Son of Bishop Alemany baseball coach Randy Thompson denied immediate eligibility

Despite support from his fellow Mission League baseball coaches, Bishop Alemany coach Randy Thompson said Tuesday his son, Brody, a junior catcher, has been denied immediate eligibility by the Southern Section after transferring from Sherman Oaks Notre Dame. He will have to sit out the first portion of the season until March 28.

Thompson had been head coach at Alemany for 18 years until losing his job in a cost cutting measure in 2019. He became an assistant coach at Notre Dame. When Alemany decided it wanted him back to be athletic director and baseball coach, he agreed. His son, a starter at Notre Dame last season as a sophomore, wanted to join him at Alemany.

Junior catcher Brody Thompson of Bishop Alemany.

(Bishop Alemany)

Notre Dame coach Tom Dill wrote a letter to the Southern Section supporting the move. But Southern Section rules require students to move physically to be eligible immediately. Thompson said he could not afford to move.

“It’s unfortunate,” Thompson said. “The rules are set up to prevent athletically-motivated transfers. My son wants to play for his dad.”

Said Dill: “My request was that we as coaches put in a lot of time developing young men, trying to make a difference in their lives, not just in [the] game of baseball. We spend our careers doing that. I think a son should be able to play for him. How could he not go back to Alemany for his dad? The whole league agreed and I don’t know why there could not be an exception.”

A Southern Section spokesman said no valid residential change occurred and the organization cannot waive bylaw 206. Other coaches who brought along their sons without moving have faced a similar situation.