The New Jersey Interscholastic Athletic Association (NJSIAA) and St. Patrick High School in Elizabeth, N.J., issued the following statements Friday after the NJSIAA banned St. Pat’s from the New Jersey state basketball tournament following a meeting Friday morning between the two parties.
The ban comes after five St. Pat’s players were ejected following an incident during a Dec. 29 game against Redondo Union (CA) in Torrey Pines, CA.
NJSIAA STATEMENT:
“Following the ejection of five members of the Patrick School (Elizabeth, NJ) boys basketball team during a game on December 29 — at the Under Armour Holiday Classic Tournament, contested at San Diego’s Torrey Pines High School — the ejected players, by NJSIAA rule, were given additional two-game suspensions by school administrators. In addition, NJSIAA rules specifically stipulate that any varsity team accumulating three or more player or coach disqualifications for ‘flagrantly unsportsmanlike conduct’ — which includes leaving the bench related to a dispute or altercation — will not be permitted to participate in that season’s NJSIAA tournament.
“Having concluded today’s meeting with Patrick School administrators, the NJSIAA will be enforcing this rule — established by member schools — related to the Patrick School varsity boys basketball team and the end-of-year tournament. Leaving the bench area for any reason outside of normal participation in play is recognized as a major violation at almost every level of sport, and rules against it are aimed at protecting players. Unfortunately, the NJSIAA has needed to enforce this rule on multiple occasions in the past.
“We applaud the Patrick School for promptly reporting the incident and for appropriately dealing with their players.”
ST. PAT’S STATEMENT
“The Patrick School / St. Patrick met with the NJSIAA this morning to make our presentation. We were given the opportunity to express our concerns about the rule and the mitigating circumstances impacting the events in question. While our main concern was protecting the safety of our student athletes, the NJSIAA stated that a rule is a rule and that they had no choice but to follow it. The NJSIAA also stated that mitigating circumstances do not justify any exceptions to the rule. The NJSIAA stated that their policy was to not review film. The NJSIAA suggested that we recommend that the rule be changed. Further, when we asked the NJSIAA what we should have done to protect our students, they were unable to advise us.
“While we understand their position, it is very difficult for our team, only 8 games into the season, to deal with the fact that they will not be allowed to participate in the state tournament. While we understand the NJSIAA’s position, we are displeased with the ruling. While our options are limited, we are currently reviewing them. The Patrick School would also like to thank the coaches, school officials, fans and various media outlets that have shown support for The Patrick School / St. Patrick and our student-athletes during this process.
Chris ChavannesPrincipal / head coach
