godolphins, why are you repeating the same mantra all over again when I ask a simple question?

1. If no rules are being broken, what is the point of your litany?

2. If it’s not about your feelings, what else could it be?

3. Instead of ranting about the perceived indiscretions of another entity, tell me about what you stand for and what school you support. That would be far more interesting.

4. I’m not from Kahuku.

To tell you the truth, I really don't know if they are breaking the rules or

not. I don't know where to look for the specific ILH transfer “special

needs” exemption rules or regulations. My hands are actually tied to file a

formal complaint or request an internal investigation due to more than

possible conflicts and retaliations towards my family. The issue is too

close to home. The facts that I'm sure of is that AOP and Assets School

(special needs schools) has qualified for a transfer exemption eligibility

rule for student athletes with special needs to participate immediately in

ILH Division II events. These newly recruited 4-5 basketball athletes from

other ILH and OIA basketball programs definitely don't qualify as students

with special needs (physical or mental disabilities, learning disabilities,

behavioral issues, handicapped, psychologically challenged, etc.). The

schools qualified for the special needs transfer exemption rule for their

disadvantaged and deserving students, but these 4-5 healthy and normal star

basketball athletes shouldn't be given the special needs exemption to play

immediately when other transfers at other ILH and OIA schools must follow

the rules by sitting out a year to prevent coaches, ADs, and schools from

only recruiting star athletes to only boost their athletic programs. And for

a school that qualifies for the special needs participation exemption for

disadvantaged, disabled, or challenged students, how does the AOP basketball

program now qualify to be promoted to the ILH Division I after years of

sub-par season records? I thought teams earn a promotion or demotion

according to their previous season records and performances. These are the

only concrete facts that I know of, not opinions or feelings. This isn't

about my feelings, it's about whats right and wrong, and whats fair and

unfair to other students at the school and other student athletes from other

schools who follow the rules and sit out a year after transferring to

another school with the sole purpose to play a particular sport. Does this

sound legitimate to you? By the way, are you from Kahuku?

godolphins, are they breaking rules or not? Yes or no?

I appreciate your input, but unless you can answer decisively, what is your point? (And I don't mean your opinion and feelings. I'm asking for something concrete.)

Thanks.

Don't know. Don't know all the legalities behind these AOP exemptions for

these newly admitted talented basketball transfers. Just seems wrong and

dishonest to allow seemingly healthy and normal student athletes to slide

around the Hawaii high school student athlete transfer rules (sitting out a

year/redshirt?) by participating immediately by using the “special needs”

exemption given to the schools (Assets and AOP) to accommodate the deserving

and disadvantaged student athletes medically and psychologically diagnosed

with true “special needs” status. I'm assuming that AOP has recently

acquired new documentation dated only after the new coach was given the

basketball job, but I'm sure you won't find any documentation or records of

“special needs” status or accommodations at any one of the new recruit's

previous schools. It seems as though the Academy of the Pacific's (AOP)

basketball coach and AD are deceivingly using this “SPECIAL NEEDS” SCHOOL

TRANSFER RULE EXEMPTION to field their basketball team with 4-5 newly

recruited healthy and normal basketball stars from other ILH and OIA schools

who are all upperclassmen with only a year or two left on their high school

eligibility clock. It sure doesn't sound fair to all the deserving student

athletes that were on AOP's basketball roster the past years. Also,

financial assistance and academic scholarships is a given and needed in

Hawaii's current tough economy, but offering a free ride ($16,480.00

tuition) to play AOP basketball immediately sounds more like an athletic

scholarship or financially recruiting. But what do I know. The bottom line

is that the transfer rule exemption was given to the school to accommodate

disadvantaged student athletes with special needs (physical and mental

disabilities, behavioral problems, learning and social difficulties) to

participate in ILH high school sports. I don't think that this transfer rule

exemption was meant to be given to these 4-5 healthy and normal

upperclassmen basketball athletes to quick-fix their basketball program. As

Kahuku Red Raiders are being reprimanded for an eligibility rule violation,

I'm hoping that the Academy of the Pacific, the Headmaster Lou Young, the

AOP AD Ryan Hogue, the ILH Executive Directors, and the HHSAA Executive

Director Christopher Chun rectifies this issue now before it blows up out of

proportion. As the OIA's Kahuku Red Raiders football team must abide by the

rules and the court's decision, so should the ILH and the Academy of the

Pacific basketball program. Don't go around the rules and create for a

loophole just to boost your AOP basketball program.

There was a comment that the Kahuku players would continue practicing with or without the coaches.
Are they practicing?
Are the coaches supervising?
Are they using school property? Field? Equipment?
Who is assuming responsibility for liability?

Interesting that The Court is really going forward with a hearing.

godolphins, thanks for the post. Are you saying AOP is breaking rules?

Dean, answer is yes. I just heard about the conference coming this afternoon.