Fake documents were used for four years in a scheme to “register ineligible student-athletes” to play on powerhouse boys basketball teams at Riverside’s Poly High School, a school district report shows.
The elaborate plot was led by former head coach and current Poly teacher Yancy Dodson, alleges the report, which states Dodson admitted that since 2018 he joined with people in local basketball circles “to facilitate the submission of the false documents.”
An executive summary from the Riverside Unified School District report, obtained by this news organization, was sent to the CIF Southern Section in early December. On Feb. 1, CIF announced it had put Poly’s varsity basketball program on probation for violating its rules. It also made the school forfeit wins from the past four seasons and banned it from this year’s playoffs — for which the team otherwise would have qualified.
Dodson did not return calls seeking comment. The report states that the former coach “claimed he did not believe his actions violated CIF eligibility rules for student transfers to Poly or the district.”
The district’s investigation examined documents submitted by Poly boys basketball players who registered between 2018 and 2022.
During the majority of that time, the report states, Poly was at capacity and only admitting students who lived within its attendance boundaries. Public schools typically accept transfers from students outside a campus’ or district’s boundaries if there is space available.
The fake documents — including forged lease agreements and other papers meant to show proof of residency — were sent to the school district on behalf of multiple students, the report states. The goal was to make it appear that those living outside Poly’s boundaries resided in areas that made them eligible to attend the school and play on its basketball team, according to the report.
“There was no credible evidence” that Poly Principal Darel Hansen or Athletic Director Jim Vaughn participated in the “scheme to bring ineligible students to Poly,” according to the report.
Others involved, the report alleges, include then-Assistant Coach Joe Wrinkle — who the report states provided addresses for students to fraudulently use — and community members Lamont Butler Sr. and DeShaun Thomas. Benjamin Stephens and Jeff Oliver submitted phony documents for their sons, the report alleges.
At the time, Oliver was head men’s basketball coach at Cal State San Bernardino. Oliver, now the head basketball coach at Saddleback College in Mission Viejo, declined to comment Thursday, Feb. 23.
Wrinkle, Stephens and Butler did not respond to requests for comment Wednesday, Feb. 22.
Thomas, who founded and owns DTermined Athletics, an Inland Empire youth basketball program and travel team, on Wednesday denied knowledge of the scheme.
“I’ve never been involved in any false documents,” Thomas said, adding that no one from the school district or CIF had contacted him during the investigation.
Thomas said that, while he knew of Lamont Butler Sr. through Butler’s son’s participation in basketball, he’s never had a conversation with him.
According to the report, “Mr. Dodson stated that Poly and a few other schools were viewed as top schools for basketball players. Mr. Thomas and Mr. Butler contacted Mr. Dodson when players or their families expressed interest in attending Poly.” Dodson would then work with Thomas, Butler, and/or parents to create fake documents, the report alleges.
The documents included phony lease agreements to establish residency within Poly’s district — and all but one were identical, the report states. They even contained the same typo, according to the report.
Thomas said that, while he introduced players interested in attending Poly to Dodson, that was the extent of his involvement.
“What I was told is that they have a particular apartment, a home, for kids to live in while they attend Poly if they lived outside the district,” he said.
The report states that an anonymous witness provided the names of six students, who were all found to live in areas not normally allowed to attend Poly, but does not specify how many students were ultimately found to have used fake documents.
CIF’s action was a blow to what has been a successful Poly basketball program.
The Bears would have qualified for the Division 1 CIF Southern Section playoffs this year, had they not been put on probation. The team finished third in the Ivy League standings, earning an automatic spot.
The squad has enjoyed varying degrees of success over the past 30 years, but many of its strongest seasons came during Dodson’s three stints as head coach, which amount to a total of 16 seasons. Poly had only two winning seasons in the seven years between Dodson’s second and third coaching stints.
Dodson returned to the program for the 2014-15 season, when the Bears went 11-15 and missed the playoffs. Poly averaged 19 wins over the next two seasons but lost in the first round of the CIF Southern Section playoffs each year.
The program went 24-9 during the 2017-18 season and reached a CIF Southern Section championship game for the second time in school history, finishing as the runner-up in Division 2A. Poly had a 27-7 record during the 2019-20 season and was the runner-up in the Division 1 playoffs. The Bears finished that season No. 23 in the Calhisports.com state rankings.
Throughout the 2021-22 season, Poly was among the state’s top-ranked teams and just missed being selected for the Open Division playoffs, which is reserved for the Top 8-ranked teams in the Southern Section. Instead, the Bears received the No. 1 seed for the Division 1 playoffs, but lost in the quarterfinals to eventual champion St. Bernard of Playa del Rey. Poly finished the season No. 11 in the Calhisports.com state rankings.
Riverside Unified officials and board members have said little about the CIF discipline and the circumstances that led to it.
In a letter responding to the probation, Principal Darel Hansen said he would “recommit to running athletics programs that are compliant with all CIF rules and pursue victory with honor.”
District officials issued a statement Feb. 1 saying they “took proactive steps to notify CIF of the allegations” and pledged to “integrate lessons learned through this unfortunate situation into future training” so that coaches, student-athletes and parents act with sportsmanship and honesty.
Superintendent Renee Hill echoed the statement at a school board meeting the day after the CIF sanctions were announced, stating that “the district is committed to principles of victory with honor.”
The topic did not arise at the Thursday night session. Hill and Hansen were not available for interviews on the subject, district spokesperson Diana Meza said earlier this month.
Meza said in an email Wednesday, the district would not elaborate on its initial statement. She would not say whether Dodson currently teaches at Poly or provide his salary, citing ”privacy rights.”
However, Dodson is listed on Poly’s website as a teacher, and a list of the district’s certificated employees for 2022-23 lists him as a Poly teacher.
This news organization filed a California Public Records Act request seeking information from Riverside Unified on Dodson’s employment status. It also submitted previous requests seeking documents surrounding the Poly basketball team’s probation and events leading to the discipline. A request for documents related to the investigation also was filed with CIF.
Riverside school board Vice President Dale Kinnear said in an interview that trustees are “taking the situation seriously.”
New board member Noemi Hernandez Alexander said the board was “having conversations” about whether or not to create new policy as a result of the probation, but said she couldn’t discuss specifics.
The three other school board members have not returned calls seeking comment.
Staff Writer Eric-Paul Johnson contributed to this report.
Editor’s note: This story has been updated to correct an error. At the Feb. 2 school board meeting, Riverside Unified School District Superintendent Renee Hill said “the district is committed to principles of victory with honor.”
