An Oak Cliff high school girls basketball team will be unable to participate in any postseason games this season after the University Interscholastic League (UIL) severely penalized the team and its coaching staff.
On Wednesday, the State Executive Committee of the UIL met in Austin to issue penalties to Oak Cliff Faith Family Academy after the school was found guilty of violations including failure to report known violations in a timely manner or withholding information and recruiting after several students transferred to the charter school.
The state executive committee suspended Faith Family head coach Andrea Robinson and assistant coaches Kadi Creel and Jordan Jones from all UIL activities for two years for recruiting violations. That is one year short of the maximum penalty. The rulings came two days before girls basketball teams across the state can begin playing games.
According to the Dallas Morning News, a hearing revealed that 18 girls basketball players have transferred to Faith Family. Faith Family didn’t have any girls basketball transfers last season, and testimony at the meeting showed that the ones this year started to come in only after Robinson, a four-time state champion, was hired from national powerhouse DeSoto and started work at Faith Family on April 4.
Among the high-profile transfers were five-star junior forward Amari Byles and four-star guard Amayah Garcia, who both played for Robinson at DeSoto. Also transferring to the school were four-star forward Joy Egbuna from Mansfield Lake Ridge, four-star point guard Finley Chastain from Montverde Academy and sisters Milania, Gianna, Natalia and Nadia Jordan from Southlake Carroll.
The UIL prohibits students from transferring for athletic purposes.
The UIL has yet to rule on the eligibility of the players as the season tips off Friday. The Morning News reported the players may return to their original team and become immediately eligible.
