Transfers and eligibility have always been a hot topic on the prep sports scene with whispers of recruitment attached each time a high-profile student athlete makes the jump to another school.
With the West Virginia Secondary Schools and Activities Commission’s transfer rule requiring that student athletes that don’t move residencies sit out a year if they transfer schools, there’s been a safeguard in place to prevent against most athletically motivated transfers.
With the passage of Senate Bill 586 that landscape would change.
Introduced by Sen. Ryan Weld, the bill would allow for student athletes to transfer to a different school and avoid sitting out 365 days as currently required by the WVSSAC.
With the bill now sitting in the House of Delegates after passing the senate with a 31-3 vote, the West Virginia Schools Athletic Coaches Association has voiced its concerns in a letter released to the public.
Speaking with Lootpress on Tuesday evening, Bernie Dolan, the Executive Director of the WVSSAC noted that there was a similar situation 20 years ago in which students could transfer without losing a year of eligibility.
“The problem with it back then was you had students that were struggling to get their credits and schedules to line up on the academic side after multiple transfers,” Dolan said. “Some schools did block schedules and some didn’t offer different courses so it was a nightmare for administration. Eventually the principals came together and that’s how we ended up with where the rule is now.”
If the bill were to pass Dolan anticipates it will cause a ripple effect for the more rural schools and communities. On the basketball side it could also undo some of the work the organization has gone through to create a competitive balance with the four-class system that was introduced last season.
“It would probably be less work for us because we wouldn’t have as many appeals,” Dolan joked. “But I think you would see a lot more open recruitment of kids and too much emphasis put on the athletic side. You might also see some of the smaller rural areas suffer because of it. Areas with schools near Beckley, Parkersburg, the panhandles and between the (Kanawha) Valley and Huntington might benefit because there are more schools and facilities.”
Not all are against it though.
Greater Beckley boys basketball coach Justin Arvon believe it adds flexibility for parents and families that want to move their kids to a situation that better suits them. He’s also seen both sides of it. In 2015 a trio of players in Ty Walton, Cortney Walton and Isaiah Francis left Greater Beckley after leading the school to its first state tournament win, enrolling at Woodrow Wilson and guiding the Flying Eagles to the state semis the following year.
Players have also transferred from Woodrow to Greater Beckley over the years. Despite being a private school in a populated area playing in the states smallest classification he thinks it would probably hurt them a little more than help due to their enrollment numbers.
“I think it gives families an option if they want to seek out another school and be immediately eligible,” Arvon said. “I haven’t read all the amendments but I would be okay with it. When we’ve had kids leave we’ve always understood that they need to do what they feel is best for them. We just hope we were able to help them along the way. I think a rule like that might hurt us a little where we don’t have a lot of sports to offer students. So if there were any multi-sport athletes we probably wouldn’t benefit from that because we don’t have sports like football or softball.”
Arvon isn’t the only one in favor of the bill though.
Mallory Green, the current principal at Wyoming East, favors the bill due to her unique perspective. As a student athlete at Wyoming East she transferred to Summers County to play basketball her senior year (2002-03) after a coaching change took place at East.
As a result she earned a scholarship that paid for her education.
“I see both sides because it benefited me so much as a player and gave me that opportunity in 2002,” Green said. “There was no rule about it then, you just had to have a specific reason. I played college basketball because I made the change to a program that benefited me and fit me as a player. As a principal I think we’re going to see a lot of recruiting. As Mr. Dolan said, schedules are so different that it messes up credits and changes classes and pathways. You’re looking at a lot more bouncing if it goes through, but I’ll be honest with you, I’m kind of for the bill because it benefits kids.
“I’m the kind of principal that’s all for the kids. I’ll deal with the paperwork side if it benefits the kids. As a player there are times a coach or program doesn’t benefit you and you might realize you’re not somewhere that pushes you towards your personal goals. Some kids feel stuck and then don’t play at all or even worse drop out of school. A lot of people think I was recruited by Coach (Wayne) Ryan, but I wasn’t. I saw the program he had and that he was sending kids to college on scholarships and there was a change in the program at East. I’m glad I made the move because I was able to get a scholarship and get my school paid for. I think there would need to be some way to police recruiting but I’m for the bill.”
The bill currently sits in the House education committee.
Email: tylerjackson@lootpress.com and follow on Twitter @tjack94