School district removes Camden, Eastside basketball from NJSIAA Tournament after melee
The Camden City School District has pulled both the Camden and Eastside High School boys basketball teams out of the NJSIAA Tournament following a fight that took place during the Camden County Tournament championship on Thursday, Superintendent Katrina McCombs said in a statement Friday.
“This initiative is being taken to ensure that our scholar-athletes know that accountability for their actions is paramount not only in basketball but also in the larger game of life,” the statement read. “In short, the district and the students fully understand the infractions that took place at last night’s game.”
Camden’s decision came before the NJSIAA came to its own decision.
More:Championship between Camden, Eastside basketball halted due to melee: What you need to know
What does this mean?
Two defending state champions are out of the NJSIAA Tournament before it began, and the scholastic careers of Camden star DJ Wagner and other Division-I players are officially over.
Camden was the No. 2 seed in South Jersey Group 2 and was scheduled to start the playoffs at home against No. 15 Lindenwold on Tuesday. The Panthers, who’ve been the No. 1 team in the Courier-Post Mean 15 rankings all season and are currently No. 6 in MaxPreps’ national ranks, were a heavy favorite to repeat as both sectional and state champions. They won their first title since 2000 last year.
Wagner, the two-time Gatorade New Jersey and Courier-Post Player of the Year, the No. 2 player in ESPN’s Class of 2023 rankings and a Kentucky commit, closes his career as one of the legendary program’s all-time greats.
He finished with 2,040 points. He hit the milestone on Senior Night with a career-best 40 on Feb. 9, becoming the 42nd player in South Jersey history and seventh Panther to achieve the feat, joining both his father (Dajuan) and grandfather (Milt).
More:Camden star DJ Wagner becomes 42nd player in South Jersey history to score 2,000 points
Other Camden seniors that have played their last game include Aaron Bradshaw (ESPN’s No. 4 recruit; Kentucky recruit), Cian Medley (St. Louis), Cornelius Robinson (Albany) and Dasear Haskins.
Eastside was the No. 2 seed in South 3 and would’ve opened tournament play at home against No. 15 Clearview Monday. The Tigers won their first state title since 1985 last season.
What happened at the Camden County Tournament?
With 4 minutes, 23 seconds left in the second quarter, Camden’s Robinson hit Eastside’s Titus Bacon as Bacon was trying to set a screen. Bacon retaliated, which led multiple Panther players to chase after the Tigers, bringing other players, coaches and spectators onto the court.
Officials canceled the game with Camden leading 30-17.
This was the first-ever Camden County Tournament final.
Would either team have been able to play in the playoffs had the district not pulled them out?
The NJSIAA hadn’t officially announced any rulings at the time of Camden’s decision.
However, video evidence showed multiple Camden players left the bench during the melee, which would’ve been grounds for disqualification.
Per NJSIAA rules, “Any varsity team accumulating three (3) or more player or coach disqualifications prior to the start of the tournament will not be permitted to participate in the state tournament. Seeded teams will forfeit their right to compete if a disqualification limit is reached prior to the start of the tournament for the team.”
Eastside head coach Kenny Avent asserted his players never left the bench during the fight, but the NJSIAA could’ve punished players or coaches for the incident, leading to the team’s disqualification.
More:State title contender Woodbury girls basketball disqualified from NJSIAA playoffs
What’s next for both tournament brackets?
Both Lindenwold (South 2) and Clearview (South 3) are awarded 2-0, first-round wins and advance to the quarterfinals, per the NJSIAA.
Read McCombs full statement here
“In the Camden City School District, we pride ourselves on sculpting scholar-athletes and students that understand the importance of character and integrity. Our number one objective at the district is to raise students that meet the standards that we set for society and that we want our very own children to embody.
“Nevertheless, last night, at the Cherry Hill High School East gym those standards were severely undermined by an incident between Camden High School and Eastside High School during the championship game of the Camden County Basketball Tournament. Let me be clear, I am saddened and disappointed with the conflict from last night, but I believe we need to make this a learning experience for our student body. Furthermore, we know meaningful action must be taken and it must be done swiftly which is why the District will be withdrawing both teams from NJSIAA tournament play. This initiative is being taken to ensure that our scholar-athletes know that accountability for their actions is paramount not only in basketball but also in the larger game of life. In short, the district and the students fully understand the infractions that took place at last night’s game.
“The students involved in the incident from both schools have had a tremendous season and have worked incredibly hard to be successful. We are not taking away any of the prior successes they have had this year, but we want them to know their actions have consequences.
“That said, even though we will be making this a growth opportunity for our students, we will also continue to contest the unfounded allegations being investigated by the NJSIAA.”
Josh Friedman has produced award-winning South Jersey sports coverage for the Courier Post, The Daily Journal and the Burlington County Times for more than a decade. If you have or know of an interesting story to tell, reach out on Twitter at @JFriedman57 or via email at jfriedman2@gannettnj.com. You can also contact him at 856-486-2431. Help support local journalism with a subscription.
This article originally appeared on Cherry Hill Courier-Post: Camden County NJ basketball championship: teams removed from playoffs
