West G player benched after transfer ruling

OHSAA says Willoughby residence is used to determine ex-Gilmour athlete’s home district

Athena Hocevar’s season with the West Geauga girls basketball team has come to an end.

The Ohio High School Athletic Association on Jan. 11 ruled that Hocevar, a sophomore, is ineligible for the rest of the season after transferring to West Geauga from Gilmour, where she played her freshman year.

A 6-foot guard who is already garnering many Division I college looks, Hocevar was leading West Geauga in scoring (15.5 points per game), 3-pointers (22), rebounds (7.3) and blocked shots (2.2) when the OHSAA’s ruling came down.

The Wolverines (8-4) played their first game without Hocevar on Jan. 12, losing at Chagrin Falls, 48-37.

“Because of the transfer, we had to get clearance,” Coach Bob Beutel said. “The OHSAA says she doesn’t meet any of the exceptions to play. We appealed that. We stated our case and they didn’t agree with us.”

West Geauga’s contention was that Hocevar was transferring back to her home school from a private school, which would have made her eligible without consequence.

However, the OHSAA ruled that since the Hocevar family resides in Willoughby, West Geauga isn’t her home school district.

“Athena’s mom teaches in the West Geauga district,” Beutel said. “Athena went to school there through eighth grade. Two other siblings are also in the district.”

In a written explanation, Roxanne Price, the OHSAA’s senior director of compliance, said that the Ohio Revised Code recognizes the “home” school district as the one where the parent(s) reside. That is the school district in which the student has a legal right to a free and appropriate education.

“In this instance the home school district is Willoughby, not West Geauga,” Price said. “The student may attend West Geauga High School not because she is ‘entitled’ to attend, but because she is ‘permitted to attend.’ West Geauga is not the student’s home district.”

Had Hocevar transferred to South, she would have been eligible without penalty. However, she transferred to West Geauga, where she would be enrolled not as “resident student,” but rather “attending, non-resident, employee status.”

Therefore, under OHSAA bylaws, Hocevar was able to play in the first half of the regular season, but became ineligible for the remainder of the regular season as well as the postseason.

West Geauga’s game at Chagrin Falls was the first game of the second half of the regular season.

“The exception is very clear in that students are entitled to one transfer to the public high school located in the public school district within which the student’s parents’ residence is located,” Price said. “Thus if the residence is not located in the West Geauga school district, the student cannot meet the exception.”

Hocevar was a starting forward for Gilmour’s Division II state-runner up team last winter as a freshman. After the season, she transferred back to West Geauga, where she attended school up through eighth grade.

“(OHSAA commissioner) Jerry Snodgrass said we made a compelling case, but in the end, we didn’t meet any of the exceptions (via the transfer rule) to be eligible,” Beutel said.

Dressed in street clothes and a West Geauga pullover, Hocevar was on hand for the Wolverines’ loss to Chagrin Falls on Jan. 12. She worked with teammates during pregame warm-ups and lended advice during timeouts.

She has gone from leading scorer to a studentcoach of sorts.

“I see it as an opportunity to help my teammates anytime they need it,” she said. “I’ve always felt it nice when teammates tried to help me, so I’m going to be there for them. I feel we have the ability to win a lot of games this year.”

Hocevar said she is excited for the future, despite having to sit out the rest of the season. She was invigorated by what she called “the move back home” to play with teammates she grew up playing with on West Geauga’s junior high teams.

She will rejoin them on the court next year and also be joined by her sister, Alexa, who is an eighthgrader at West G.

“The girls here are very special to me,” she said. “It’s so nice to have that type of support from your family and friends.”