High school coach recruits players, violates rules

Christine Willmsen and Michael Ko of The Seattle Times investigated the Chief Sealth High School girls basketball team's head coach, Ray Willis, and found that the coach had violated numerous amateur athletic rules. Willis and his assistants, Amos Walters and Laura Fuller, have recruited players for more than three years, six of whom helped the Seahawks win a state championship last year. The Chief Sealth coaches found these players by scouting gyms in the region, then enticing them with talk of starting positions and college scholarships. "In four cases, parents say the coaches provided bogus lease agreements and offered addresses in West Seattle so the girls could establish residency in the Seattle School District without moving from the suburbs." Other parents and players said Willis and assistant coach Fuller bought prospective players meals.