The Illinois High School Association is investigating several of the recent high-profile Catholic school to Public League transfers.
Between this season and last season, Xavier Pinson transferred from St. Patrick to Simeon, Maurice Commander from Marist to Curie, Chase Adams from Marian Catholic to Orr and Marquise Walker from St. Joseph to Curie.
“Upon requests from the sending schools, as well as Chicago Public Schools in some of the instances, we are conducting a review of several transfers, including [the ones listed above],” IHSA Executive Director Craig Anderson said. “We are helping to review the non-concurrence and eligibility determinations.”
All four of the players are Division I college prospects. According to a source, none of the original schools has signed off or “concurred” with the transfers. That’s unusual.
According to IHSA bylaws Chicago Public Schools rules on the eligibility of its transfers. The IHSA only gets involved when the original school refuses to concur.
“We aren’t looking to hurt the individual players, but the fact of the matter is that when our transfers get investigated by the IHSA but the CPS transfers don’t, that is a red flag for us and the league,” Marian Catholic coach Mike Taylor said.
Most Catholic school coaches are unwilling to go on the record about the issue, but they say Public League coaches are recruiting their top players and say that in some instances the players don’t live in Chicago.
Orr and Curie were scheduled to play on Wednesday, but the game was postponed. Three of the uncleared players would have been unable to play.
“Our basic thing is calling attention to the IHSA that there is a lot of this going on,” Taylor said. “We just want them to investigate. Four schools in [the East Suburban Catholic] were effected. It’s not that we are trying to stop kids from playing. The adults have to start behaving like adults.”
According to the IHSA a few of the investigations could be complete as early as next week, but they are still waiting on paperwork for some of the players.
