Monday, July 31, 2006
 

OHSAA Board Of Control Denies Appeal For Bill Walker

NCH star will not play senior season

COLUMBUS, Ohio — An appeal to restore the eligibility of Cincinnati
North College Hill High School's Bill Walker, a senior-to-be who has
played on the school's basketball team the past three seasons, was
denied by the Ohio High School Athletic Association's Board of Control
Wednesday (Aug. 16). The Board heard the appeal by Walker, his family and representatives at a special hearing at the OHSAA office, and the appeal was denied by an 8-0 vote.

On July 10, the Association announced that Walker has completed his
eligibility at all OHSAA member schools, based on the Association's
student eligibility and eight semester bylaws. Bylaw 4-2-3 says that "A student shall become eligible for high school athletics when the
student attains the fifteenth birthday before August 1, or when the
student attains ninth grade standing." Bylaw 4-3-4 states that "After a student completes the eighth grade, or is otherwise eligible for high
school athletics pursuant to Bylaw 4-2-3, the student shall be eligible
for a period not to exceed eight semesters taken in order of
attendance, whether the student participates or not." And Bylaw 4-3-5
says that "A student who is enrolled 15 or more school days in any
semester, or who participates in an interscholastic contest prior to or
in a semester, shall have that semester count as one semester of
eligibility."

The OHSAA investigation, which lasted over two months, revealed that Walker was enrolled and attending Rose Hill Christian School in
Ashland, Ky., as a ninth grader during the 2002-03 school year and
participated in basketball contests in both semesters of that school
year. After transferring to North College Hill in February 2003, he
participated for three more years (six semesters) at the Ohio school
during the 2003-04, 2004-05 and 2005-06 seasons. He helped the Trojans win the OHSAA Division III state championship in both 2005 and 2006.

"The OHSAA's bylaws are specific," said Jerry Snodgrass, president of
the OHSAA Board of Control and athletic administrator at Findlay High
School. "The question was whether there was evidence to support the
conclusion that the Commissioner and his staff made in ruling that the student had completed eight semesters of eligiblity. The Board felt that there was probative and substantial evidence to support the
ruling, so, therefore, the appeal was denied."

The Ohio High School Athletic Association is a voluntary,
not-for-profit association of public and non-public high schools and
7th-8th grade schools that was organized in 1906. The mission of the
OHSAA is to regulate and administer interscholastic athletic
competition in a fair and equitable manner while promoting the values
of participation in interscholastic athletics. Membership includes over
800 high school and 800 7th-8th grade schools, representing over
300,000 participants. Every member high school has an equal (one) vote in determining the constitution and bylaws of the OHSAA. One of the roles of the OHSAA staff is to interpret the bylaws, while the OHSAA Board of Control, when hearing an appeal, does not have the authority to waive the requirements of the bylaws.

— OHSAA