Where will Ryan Boyce play basketball?
Ryan Boyce (PHT #3) and James Wiseman (PHT #1) were declared athletically ineligible at Memphis East High School Wednesday of last week.
East High quickly appealed.
This afternoon the Tennessee Secondary Schools Athletics Association (TSSAA) denied the East High appeal, rendering the case final in the eyes of the TSSAA. The state’s athletic governing body cited the following rule:
TSSAA RULE: If a student with an athletic record transfers to a new school where an “athletic coaching link” existed in the past 12 months, that student is ineligible for 12 months at all levels in the specific sport where a linkage was present.
Now what?
Ryan Boyce can not play for East High School, unless his family and East High proceed to the judicial system. Entering into the judicial system would certainly slow down the process of getting Boyce back on some basketball court. And there is no indication that Ryan Boyce and family would win that case.
It is an option though.
If the Boyce family elects to accept the TSSAA decision, then he is ineligible to play for East High.
Can he play for Houston High School again?
The TSSAA did not prohibit Ryan Boyce from returning to Houston High School, but Houston High School might prevent Boyce from returning. They did not allow Bruce Guy to come back after he left for the Arizona prep school earlier this fall.
He is currently only prevented (by TSSAA) from suiting up for East High School because of TSSAA’s ruling that Boyce maintained a previous coaching relationship with East HS Head Coach Penny Hardaway in the last 12 months.
The path of least resistance would be a prep school. Prep schools have no transfer restrictions and many elite high school players go that route anyway during their junior and/or senior seasons. Former East High School guard T.J. Moss moved to Las Vegas to play for Findlay Prep. Braxton Blackwell spent his final high school season with Oak Hill Academy. Damion Baugh is playing for Lincoln Academy (GA). Don’t forget K.K. Curry is up north at St. Thomas More (CT).
In-state prep options include Believe Prep, Hamilton Heights Christian Academy, Tennessee Prep, and Bristol Prep (Virginia’s border).
Neither Lincoln Prep Academy (GA), nor Hamilton Heights Christian have been contacted by the family of Ryan Boyce as of Monday November 20th.
If Ryan Boyce picked a prep school out of state, he would become the fourth top 10 player in the Class of 2018 to leave Tennessee this off-season.
Stay tuned to @PrepHoopsTN for the latest.