The Villa Park High boys' basketball program hadn't had a winning season in 20 years when Kevin Reynolds took over as coach more than a decade ago.
"Basketball was not a priority here," said Reynolds, a husky, independent auditor who is paid an annual stipend by the school. "Our mentality was that if we build up the program, kids will want to play for us."
Reynolds' vision has been realized with 10 Century League championships in the last 12 years, two Southern Section championship-game appearances since 1997, and an impressive list of graduates who have played for major colleges.
But that success has also prompted complaints about the tactics Reynolds and his staff have used to create an Orange County powerhouse.
Three rival Century League basketball coaches recently accused Villa Park of rule-breaking recruiting practices.
"Every year I compete against [Reynolds] and lose by six or seven points, and the difference repeatedly is the guys he brings in," Placentia El Dorado Coach Ryan Mounce told The Times in an interview, where he was joined by Tustin High Coach Richard Bossenmeyer and Orange El Modena's Ryan Schmidt. "We just want a level playing field. Kevin is unwilling to play at our level, and he's thumbing his nose at [the California Interscholastic Federation]."
Two years ago, Bossenmeyer aired his concerns about Villa Park basketball in a two-page letter to the Southern Section of the CIF, citing the "cycle of transfers" -- eight players -- into the program between 2002 and 2006.
Reynolds denied breaking rules and said the Spartans' 92-8 run in league play through 2006 led opponents to have a "misperception" about his program. "I'm proud of what we do, and I don't apologize for our success," he said.
Though it is rare for coaches to point the finger publicly at one of their own, accusations of rule violations are not uncommon in Southern California high school sports, where dozens of prominent athletes might change schools in a given year.
"I'd like to think most are simply rumors, but in the situations where there's credible evidence, we ask for the public's help to come forward with that information and we will follow up," said James Staunton, commissioner of the Southern Section.
That doesn't happen very often. Spokesman Thom Simmons said the Southern Section has disciplined no more than 10 cases of undue influence in the last 10 years -- though the penalties can be severe, including loss of playoff privileges or banishment from the section.
