AIA asking 13 schools to investigate

Non-school participation violations being probed

Since the Arizona Interscholastic Association reached out to Surprise Paradise Honors earlier in the week, the high school sports governing body has contacted at least 13 other schools to conduct investigations, Executive Director David Hines said.

Hines said information is being requested from the schools on whether basketball players may have violated the AIA’s in-season, non-school participation bylaw.

If the AIA deems players violated the rule, they would immediately become ineligible for the rest of the season and the teams could face game forfeitures.

When the AIA told Paradise Honors it had received information on three of its players being part of a group workout by a private instructor, the school held those players out of its 30-point win over Phoenix Bourgade Catholic on Tuesday night. It was the team’s last regular-season game.

Athletic Director Ben Clark earlier in the week told that he didn’t believe a violation occurred, but the players were being held out as a precaution.

On Friday, Clark said he wanted to withhold further comments until the process is completed.

“We have submitted our investigation as requested to the AIA, per their bylaws,” he said.

Meanwhile, the AIA is seeking information from more schools. Hines said that Joe Paddock, the AIA’s assistant executive director, is collecting reports from schools.

This all started when the AIA received an email regarding possible violations that came with both pictures and videos, Hines said.

“We’ve had a lot of conversations with schools,” Hines said. “They will as soon as possible get back to us reports based on the information they get. Some were freshmen, JV kids. Some may not have been part of a group effort. Each is looking at their situations.

“There were about 13 schools that probably had someone there. That doesn’t mean there was a violation. It means they need to look into it.”

If the group workouts are out-of-season, it doesn’t break the AIA non-school participation rule.

Private instruction from coaches and trainers not affiliated with schools have become more commonplace among high school athletes, not just in basketball, but in football, baseball, softball, volleyball and every other team sport. And more athletes are getting yearround, private instruction.

All teams sports fall under the AIA participation rules.

Posting private workouts during the high school season on social media could be used as evidence.

Athletes walk a fine line when multiple players are involved in the training and it looks like a practice during their high school season, Hines said. He said it doesn’t have to be players scrimmaging to be a violation.

“Part of the question is, ‘Are you doing individual work with a trainer or is the individual work now becoming a group effort?’ “Hines said. “Dribbling around, that’s more individual instruction. Now, when you’re guarding them, that changes the dynamics of the individual training.”

Hines said it is important for the AIA to know now from schools if there were any possible violations to prevent another situation like Tucson Sabino baseball. Sabino, which captured the 3A baseball championship last spring, had that title stripped by the AIA when it was discovered it had used ineligible players.

“I really caution schools, when they’re doing their investigations, when asking specific questions to the kids, if there is something they need to tell them now, they should do it,” Hines said. “Three weeks from now, if someone is not happy, and there is something that shows exactly what happened, you’ll have a situation like Sabino by playing an ineligible athlete. That becomes problematic.”

Hines said the evidence has to compelling enough for the AIA to rule the players ineligible with a chance of the teams forfeiting games.

There have been several responses on Twitter since this story broke earlier in the week that the AIA shouldn’t be punishing kids for trying to improve themselves with private instruction.

But Hines said the bylaw was put into place to help the coaches better monitor their players during the season.

“Coaches didn’t want to tell the kids and their parents that you can’t do that,” Hines said. “They want the AIA to do it. That’s the loyalty rule. It’s a safety issue. You have more opportunities to get injured. Kids need rest. Every national governing body are finding out that these kids are practicing way too much. They need to have some rest. What happens if you sprain an ankle and you’re out? We need to look out for the kids.”

Hines said there is one other way to keep from stepping into potential potholes during the season with private training:

“If you don’t like the bylaw, change the bylaw,” he said.

That would be up to the 200-plus schools’ administrators to change the rule through the AIA’s Legislative Council.