Centennial’s top-ranked boys basketball team will have to forfeit 18 games, the Nevada Interscholastic Activities Association confirmed to the Review-Journal on Wednesday.
An NIAA spokesperson declined to elaborate on the specific rules the team broke.
Centennial coach Karen Weitz and her staff claim the decision results from a “glitch in the system” that the NIAA uses, Register My Athlete, to determine athletes’ eligibility.
Assistant coach Katherine Lutman said the situation stems from a rule regarding the “residency of a pupil,” for a boys basketball player who was cleared and eligible to play in the system.
“The young man has lived in that house and has attended Centennial for the last three years,” Lutman said late Wednesday. “(The NIAA and Clark County School District) contacted the parents for some information. I guess they are saying now that it wasn’t sufficient enough.”
Centennial was 19-1 and 6-0 in Class 5A Southern League and No. 1 in the Review-Journal’s Class 5A rankings.
Among the 18 forfeits are 17 wins, including Centennial’s 70-56 win over Coronado on Jan. 10. The Bulldogs also defeated Las Vegas High 82-61 on Dec. 30 to win the Las Vegas Prep tournament championship.
“The bottom line is he was cleared in Register My Athlete. What more are we supposed to do as coaches?” Weitz said late Wednesday. “They say there’s nothing more you should have done, and the NIAA agrees it’s a hole in the system. How do you have a hole in the system, but then you’re going to issue those punishments?”
All games on and before Jan. 10 have been ruled as forfeits, the NIAA said. That would drop Centennial’s overall record to 2-18. Assistant coach Riki Murakami said once the team received a letter following the Coronado game that the player was being investigated by CCSD and the NIAA, Centennial stopped playing him.
Lutman said once a student initially enrolls in Register My Athlete, students can automatically renew every year once they are established at the school.
“You don’t have to prove residency every year once you’ve established it, so that is the actual glitch,” Lutman said. “The purpose of the rule is to prevent kids from transferring schools for athletic purposes. This kid has not transferred schools.”
Centennial held a team meeting Wednesday to discuss the situation with parents and administration. The school was notified Tuesday of the ruling that resulted in the forfeitures.
“The parents are very upset because the principal stood in front of them and pretty much told them there’s a glitch in the system, the NIAA agrees with it, but we’re still going to give you consequences,” Weitz said. “It makes no sense to them, either. They’re irritated. They’re mad.”
The Bulldogs are now in seventh place in the 5A Southern League, according to the NIAA, with a 2-4 league record. The top eight teams make the 5A state playoffs, which begin Feb. 14.
“We’re all on the same page,” Weitz said. “We’re hoping we can still make the playoffs. I’m hoping this can still be rectified somehow because, to me, it’s totally wrong. It makes no sense. The way we are as a program, we’ll fight, and whatever spot we end up in, we’ll just have to figure it out.”
Lutman said since the appeal would go back to the NIAA, it can complicate an attempt to appeal the decision.
“Not only (does the NIAA) hand this down, when you appeal, you appeal to the same people,” Lutman said. “… Possibly the family has to get an attorney or the team has to get an attorney to file through the court system to stop it. The appeals system is on (the NIAA’s time) so by that time, the season would possibly be over.”
Weitz is in her third season coaching the Centennial boys and girls teams. She has led the girls to 14 state championships, and they are also ranked No. 1 by the Review-Journal this season.
Coronado (10-9, 8-0), No. 2 in the Review-Journal’s rankings, leads the 5A Southern League. Third-ranked Bishop Gorman (17-4, 7-1) is in second place.
Centennial is still eligible for the postseason. The Bulldogs have six games, including five league contests, remaining on their regular-season schedule.
“You can’t have the glitch and give us the consequences,” Weitz said. “It makes no sense. We take it personal, and I take it personal.”
Contact Alex Wright at [email protected]. Follow @AlexWright1028 on X.
