No more middle school recruiting, say Rock Hill school officials

High school coaches can no longer meet with middle school athletes in the spring. That’s one of the new rules aimed at combating recruitment -- solely for athletic reasons -- within the Rock Hill school district.

Recruitment seems to be one of the reasons athletes seek transfers in the Rock Hill school district. Reveal parties, much like signing days for college, have fed the growing concern that students are being enticed to attend high schools only to play a sport, officials say.

“We see things of that sort happening in the community,” said Mychal Frost, Rock Hill schools spokesman. “When middle school students are having a party to announce their high school selection purely on an athletic basis, we know that’s a problem.”

Under the new school district rules, athletic notices will be mailed out instead of high school coaches meeting with middle school athletes. High school coaches also are no longer allowed on the sidelines, in locker rooms or in team meeting spaces at middle school events. The coaches cannot talk with middle school athletes or address the teams.

“The rule is designed to address sports at high school,” Frost said. “There are other opportunities throughout the year where middle school students are able to interact with the high schools.”

One example is Rising Ninth Grade Parent Night, where middle school students visit the high school they are zoned to attend. All the students then are allowed to interact with teachers and high school students while learning about extracurricular activities and course selection. One such night was held earlier this month.

Rock Hill’s five middle schools feed the district’s three high schools.

Lauren West, athletic director at Northwestern High School, said recruitment is not allowed under South Carolina High School League guidelines, which schools must follow and can cause a team to be ineligible for competition.

Frost said high school coaches like to see their potential future players in action. The rules, he said, do not discourage them from attending middle school games.

“From an athletic standpoint, coaches like to be a part of programs and many would see programs beginning at the middle school level or even younger in some communities,” Frost said. “We aren’t saying they can’t do that, but we are saying you can do it as a fan and not as an official representative of high school teams.”

The rules also discourage middle school students or rising freshmen from trying out for or practicing with a high school team -- unless they live in that school’s zone. Any coaches, including middle school and volunteer coaches, who recruit or use the community to recruit may lose their job.

“This is really to keep kids at the school they’re zoned for and to minimize recruiting, and when I say recruiting I don’t necessarily mean by a school coach or a school staff member, but the community recruiting, getting kids to go to another school because one school has a better program in this, that or the other,” said Ozzie Ahl, Rock Hill High principal and SCHSL executive committee member.

Plenty to consider

West said school officials have seen middle school students pushed toward a preferred high school.

“Everybody is chasing that elusive scholarship,” she said.

Ahl said it doesn’t take much to impact a program. One or two players a year can make a difference.

Losing players to recruitment also affects coaches, South Pointe football coach Strait Herron said.

“It hurts you,” he said. “You feel like you let that player down.”

South Pointe principal Al Leonard said questionable transfers do not sit well at his school.

“I don’t condone it, I don’t want it going on. If it happens I’m gonna deal with it aggressively,” he said. “I’ll also deal with it aggressively if I find out it’s going on somewhere else. I think coaches need to know if there is recruiting taking place, be it directly or individuals working on your program’s behalf.”

However, it’s not easy to prove recruitment. Ahl said the high school league, much like the NCAA, does not have the staff to investigate recruitment claims.

“It’d have to be pretty obvious for them to have proof,” he said.

Herron said coaches should focus on student success.

“We need to create the best program ... that we can, a program that you would want your own kid in,” he said. “I’m going to coach the guys who are here and do the best we can.”

West said students should seek solutions to adversity in their school’s sports programs. She said even though students may not be happy with the sports team at their school, the answer is not to cheat the system by going to another school.

Unintended consequences

Recruitment isn’t going to be solved overnight. School board chairman Jim Vining said camps and other events can spark interest in a certain high school.

“There is recruiting in everything you do, whether you say anything or not,” he said. “It’s a noble idea to say you can stop it, but you can’t.”

Vining, who agreed recruitment should not occur, said he is concerned the new rules will hinder relationships between middle and high schools.

“I would suggest we need more contact between high school and middle school, not less,” he said. “I understand the recruiting aspect of it, but we are organized where all the schools go together.

“There’s no strong connection between the middle schools and high schools,” Vining said. “Our high school folks should be working closer with our middle school folks. That’s a key part of making high school programs (successful).”

School board member Helena Miller shares Vining’s concerns.

“Its such a phenomenal event for the younger kids, and I don’t want this policy in any way, shape or form to diminish that,” she said. “There’s something about looking up to your high school heroes and seeing where you want to go.”

Luanne Kokolis, associate superintendent for Rock Hill schools, said the athletic directors’ intent is to maintain those relationships. The rules aim is to keep students in the school they are zoned for, Miller said.

“It seems like people don’t think we are serious about zoning,” she said. “That’s what this boils down to.”

Amanda Harris: 803-329-4082

Bret McCormick contributed to this article.

This story was originally published January 29, 2017 at 12:12 AM with the headline "No more middle school recruiting, say Rock Hill school officials."