Nation’s Top High School Team Doesn’t Actually Represent a High School

↵↵The City of Palms Classic, a premier high school basketball tournament held in Fort Myers, Fla., is currently ongoing through Wednesday. Sadly, the Findlay College Prep Pilots -- thought to be the nation’s top team -- isn’t allowed to take part, seeing as how they don’t represent an actual institution of learning.↵

↵↵⇥During the third week of September, long-time tournament director Donnie Wilkie received a phone call from the California Interscholastic Federation (CIF) letting him know that one of its member schools, FAB 50 No. 6 Westchester (Los Angeles, Calif.), is not allowed to play Findlay Prep.↵⇥↵⇥According to Wilkie, the Pilots are also not allowed to play No. 11 Milton (Alpharetta, Ga.), a member school of the Georgia High School Association. Wilkie knew about the situation regarding Milton, but he said that in the last two weeks the CIF required him to submit a formal letter stating that Westchester would not face Findlay Prep under any circumstances.↵⇥

↵⇥↵⇥The state CIF confirmed that Westchester, the defending CIF Div. I state champ, could not play the Pilots because the program is not sanctioned by the Nevada Interscholastic Athletics Association or the National Federation of State High School Associations.↵⇥

↵⇥↵⇥“Sure,” was CIF Southern Section communications director Thom Simmons’ comment if CIF Southern Section schools could play Oak Hill. “They would be allowed because Oak Hill is an affiliate member. Findlay Prep is just a basketball team. There is no school called Findlay Prep.”↵⇥

↵↵↵Cliff Findlay, a former UNLV forward, funds the Pilots program, even though all its players attend the Henderson International School, which has its own athletic teams. While the Nevada Interscholastic Athletic Association has permitted the Pilots to play against its member schools, Findlay is finding considerably more opposition in other states.↵

↵↵While the Pilots won’t be allowed a chance to win the tournament, they are going to take part in a showcase game against the 25th ranked team in the nation. Whether they win or lose, they advance to the consolation bracket.↵

↵↵The way players can be handpicked to go to prestigious academies and the notion that they don’t play for an actual school probably don’t matter much in the grand scheme of things. But it does in the letter of the law of high school sports, as narrow and contradictory as that may be.↵

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