Dow forfeits first four basketball games

Previous Dow Higher forward Malakai Barclay introduced Monday on social media that the MHSAA has declared him ineligible.

“For everyone who could have skipped it, I will no extended be permitted to participate in higher college athletics shifting forward, as I was deemed ineligible,” he wrote in a write-up on Fb. “When the option was introduced to me by the university to enjoy yet another year, I was ecstatic pondering about obtaining the opportunity to carry on my journey at a better level… but the heartbreak is so considerably further than it could’ve ever been in advance of, simply because the remainder of my occupation was stolen from me with no time for emotional preparation.”

Barclay did not engage in in past Friday’s sport in opposition to Midland Large. No motive was supplied at the time for why he was inactive for the duration of the game.

The Chargers’ victories in excess of Bay City Central on Dec. 7, more than Bullock Creek on Dec. 9, around Bridgeport on Dec. 10, and around Flint Powers on Dec. 13 are all now detailed as 2- forfeits on the MHSAA web site, officially earning Dow 2-4 instead than 6-.

Malakai’s mother and father, Josh and Trish Barclay, also took to social media on Monday. Trish Barclay alleged that as Dow Superior started talks with mentor Ken Prepare dinner, who is in his first year as Dow’s mentor, the high faculty also inspired Prepare dinner to “bring his group in excess of and reluctantly, we agreed (due to the fact our young children have never ever been in a community school setting).”

Trish Barclay wrote in her assertion that the households of 4 household-schooled pupils, who formerly performed for Cook dinner on a property faculty basketball workforce, worked with the high school and with the MHSAA for months to be equipped to carry the learners to Dow to proceed to participate in for Prepare dinner.

“We preferred to make sure anything was in order and that we were being running in integrity,” she wrote in a Facebook publish. “They have all labored alongside one another extremely challenging for various months now. Malakai performed his four online games in wonderful achievement, and we just got the information nowadays that he is ineligible to go ahead, while we ended up all, of study course, on the up and up with all details, the corporation skipped one issue, that in fact deemed him ineligible.”

Josh Barclay ended his assertion with the comment, “Jealousy is a highly effective point.”

Dow Substantial Athletics Director John Streeter reported he was proactive in reaching out to the MHSAA as early as past spring to make certain that the aforementioned household-college transfer players would be qualified to perform.

Streeter additional that he did not intend to violate any policies and observed that allowing for the ineligible participant to participate in Dow’s first 4 online games was because of to an honest oversight.

“This was a special circumstance, and it’s the 1st time I’ve at any time experienced to offer with one thing like this,” Streeter mentioned of obtaining so quite a few transfer learners join the athletics software at the moment. “We did our because of diligence to make sure we were being adhering to and complying with MHSAA guidelines. … The MHSAA (not too long ago) gave us some new information and facts we ended up not conscious of (with regards to the ineligible player’s transcripts).

“I’ve been in call with the MHSAA due to the fact May, doing work by this and earning guaranteed that we ended up complying with the guidelines,” Streeter additional. “Regrettably, we skipped just one.”

Cook dinner explained he had “no comment” on the forfeitures.

Monday’s news arrives right after queries had arisen in just the neighborhood and in the encompassing area about Cook and the 4 previous property faculty gamers who joined him as customers of Dow’s boys’ basketball team.

Previous longtime Midland Substantial boys’ basketball mentor Eric Krause claimed that he has heard rumblings of discontent from numerous spot coaches who allegedly believe that that Cook need to not be allowed to coach people 4 previous dwelling faculty gamers because of to their prior affiliation with him. These similar coaches, Krause claimed, also are skeptical that two of these 4 gamers nonetheless had ample athletic eligibility still left to engage in for the Chargers this year.

“I’m hearing that some large schools are questioning the eligibility of (two of) the players and (the selecting of) the coach,” Krause explained a few of weeks in the past, while admitting that he harbors some equivalent doubts himself. “Some educational facilities are unquestionably asking a lot of issues. Considering that I have coached a very long time in Midland, they’re contacting me.”

Concerning the previous allegation, Kimmerly experienced a fairly cut-and-dried response, noting that Dow, for every the MHSAA’s existing bylaws, was justified in allowing for the four former house schoolers to perform for Cook dinner, despite the fact that he experienced coached them beforehand in a nontraditional setting.

By way of clarification, the MHSAA has a so-named “links” rule in position to retain coaches from jumping from one faculty to one more and bringing players with them to the new college and to hold coaches from exerting undue affect in bringing players from one university to a different.

In Cook’s case, Kimmerly famous, no violation was dedicated, mainly because house schooling is not regarded as an “interscholastic” natural environment.

“We have guidelines in spot for interscholastic athletics. Due to the fact this is a home faculty predicament, not a standard school location, the phrase ‘interscholastic’ does not use in this case, so it does not slide underneath our back links rule when it arrives to transfers and affect. They are not heading from a classic college to a traditional university,” Kimmerly claimed.

“If they had been likely from just one (classic) school to the future, they would not be suitable to participate in in that sport (for one particular 12 months) except if they satisfied one of our exceptions,” Kimmerly included. “Because this is a non-interscholastic situation with the coach, our rule about pursuing the mentor (to Dow) does not utilize.”

 Krause claimed he thinks that Prepare dinner has been clear and by the book. At the very same time, Krause believes that probably it is time for the MHSAA to re-take a look at its hyperlinks rule in regard to enabling home schoolers to participate in for a new college under a coach with whom they’ve beforehand been affiliated at the dwelling school level.

“I have said all alongside that I imagine there is a loophole that the MHSAA has to glance into in regard to the eligibility of home faculty gamers and coaches coming in to coach them,” Krause added.

In the meantime, Krause mentioned that he, too, experienced some queries about the remaining athletic eligibility, if any, of two of the four previous dwelling schoolers, even though incorporating that probably the MHSAA did not look into the predicament intently plenty of just before identifying that no violations were getting committed.

“I really believe that possibly Dow did not divulge anything in its entirety (to the MHSAA), or the MHSAA desires to truly search at predicaments like this more,” Krause stated.

As not long ago as the week of Dec. 5, the MHSAA stated that, as considerably as could be established, Dow was not responsible of any wrongdoing.

“They (Dow Substantial University) did a entire investigation, and we were being happy with the benefits of that investigation,” Kimmerly mentioned a few of weeks back. “ … We haven’t technically appeared into it ourselves, but we talked to the school about it. … We do search into things, but we have to have schools to let us know what’s going on.

“Again, the faculty seemed into it, and we recognized their findings,” he included.

That altered not too long ago immediately after the athletic eligibility of just one of the previous household schoolers was questioned by an mysterious supply and brought up to the MHSAA, prompting an further investigation by the college.

“We received an nameless idea (and) gave it to Dow,” Kimmerly claimed. “Dow investigated and self-documented.”

“We ended up contacted by the MHSAA last Thursday about a probable principles violation, and then, upon investigation, we learned that Dow Significant was in violation of an MHSAA rule,” Streeter reported. “Due to this violation, we had an ineligible player for our to start with four online games, and, as a result, we have to forfeit our very first 4 wins of the season.”

Streeter was brief to include that, experienced he acknowledged Barclay was ineligible, the scenario would have been managed otherwise.

“We did our owing diligence all summer time prolonged to make certain every thing was Ok, and we thought we have been in compliance,” he stated. “Obviously, right after this problem, we’re triple-examining our other a few new transfer learners (on the basketball group). And we’re doing that not only just in basketball but with all of our transfer college students to make positive we did not make any other mistakes.

“The other a few basketball players are still qualified The other a few transcripts are not in concern,” he additional. “We would never ever purposely participate in an ineligible player. If we experienced been conscious of that details, we would not have allowed him to play.”

Upon listening to that Dow has forfeited its initially four online games, Krause explained he thinks the concerns encompassing the boys’ basketball software are significantly from more than.

“My impression is that Dow feels this will be the close of the condition,” he reported. “I disagree. I believe that it is the suggestion of the iceberg.”

Streeter, on the other hand, is hoping the condition is in truth resolved.

“We just want to transfer ahead. They’re enjoying good basketball, and we want to move forward and enable them end out the calendar year,” he stated. “I never anticipate any more problems, but I do anticipate a spotlight staying on us now. … I really don’t assume it’ll just go absent. I just want to guard the young ones who are however on the crew.”

For Malakai Barclay, the disappointment of his limited tenure on the Dow team will previous properly further than the conclude of the basketball period. 

“To whoever claimed me and my teammates and resolved that their vindication was worth far more than the remainder of my job, I pray that this gave you what you had been hunting for,” Barclay wrote in a social media message. “This is the last basketball memory that I’ll ever have to hold onto, and this is a person that I will hardly ever be in a position to forget about.”