West Branch Transfer

[Pinehawk]

This topic fits better in the basketball thread...

It would seem that a starter for the 4-17 West Liberty team (his final game with WL was 1/17/15) has transferred to West Branch where he is already playing and helped contribute to West Branch's first round playoff victory.

School hopping during the season? From a bad team to a playoff team? Sure doesn't seem right to me...


West Branch vs. Durant playoff game story/box score:

http://www.press-citizen.com/story/sports/high-school/basketball/2015/02/17/west-branch-bears-durant-wildcats-class-2a-district-9/23536523/




WL vs. Bellevue box score

 

[WhiteShadowHoops]

A kid has to sit 90 days from the time he transferred. If he started the school year there, he would have been at school 90 days.

 

[EHS1505]

Yep I found the kid. You do not have to sit the 90 days if you establish residency. Chances are they are renting an apartment if he is actually eligible already. They couldn't close on a house that quickly, but they could sign a rental agreement that quickly.

 

[Saywhat2]

What? Public school to public school? Unbelievable!!

 

[ghost80]

Unfortunately this kind of crap is becoming too frequent.

Classic example of why I've always supported a 90 day ban on varsity play for any new students regardless on why they changed schools. Very simple and fair to everyone. You ride varsity pine the first 90 calendar days of that school year period. Since baseball is a school sport I would count the summer portion of baseball season as part of the 90 days (even if they didn't play baseball). A kid transferring at May after he was done at his old school would have most of his 90 days squashed by the baseball season but would probably still be ineligible to play varsity football the first few weeks.

Yes there will be a few kids pinched in a legit move but very few and they can still play JV. Those kids pinched can thank the low morals of a few parents and coaches. Yes, coaches.....just because a kid transfers (moves) in and is cleared to play doesn't mean the coach has to take a dump on his other players and immediately give this interloper play time.

Bad move by the WB coach. I realize the kid is a junior and might use next year as leverage but he should have taken the high road and let the kid sit...regardless of where he lives or how good he is.

This post was edited on 2/18 6:10 AM by ghost80

 

[wolverine55]

In IL, once you practice for a team during the school year, you are ineligible to play for another school in the same sport during that same season. It seems that adding this rule in Iowa would be an easy fix to this problem.

 

[Pinehawk]

Well, you know who West Branch's assistant varsity basketball coach is right?
Butch Pedersen...long time varsity football coach/lead recruiter.

 

[DarkThunder#61]

Not that it's not an issue but.........................



Outrage is an outrage.

This post was edited on 2/18 8:53 AM by DarkThunder#61

 

[maxstabs13]

I'm assuming the transfer is Koenig.... He hasn't played with WL since January 17th.

If that is the case then no one should really be worried... He may have been WL 2nd leading scorer, but he was quite possibly the biggest detriment to the WL team... If you notice they scored more after he left...

ICR won by 40 with Koenig
ICR won by 20 without Koenig

He averaged 10.3PPG... 32%FG 19%3Pt 47%FT... 7Ast 39TO's... 7Stls 10Fouls... Those stats should tell the story. He is a poor shooter; he either can't handle the ball, telegraph passes, or can't pass; he is not aggressive at all on defense. 7 steals and 10 fouls in 13 games tells me that he either gets blown by off the dribble or he just plays extremely timid/lazy defense.

It will take Drew Cook transferring in for WB to have any State Title aspirations.

 

[Pinehawk]

Maybe more importantly, in the post season West Liberty had beaten Louisa-Muscatine earlier in the season, but lost the first round playoff game after Koenig left.

And, West Branch had lost twice to Durant in the regular season by 23 points both times, but in the first round playoff game (with Koenig) they beat Durant ending their season.

But, basketball is secondary to the real reason he's joining West Branch, which is football.

Koening was the starting QB for a West Liberty team that went 0-9 last season. He clearly didn't want to play his senior season for such a poor team. So, he got an apartment in West Branch (who just graduated their QB and returns a strong team).

 

[21wildcat]

I think West Branch boys beat Durant twice during the year. You must be talking about the Durant girls beating WB twice during the year. Actually, Durant came closer the last game than the two previous.

 

[Pinehawk]

I apologize, I got that turned around. Thanks for catching it.




WB vs. Durant game article

 

[cidhawkeye]

Blame has said it is all legal and won't comment anymore. Maybe someone can clarify for me, if he established residency and his sister is still at West a Liberty is she now open enrolled? Thus ineligible? Are the parents still coaching at West Liberty? Lots of questions on this one.

 

[rogerfrank]

I watched this kid play both football and basketball and believe me he wasn't anything special. I wonder is his dad still coaching at west liberty or did he transfer too

 

[Saywhat2]

Why does his athletic ability have anything to do with it? So if he was averaging 20 and 10 you would be more upset?

 

[Pinehawk]

Watched him play tonight in the playoff game. He had two points, an airball and two bricked shots. He was WB's 6th man though taking a spot from another kid who had played for WB all season.
Discussion in the stands indicated that his parents still live and teach at West Liberty, but apparently he has got an apartment in West Branch to allow him to play immediately.
But, he's now done for the year as Regina ended West Branch's basketball season with a 69-54 victory tonight.

But, he might be looking for an apartment in Wilton this weekend to continue playing.

 

[cidhawkeye]

So a high school student can rent an apartment to establish residency? That seems odd. Maybe this is why Blame didn't want to continue the conversation.