Cries of foul follow Otis and program

Maybe Russell Otis' reign as Compton Dominguez High boys' basketball coach is over.

Maybe it's not.

Otis remains on paid administrative leave from the Compton Unified School District as Los Angeles County sheriff's detectives investigate an allegation of criminal misconduct, according to district and sheriff's officials.

Seven years ago, Otis spent several days in a defendant's chair as an L.A. County jury weighed the legitimacy of charges he molested a former male Dons player. He was acquitted.

He has denied wrongdoing in this case too.

"He hopes he can get back soon to doing what he does best: coaching kids playing basketball," his attorney, Leonard Levine, said this month.

For now, the program Otis has led to 10 Southern Section and six state championships since 1987 is in limbo, stocked with elite athletes waiting to see who will be their permanent coach.

His Nike-sponsored program is a national power, boasting NBA stars Tayshaun Prince and Tyson Chandler as graduates, and attracting transfers from cities such as New York; Baton Rouge, La.; San Bernardino; Irvine; Torrance; Rancho Palos Verdes; and Bellflower.

Some local coaches and basketball observers have complained for years -- without offering proof -- that Otis breaks residency or recruiting rules to land the extraordinary talent that finds its way to his campus each year. High school sports, they argue, is no place for such questionable ethics.

Speaking before he was suspended, Otis denied any wrongdoing.

"People who know me, no explanation is needed. Those who don't, no explanation is good enough," Otis said. "You want us to feel bad about our success? Well, we're not. We're happy that we get young black men to be productive members of society and, in some cases, go on to success in college."

Although the CIF Southern Section has not disciplined Dominguez basketball during the Otis era for residency or recruiting violations, The Times interviewed former Dominguez player Austin Autry, who said he transferred from Torrance's Bishop Montgomery in 2005 after he was recruited by Otis and assistant coach Trayvon Lewis.

Autry said he first was approached by Dominguez players, then met with Lewis.

"They knew my background, they felt I was an asset," he said of the Dominguez coaches.