Cheating scandal in NYC public schools basketball league causes March madness

Published Mar 20, 2024 at 3:50 p.m. ET

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Published Mar 20, 2024 at 3:50 p.m. ET

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An eligibility scandal in the New York City high school basketball league that prompted the cancellation of a championship game was more widespread than the education department initially disclosed, records show.

The revelation comes after Schools Chancellor David Banks announced on Saturday that two teams in the highest basketball division had been disqualified for violating age and academic eligibility requirements. The statement did not elaborate on the violations, but Public School Athletic League rules require student athletes to pass a certain number of classes in order to participate in high school sports. Rules also state that students can only participate up to their 19th birthday.

But since Banks’ announcement, a Gothamist review of the league's records shows more disqualifications occurred since February and were not previously announced. And the lack of details from officials has caused rumors to run wild in school communities where the elite basketball teams are a major part of campus life. The fact that the department still hasn't declared a tournament champion even though the season is effectively over only adds to the intrigue.

“It’s a major stain [on the league]. I don’t know if stain remover is going to be able to remove the stain. Or if stain remover can remove it, they’re going to have to use a lot of stain remover,” said Ronald Naclerio, who coaches the Benjamin N. Cardozo High School basketball team and is the coach with the most wins in PSAL and New York state public school history.

The South Shore High School building in Canarsie, Brooklyn.

Banks’ statement released over the weekend indicated that two teams in the citywide playoffs had been disqualified. The statement said Thomas Jefferson High School was disqualified for violations of academic eligibility issues before its first playoff game. South Shore High School was disqualified ahead of the championship due to an age eligibility violation.

A Gothamist review of PSAL records, as well as interviews with basketball coaches in the league, revealed that Eagle Academy-Bronx was also disqualified from a semifinals game on March 12 against South Shore. The education department’s statement did not mention Eagle Academy, where Banks was founding principal in 2005.

The education department confirmed on Tuesday that Eagle Academy-Bronx had been disqualified, but declined to explain why. Schools spokesperson Nathaniel Styer said Eagle Academy-Bronx was not named because the statement focused on the cancellation of the championship game.

"In simple terms – adults put the long-term future of young people second for momentary high school glory on the court. These adults are not helping students, they are only helping themselves," Banks said in the statement, adding that oversight of PSAL rules had been neglected under the previous administration.

Banks' initial statement also didn’t mention that Thomas Jefferson High School had actually been disqualified twice in just two months. The school was first disqualified from a borough tournament in February for eligibility violations. The school was disqualified again from the citywide tournament, sparking an audit of all teams, according to the education department.

Schools Chancellor David Banks criticized adults for putting their temporary glory on a high school basketball court above student athletes' futures.

PSAL is the main sports league in the country's largest public school system. NBA players like Lance Stephenson, Stephon Marbury and Sebastian Telfair have played in the league.

“For so many youngsters growing up, they dream of playing in high school,” said Naclerio. “The PSAL has been an important bridge for countless youngsters into adulthood.”

Naclerio and other coaches said they’re frustrated with the lack of information about the cheating scandal from league administrators and the education department. The education department said the investigation is ongoing.

Coaches and students said they’d heard rumors — which were also swirling on Facebook groups that follow high school basketball — about 20-year-old players on certain teams. Another rumor centered on a team leaking information about the eligibility violations to the league to gain an edge on a rival. The education department declined to comment. The school system’s watchdog Special Commissioner of Investigation is also reviewing the cheating. That office did not respond to a request for comment.

Coaches of the disqualified teams did not respond to interview requests. But Eric Barnett, coach of the Campus Magnet high school basketball team in Queens, said he looks forward to next season due to the cheating crackdown.

“The Queens division has often been looked down upon because of our lack of success in the city playoffs, but now I hope the playing field will be even,” Barnett said. “Because of this scrutiny, the Queens programs that have been following the rules will have a fairer chance to compete.”

Students at South Shore were still frustrated by the disqualification, which dashed their hopes of a championship against their rival, Eagle Academy-Brooklyn. The education department has not declared Eagle Academy-Brooklyn the champion of the tournament, despite South Shore’s disqualification.

“They should have just played and whoever wins, wins. Whoever takes it home, takes it home. But we got disqualified,” said Carlos Blackwood, a student who plays on South Shore’s junior varsity team. “[South Shore] works hard … PSAL gotta do better.”

South Shore had a 13-1 record in the regular season, which is the best record in the Brooklyn/Staten Island divisions and second best record in their league.

Another South Shore student, Ra Slimee, said his school was singled out because of its dominance.

“They wanted us to get out the game,” Slimee said. “Our player is like 6'7", they can’t do nothing with that.”

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Ramsey Khalifeh is a general assignment reporter on the NYC Accountability desk covering the city's most powerful institutions and the work they do (or don't). He was previously a summer intern on the Day-of desk and also worked at the Boston Globe's metro and copy desk. Got a tip? Email rkhalifeh@nypublicradio.org

Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations

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