They're Baaaack!

I just heard from a very reliable source that OFSSA has reversed an earlier ruling making Pickering eligible for OFSSA AAAA if they qualify from their Regional playoffs.

This is a positive development for basketball in the Province in my opinion. The kids deserve the chance and now they're getting it!

I guess I'm a bit of a harda$$...I don't think this is a good thing.
What have they learned from all this...that you can break the rules and only one person, the coach? gets blamed.
Whats to stop Pickering from putting in a sacrificial lamb and name him head coach every year, only to keep breaking the rules with impunity.
If this interpretation of the rule stands, they can do this. This is not personal to Pickering but it applies to all the teams in Ontario.
This really opens up another can of worms.
I've always said, if you don't agree with the rule, work to change it. Until then, it applies. Sorry if it appears harsh but the many rule abiding schools out there are more my concern. They are constantly being shafted and denied the same opportunity simply because they abide by what ofsaa tells them.
So now the asterisk can be put next to Pickering on this ofsaa as being there even though technically they shouldn't be?? Not my rule but Ofsaa's rule that was bent to accomodate Pickering.

You make some good points.

Confirmed: http://www.newsdurhamregion.com/news/sports/article/120423

Pickering can play but Coach Gordensky is still suspended. The team cannot play in any OFSAA sanctioned tournaments next season (they are not banned from the OFSAA championship itself) and the entire athletics program at Pickering is on probation for the rest of this school year, along with the next three school years after this one.

Well if OFSAA bends the rule this year for Pickering, then next year some other team will break a rule and should have OFSAA bend it for them. Sorry I don't agree with this OFSAA change of heart. I feel for the Pickering team but rules are rules. If you don't stick to them, why have them.

The argument against it is that it's not the players fault so why should they get banned for something they absolutely had no control over. It's the coaches fault he's the one that is directing the subs and the team. He should get punished not the grade 12s which will be likely playing basketball for their last year and likely the best year in their career. Why should OFSAA stop them from playing.

That's what's wrong with this ruling. People like DaKid do not understand accountability and responsibility. A coach represents the team and the school. His decision affects them all. They win and lose together. You can't pick and chose when to be a solid unit.
This ruling will only further the separation of responsible and ethical policy from the teams. Pickering and any other school can take this as a sign of acceptance for ignoring ofsaa policy.
So...this year ofsaa championship is ok?? but why the ban on ofsaa tournaments next year? Those are different players for the most part. Where is the concern for them? They (and the replacing coach) likely did not have anything to do with this years debacle. At least, not in the same capacity as this year.
I don't understand that logic either.
man...lots of head scratching here......

What is there not to understand say you are in a car with your friend and he is driving. He crashes his own car on to another car which gets damaged and you are forced to pay half of the damage. Why should you pay when it clearly wasn't your fault that he crashed his own car. Maybe it's not such a good example but you should get my point. The players do not deserve to get banned from a tournament they deserve to get into based on their play on the court. OFSAA should just punish the coach and let the players play ball.

it's a little different when the driver is speeding to get the passengers to their destination. Similar to a coach ignoring rules to give his former players some exposure at an American tournament.

The reality is the system has once again been debunked by a school that has played it's cards loosely for years. These are the same people who let players out-of-region try to by-pass of eligility rules. This is the same school that recruited Myles and Smith from West Hill - and they didn't clear to play ball (and also didn't make eligibility for their NCAA schools either). The players know what they are getting into. So do the parents. They opened the car door and packed their lunches too.

I am glad they are back in. The coach should not be able to drag the kids down. I am glad saner heads prevailed. No asterisk wins for OFSAA.

[quote="rec"]but why the ban on ofsaa tournaments next year?[/quote]

As I indicated, they are not banned from OFSAA, only from OFSAA-sanctioned tournaments. That means they can't travel out of country (or to another province) for a tournament and they can't play in any tournaments that include teams from outside Ontario.

What Big Tournaments run in Ontario are OFSAA sanctioned?

Off the top of my head, the Silver Fox was OFSAA sanctioned this year.

there would not have been an asterisk to begin with if pickering wasn't going to play.

pickering only has 1 starter on this years team that was a starter on last years team so clearly they are a different team. end of story.

That point is so moot now that OFSAA agreed with more reasonable action. The debate about an asterisk is irrelevant. Pickering is back in and as they should be. If they lose they can no longer say teams did not have to go through them. They now have no OFSAA or self-righteous prognosticators to blame for their fate. The kids get to play. Great!!!

do they get a birth into ofsaa automatically because of the championship last year, or with all of the current events do they have to go through play-offs again?

I think they would have to qualify again...

On the other side of this discussion, anyone else thinks that there is going to be a lot of pressure on Pickering to win? To go through with all the commotion and hassle and not go far in the OFSAA tournament will have people questioning whether it was worth it.
Hey, at least they get to represent their school. Hope they do well.

I have a quick question, is there a back door game for the 2nd berth to ofsaa or the two finalist of the LOSSA finals go to ofsaa?

Pickering is BACKKK!!!!

Now they can keep their Warmup Chants going: 3PEAT!!...3PEAT!!....3PEAT!!

I believe Pickering can make it back to the finals , BUT this whole Situation has been a HUGE distraction for them, While Eastern is Focused and Narrowing in on the Title. Can they do it again?....it would be AMAZING after all the scrutony this year.

and for People who hate on Pickering because they are too successful ...Please Dont and Work to get on the level (thats real talk)


and food for thought, it will be interesting where OFSAA ranks Pickering in Windsor (1st, 2nd, 7th?)

As I said I feel for the Pickering team BUT the team also knew they had ineligible player/s at this tournament....it wasn't just the coach. Parents knew as well.
We should all remember next year that OFSAA rules are meant to be broken.

personally i don't think pickering can pull out a 3-peat. but it's good to know they have a chance to 3-peat.

[quote="Xavier Rimrocker"][quote="rec"]but why the ban on ofsaa tournaments next year?[/quote]

As I indicated, they are not banned from OFSAA, only from OFSAA-sanctioned tournaments. That means they can't travel out of country (or to another province) for a tournament and they can't play in any tournaments that include teams from outside Ontario.[/quote]

Sorry, I didn't make that clear. That's what I meant, any ofsaa sanctioned tournament.
btw, isn't that the rule now...that ineligible players can't participate in those ofssa sanctioned tournaments....so next year they're not eligible to play...but they will go and play...and then what...ban them again for the next year....and then....see where this goes...

slamdunk nailed it perfectly...everyone knows to break the rules so go at it coaches.

Alot of teams play ineligible players in tournaments in Ontario.

I dont think the Pickering coach broadcasted to players and parents that he had to get permision from OFSSA to attend the tournament. More than likely he just informed his players that they had a tournament on such date in such state. How many of you at 18 can honestly say you would have known about this rule. I know for sure if I was going to a US tournament at 18 I would never take the time out of my day and research OFSSA rules, because I would leave it up to my coach.You put your trust in your coach, if he calls your name your ready to go. How many parents are going to stop what there doing and research that information? you will get the odd parent here or there who follows basketball enough who might , but for the most part parents just care if their kid is playin or not.

Put yourself in the shoes of Jonathan Tull. Somebody who attended Pickering for all 5 years. His last year of High School ball hes not aloud to go and compete at OFSSA because of his bonehead coach. If I was in that situation I would resent my Coach for life, because I didnt do anything wrong. I'm gettin punished for his mistake? Forget that!

I bet you if you asked every single Senior basketball coach in Ontario at the begining of the season if they knew about this rule well over half of them would tell you no. If the coaches dont know, how do you expect the players too. When the Coach is ignorant enough just to ignore it, and not tell the players then they should not have been punished in the first place. The orginal ban of the entire team from OFSAA was extreme.

That is my opinion on the original ruling. I think OFSSA really showed weakness by overturning this rule. They basically showed that they can be pushed around. Dont be surprised if an incident like this in another sport arises, and they try the same thing. OFSSA dropped the ball on this one.

I have been a high school coach for ten years and I had no knowledge of this rule prior to this incident.

I have coached for more than fifty years at the club, elementary and high school also BDP, MDP and JDP. I knew nothing of this rule. Granted I have not taken a lot of Junior teams outside the country but I have taken club teams.

Maybe it behooves a Senior coach who does to have knowledge of this.

Is it posted on the OFSSAA website?

I have been in basketball for 30 years on both sides of the border. Believe me when I say that the players and their parents know the rules just as well or better than the coaches. I had been corrected and reminded by a number of players and parents on issues just so that I did not jeopordize our teams chances in the State or Provincial championships. Every coach knows the eligibility rules especially because it has a large impact on the team. Ignorance is no excuse and is not a plausable one from super programs such as Pickering.
We lost to Pickering in a major tournament a couple years back when they played with seven players (split squad) including Myles and Smith. They were later eventually ruled ineligible for the year but the damage was done. They did not loose their championship medals. This escapade has shown that the Pickering program did not learn from the first cheating episode (and the fooball episode also).
Now, with this new OFSSA decision I believe they have learned. LEARNED HOW TO CHEAT AND GET AWAY WITH IT.
OFSSA you have fumbled the ball on this one. I feel sorry for all of the "by-the-book" LOSSA teams and the legitimate qualified teams for OFSSA.