This from the linked article

 

"The transfer rule is in place to fight a history of recruiting abuses in a sports-hungry state where coaches and parents will go to extremes to get students on a team."

 

Why do people not understand this? Without rules there is anarchy.

 

This also from the article.

 

"Following enrollment, Chapman met Rhodes, who has had a dream of turning Cordia into something like Oak Hill Academy, the nationally famous Virginia prep school that attracts some of the best basketball players to a remote locale".

 

This also does nothing to help Rhodes' or Cordia's case and puts them under a LOT of scrutiny...and I think rightly so. And if that's what they (Rhodes and or the school) wants to do, then fine, do it, I have no problems with it. Heck I'd be the first in line to go watch them play if playing Findley Prep, Oak Hill, etc. But if this is the goal, THEN YOU CAN'T PLAY IN THE KHSAA, because you aren't following the rules set forth as such when it comes to the eligibility of the players for the basketball team.

 

 

He can have that goal all he wants. For now Cordia is still a member of the KHSAA and operating within the rules of the KHSAA aren't they?

He can have that goal all he wants. For now Cordia is still a member of the KHSAA and operating within the rules of the KHSAA aren't they?

 

That is the question. From Rhodes' comments and the questions some people have about their transfers, I think people are concerned that the school may not be operating withing the rules of the KHSAA.

I have no idea whether or not Cordia has been upstanding in all its basketball actions, but I don't think it is a crazy stretch that people are questioning it.

This from the linked article

 

"The transfer rule is in place to fight a history of recruiting abuses in a sports-hungry state where coaches and parents will go to extremes to get students on a team."

 

Why do people not understand this? Without rules there is anarchy.

 

This also from the article.

 

"Following enrollment, Chapman met Rhodes, who has had a dream of turning Cordia into something like Oak Hill Academy, the nationally famous Virginia prep school that attracts some of the best basketball players to a remote locale".

 

This also does nothing to help Rhodes' or Cordia's case and puts them under a LOT of scrutiny...and I think rightly so. And if that's what they (Rhodes and or the school) wants to do, then fine, do it, I have no problems with it. Heck I'd be the first in line to go watch them play if playing Findley Prep, Oak Hill, etc. But if this is the goal, THEN YOU CAN'T PLAY IN THE KHSAA, because you aren't following the rules set forth as such when it comes to the eligibility of the players for the basketball team.

 

Now, as to the specifics of the two kids mentioned in this article...that I don't know. If parent(s) have legitimately moved and they are now living in the area and have truly established residency...then I'm not sure how you find them ineligible, UNLESS they ended up at Cordia under circumstances/reasons that the KHSAA warrants the kids be ineligible according to the rules. Meaning there may be some things going on that we don't know about...but can probably take a good educated guess. I think the big problem some of these kids are going to face is that they ALL are going to be looked at as getting to Cordia under suspicious reasons, regardless if they did or not. This unfortunately means that some wheat will get thrown out with the chaff. And that's unfortunate for kids who may have transferred within the rules.

 

To the bolded, I think that too much is being made of this quote. It's being taken out of context somewhat because, in it's original context, I always took it as him saying that eventually, they'd like to have built something like that. I don't think it really applies right now though. As things stand, they don't have a team full of D1 kids or anything like that. We're talking about a team who beat Leslie County by 10 in the All A Regional finals.

 

With Hines gone, only Cunningham is a legit D1 prospect at this point in time. The big kid, Keita, is a nice player whose going to be really good, but he's a project. Keita still has a lot of development to go through if he's going to be a high D1 player; this isn't to say he can't or won't, and getting to the States is probably the first step in his doing so, but if you've seen him play so far, you probably agree that he's a project at this point in time. Aside from those two, the rest of the kids are marginal DII, DIII, NAIA type talents.

 

I think that if we look at schools like Findlay (NV), Oak Hill (VA), Montverde (FL), McCallie (TN), etc. you're going to see that the kids who go there are probably paying a significant amount more in tuition than the kids who are going to Cordia. That kind of financing and capital opens the doors for the athletic departments to do more with their programs.

 

Right now, Cordia doesn't have the success, nor do they have the capital to even sniff getting on those types of team's schedules. Maybe Oak Hill gives them a game given their proximity and all that, but they would smoke Cordia going away. That's not a knock on Cordia. Outside of maybe Ballard and Trinity, I doubt there's anyone in the State capable of being in the game after the half with a school of that caliber.

 

When it gets to the point that there are 4-5 D1 talents, multiple prospects/projects, and/or a few kids who are marginal D1 talents on Cordia's roster, I don't really think they're going to be at that level. Let's see them do something like win their own region and make a serious run at State before we start putting those types of labels on them. Those are the first steps.

That is the question. From Rhodes' comments and the questions some people have about their transfers, I think people are concerned that the school may not be operating withing the rules of the KHSAA.

I have no idea whether or not Cordia has been upstanding in all its basketball actions, but I don't think it is a crazy stretch that people are questioning it.

 

^^^Bingo^^^

He can have that goal all he wants. For now Cordia is still a member of the KHSAA and operating within the rules of the KHSAA aren't they?

 

1st sentence...yes he absolutely can, and as I mentioned in my post I have no problem with this if it's his goal.

 

Bolded...as Rez stated, that's the question. Are they? I don't know, but with all the activity happening there, its not beyond the realm of suspicion and at least looking into.

To the bolded, I think that too much is being made of this quote. It's being taken out of context somewhat because, in it's original context, I always took it as him saying that eventually, they'd like to have built something like that. I don't think it really applies right now though. As things stand, they don't have a team full of D1 kids or anything like that. We're talking about a team who beat Leslie County by 10 in the All A Regional finals.

 

With Hines gone, only Cunningham is a legit D1 prospect at this point in time. The big kid, Keita, is a nice player whose going to be really good, but he's a project. Keita still has a lot of development to go through if he's going to be a high D1 player; this isn't to say he can't or won't, and getting to the States is probably the first step in his doing so, but if you've seen him play so far, you probably agree that he's a project at this point in time. Aside from those two, the rest of the kids are marginal DII, DIII, NAIA type talents.

 

I think that if we look at schools like Findlay (NV), Oak Hill (VA), Montverde (FL), McCallie (TN), etc. you're going to see that the kids who go there are probably paying a significant amount more in tuition than the kids who are going to Cordia. That kind of financing and capital opens the doors for the athletic departments to do more with their programs.

 

Right now, Cordia doesn't have the success, nor do they have the capital to even sniff getting on those types of team's schedules. Maybe Oak Hill gives them a game given their proximity and all that, but they would smoke Cordia going away. That's not a knock on Cordia. Outside of maybe Ballard and Trinity, I doubt there's anyone in the State capable of being in the game after the half with a school of that caliber.

 

When it gets to the point that there are 4-5 D1 talents, multiple prospects/projects, and/or a few kids who are marginal D1 talents on Cordia's roster, I don't really think they're going to be at that level. Let's see them do something like win their own region and make a serious run at State before we start putting those types of labels on them. Those are the first steps.

 

Comes a point in time though that things transition from regular sports program to "prep" program, regardless of how successful the school is at it or how "talented/good" the kids might be coming in. One could argue with all that's gone on the past couple of years that they are in that transition area...and again it's been clearly stated that this is the dream of the current coach, and evidently the school is on board with it as well.

Comes a point in time though that things transition from regular sports program to "prep" program, regardless of how successful the school is at it or how "talented/good" the kids might be coming in. One could argue with all that's gone on the past couple of years that they are in that transition area...and again it's been clearly stated that this is the dream of the current coach, and evidently the school is on board with it as well.

 

Agree, about the "transition" phase, but I don't think it's occurred yet. Also, as long as they are getting new kids each year, and we see cases like Ortiz & Chapman this year and Oowoahtoah last year where the KHSAA rules them ineligible after a lengthy wait, then the courts are left to sort out the rest, in effect, leaving the kids sitting for much of the year, we aren't going to be there soon.

 

To me, schools probably become prep schools primarily for one or two reasons, or some combination thereof:

 

1. Because they can't get competition that challenges their kids and prepares them for the level(s) they want to play at.

 

2. The state's athletic association and/or schools playing by the rules exert so much pressure onto the school that they have no choice but to go to that level, or that is the division the.

 

 

To the first point, we aren't seeing Cordia just dominate the competition, nor do they have the type of roster that could be competitive at that level.

 

As for the second point: a.) Kentucky is different from a number of other states considering that publics and privates aren't in separate divisions, and b.) the structure of how a number of schools, regardless of enrollment, status as a public, private, or independent, etc. benefit from transfers.

"In recent years, parents, legislators and some members of the Kentucky Board of Education have said the KHSAA has too much power; that its decisions are arbitrary and take too long; and that, ultimately, it finds too many children ineligible to play."

 

This!

 

Read more here: Two students sue KHSAA to play for ex-Wildcat Rhodes in Knott Co. | High school basketball | Kentucky.com

"In recent years, parents, legislators and some members of the Kentucky Board of Education have said the KHSAA has too much power; that its decisions are arbitrary and take too long; and that, ultimately, it finds too many children ineligible to play."

 

This!

 

Read more here: Two students sue KHSAA to play for ex-Wildcat Rhodes in Knott Co. | High school basketball | Kentucky.com

100% AGREE

After rereading the article again I'm amazed that the one kid met a couple of the requirements, yet was still ruled ineligible. Whether or not folks "think" it looks suspicious should not come into play.

That is the question. From Rhodes' comments and the questions some people have about their transfers, I think people are concerned that the school may not be operating withing the rules of the KHSAA.

I have no idea whether or not Cordia has been upstanding in all its basketball actions, but I don't think it is a crazy stretch that people are questioning it.

 

 

If things weren't on the up and up some kids wouldn't be eligible and others wouldn't be ineligible.

In his junior year, Ortiz began to research schools outside of New York. Through a friend, Ortiz learned about Cordia and its credit-recovery program "where students could catch up on missed or lacking high school credit and improve their grades to improve the likelihood that they graduated on time."

 

Ortiz visited Cordia twice — once with his mother and then with his father. Raymond Ortiz and his son moved to Hazard in July and rented an apartment near Cordia.

 

"At no point in time during their visits to Cordia or in their discussions prior to enrolling did Ortiz or his father discuss or request information about the basketball program at Cordia," the suit says. "Ortiz and his father had no contact or discussions with anyone involved with the basketball program at Cordia prior to enrollment."

 

According to the article they transferred to make up for missed credits to graduate on time. Hoops was never in the discussions. Not sure why it would be an issue now?

You don't actually believe that do you????? It seems as though Cordia wants the best of both worlds: to be like a Prep school, and play in and win state championships, as a way of advertising the program while they are building it. If you want to be a prep school, be a prep school, by taking your lumps against other prep schools. if you want to be a 2 A school in Kentucky then be a 2 A school in Kentucky.

Edited January 22, 201412 yr by Randy Parker
Rule 4

To the bolded, I think that too much is being made of this quote. It's being taken out of context somewhat because, in it's original context, I always took it as him saying that eventually, they'd like to have built something like that. I don't think it really applies right now though. As things stand, they don't have a team full of D1 kids or anything like that. We're talking about a team who beat Leslie County by 10 in the All A Regional finals.

 

With Hines gone, only Cunningham is a legit D1 prospect at this point in time. The big kid, Keita, is a nice player whose going to be really good, but he's a project. Keita still has a lot of development to go through if he's going to be a high D1 player; this isn't to say he can't or won't, and getting to the States is probably the first step in his doing so, but if you've seen him play so far, you probably agree that he's a project at this point in time. Aside from those two, the rest of the kids are marginal DII, DIII, NAIA type talents.

 

I think that if we look at schools like Findlay (NV), Oak Hill (VA), Montverde (FL), McCallie (TN), etc. you're going to see that the kids who go there are probably paying a significant amount more in tuition than the kids who are going to Cordia. That kind of financing and capital opens the doors for the athletic departments to do more with their programs.

 

Right now, Cordia doesn't have the success, nor do they have the capital to even sniff getting on those types of team's schedules. Maybe Oak Hill gives them a game given their proximity and all that, but they would smoke Cordia going away. That's not a knock on Cordia. Outside of maybe Ballard and Trinity, I doubt there's anyone in the State capable of being in the game after the half with a school of that caliber.

 

When it gets to the point that there are 4-5 D1 talents, multiple prospects/projects, and/or a few kids who are marginal D1 talents on Cordia's roster, I don't really think they're going to be at that level. Let's see them do something like win their own region and make a serious run at State before we start putting those types of labels on them. Those are the first steps.

 

 

So, you don't qualify as a prep school until you get really good and have four or five Division I recruits? That's like saying you don't really qualify as a thief until you can collect $1 million.

In the process of getting really good and bringing in those Division I players, the odds are pretty good, at least to me, that you're breaking the rules along the way.

Are the players in these cases being judged by what people (including the KHSAA ) "think" or by the facts that have been presented? Where are the "facts" that Cordia "recruited" these players? From what I read it the article it appears there are real facts that the KHSAA blatantly ignored for some reason...?

In addition to ennam's comment about the "facts", the article states that Rhodes and Chapman met and had that conversation after enrollment. There is nothing in this case that says there was any recruiting taking place beforehand.