ESPN: The maddening case of Maori Davenport

[bearrock]

http://www.espn.com/espnw/sports/article/25698559/the-maddening-case-maori-davenport-steve-savarese

 

Quote

Maori Davenport is a senior basketball player at Charles Henderson High School in Troy, Alabama. Committed to Rutgers, she is one of the very best players in the nation. Last summer, Maori played for her country, representing her school and the state of Alabama, on the United States under-18 team in Mexico City. Maori won a gold medal for USA Basketball.

 

Steve Savarese is the executive director of the Alabama High School Athletic Association. A former high school teacher and coach, Savarese has been the head of the AHSAA for the past dozen years.

 

In a bizarre case of first impression in Alabama, Maori Davenport was declared ineligible by Savarese at the end of November, effectively ending her high school basketball career. The reason? An administrative error by USA Basketball. That's it. A clerical error. Nothing more.

 

USA Basketball routinely provides a small stipend to players spending their summers playing for their country. It is allowed by the NCAA. Whether it is allowed for a high school player is subject to the rules of each state. As a matter of course, USA Basketball contacts each state association before sending the stipend check. In this particular case, an inadvertent error was made. Nobody called the AHSAA, and the check for $857 was sent to Maori Davenport.

 

When USA Basketball discovered the error, it immediately contacted Davenport, her high school and the AHSAA to notify them about the unintentional error. Davenport immediately returned the stipend amount in full to USA Basketball.

 

According to Savarese, that inadvertent error was a violation of Rule 1, Section 8 of the AHSAA Handbook, constitution and bylaws. According to Section 8, an amateur is one who does not use his/her knowledge of athletics or athletic skill for gain. Through this administrative error, Maori was no longer an amateur in Alabama. The sanction? A one-year suspension.

 

Another reason to allow amateur athletes to get paid.  There's stupid and there's this.  Good grief.

[PleaseBlitz]

Justice.

 

https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/2019/01/11/maori-davenports-parents-file-lawsuit-against-ahsaa-steve-savarese-amid-national-outcry/?utm_term=.caef008a0b81

 

Maori Davenport immediately eligible to play after judge’s ruling

 

Quote

The Alabama high school basketball star who lost her eligibility because of a mistake made by USA Basketball will return to the court Friday night for the first time since Nov. 29 after a ruling by an Alabama circuit court.

 

Pike County Circuit Judge Sonny Reagan Friday morning granted an emergency motion filed by Maori Davenport’s parents, allowing the 18-year-old to play in Charles Henderson’s game Friday night. The Rutgers commit, one of the top-ranked seniors in the country, will be allowed to return to action immediately, pending a hearing before Reagan.

 

[CousinsCowgirl84]

I’m not quite sure but it sounds looks ie she got money for playing basket ball in Mexico, so that makes her ineligible to play in high school.  USA Basketball sent a check that wasn’t supposed to be sent and she cashed it?

 

if that’s the case I get it, it sucks, but she should have known the rules as well.

[No Excuses]

9 minutes ago, CousinsCowgirl84 said:

I’m not quite sure but it sounds looks ie she got money for playing basket ball in Mexico, so that makes her ineligible to play in high school.  USA Basketball sent a check that wasn’t supposed to be sent and she cashed it?

 

if that’s the case I get it, it sucks, but she should have known the rules as well.

 

Yeah how could she not know Rule 1, Section 8 of the Alabama High School Athletic Association handbook. 🤓

 

 

[PleaseBlitz]

I know when I get checks mailed to my house, I scour all applicable statutes, regulations, commentary and guidance before I cash that sucker. 

[bearrock]

31 minutes ago, CousinsCowgirl84 said:

I’m not quite sure but it sounds looks ie she got money for playing basket ball in Mexico, so that makes her ineligible to play in high school.  USA Basketball sent a check that wasn’t supposed to be sent and she cashed it?

 

if that’s the case I get it, it sucks, but she should have known the rules as well.

She was sent the check by the governing body of the national team.  I wouldn't put the onus on a high schooler to read up the state rule.  No one involved seems to be disputing that this was USA Basketball's mistake for not doing due diligence on whether players from Alabama are allowed to receive the stipend.