager at the apartment building refused to cooperate in the investigation.

-- Eric Sondheimer