AIA rule proposal would prevent high school athletes who transfer from playoff participation

Arizona Interscholastic Association leaders met Tuesday with a transfer committee for a second time this fall, exploring a move that could change the high school sports landscape.

They are considering switching the eligibility of transfer athletes in Arizona to the first part of the season and making them ineligible the latter part of the season, including the postseason.

This would be similar to the Ohio high school rule that allows for transfers to be eligible the first half of the season and ineligible the second half and playoffs.

Currently in Arizona, transfers from in-state schools must sit out the early part of a season before being allowed to play. That system allows their participation in playoffs. The rule doesn't apply to out-of-state transfers.

AIA Executive Director David Hines and Assistant Executive Director Joe Paddock discussed with the committee a potential new AIA transfer rule that would allow for first-time transfers in football to be eligible for the first 70% of the season, but then have to sit out the rest of the way, including any playoffs.

The committee, comprised of high school and district athletic directors from big and small conferences, asked the AIA to draft something that it can take back to the conferences and districts to get feedback through a survey.

This is a long way from passing, because it would first have to clear the conferences, then go through the AIA Executive Board, then be voted into bylaw in March by the AIA Legislative Council.

Proposal would differ for various sports

The committee is looking at a proposal in which team sports that have invitationals during the season would allow transfers to be eligible 50% of the season and ineligible the second half. For sports that don't have invitationals, such as football, it would be 70-30 with players who transferred in to be able to play the first seven games in a 10-game season, then sit out the rest of the way.

"They're still going to take it back to the conferences," Hines said following Tuesday's two-hour discussion. "The big thing is trying to put together some language."

Committee members were mixed with some believing this will be the best deterrent to limit transfer moves and recruiting. Others felt this won't get through their schools partly because of how it will end up impacting playoff seeding.

If top transfers who impacted a team early in the season suddenly can't play near the end of the season, how will that skew the playoff seedings? One committee member felt the plan would eliminate the need for Open Division playoffs because there would be a more level post-season playing field.

The Open essentailly was created for the "magnet football programs" that attract top eighth graders from outside school boundaries via the state's open enrollment law, along with high-level transfers from other schools who instantly give teams a boost once they begin playing.

"We created the Open for parity," Hines told the committee. "What I want to do is also protect the schools that are losing kids.

"The schools that are destination schools are getting more transfers. If we have the Open for football and basketball, we are now giving more teams an opportunity for the playoffs."

The AIA has been going with the 50% transfer rule, but it has not been a deterrent because athletes still might get to play eight or nine games once they become eligible in football if playoffs are included.

When asked by a committee member if this could open the AIA up for ligitation if transfers are kept out of the playoffs, AIA attorney Mark Mignella said it could. A member suggested having a document that the athlete and parents sign off on the rule, knowing they can't compete in the last part of the season and the playoffs.

Hines asked the committee, "Is this a football issue or a total sports issue?"

A committee member brought up the local prep academies in basketball that have been getting some of the AIA's top players and how they will get even more if transfers aren't able to play the last 50% of the season and the postseason. Prep academies are not part of the AIA.

'Unintended consequences' a concern

The members also said it could lead  to football academies opening in the Valley with no transfer rules to keep them from competing in all games without penalty.

The question of whether junior varsity transfers should be allowed to play without losing any eligibility was addressed. Will a top sophomore or junior ask to play JV only in order to get game film for recruiting? Or will those underclassmen want to have varsity film, which would be more impressive to show recruiters?

How would that impact small schools that are low in numbers and need JV-level players to also play varsity in order to field teams?

And how would individual-competition sports, such as tennis or swimming, be impacted? Would they have to deal with the same bylaw?

State legislators could get involved.

"How do we put things in place to help offset the transfer issue?" Hines asked. "It does not correct all of them. ... I'm just asking a question, because of unintended consequences. How do we correct the problem without creating two more problems? Again, because I deal with 50 directors across the state, the biggest concern we have is legislators. When they start getting involved, things start going sideways. They have good intention but they do not know how to run an athletic association. That's not their job."

Hines said the AIA  Executive Board is ready to vote on a proposal in December that would  allow prep school basketball players to transfer to an AIA school and only have to sit out the first 50% of the season if the players are academically attending the AIA  school while playing for the prep academy.

If an AIA athlete transferred to a  prep academy, then decided to return to the AIA school, while receiving academics outside of the AIA realm, then he or she would be ineligible the full year, because that would be viewed as a double-transfer, Hines said.

To suggest human-interest story ideas and other news, reach Obert at richard.obert@arizonarepublic.com or 602-316-8827. Follow him on Twitter @azc_obert.

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This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: AIA rule proposal would prevent high school athletes who transfer from playoff participation