Titans Make It 1-15
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(Friday) February 5, 2010
By Carla Branch
alexandrianews.org
Senior forward Ryan Yates. (Photo: Regan Kireilis)
Despite forfeiting all their wins and losing two ineligible players the T. C. Williams High School boys basketball team took the court last night and defeated West Springfield High School 56-25. This makes the Titans’ overall record 1-15, 1-9 in Patriot District play.
The game was originally scheduled for Saturday, Feb. 6, but was played last night because of the predicted snow storm. Senior Ryan Yates led the way for T. C. with 15 points but many other Titans contributed.
The team learned that seniors Billy Rowland and Darius Porter were ineligible on Monday, when they also learned that they would forfeit all of their wins. The technical losses ended a five-year Patriot District Titan winning streak.
Former Titan Coach Ivan Thomas did not lose a Patriot District game in his three years as head coach. “I spoke to Coach King and some of the players as soon as they learned about the two ineligible players,” Thomas said. “It’s a shame that the streak had to end this way.
“When I was at T. C., we were one of the few schools in Virginia that had an academic advisor. It was my responsibility to check players’ eligibility before each season and to look at their transcripts, particularly the seniors. When I left, we hired someone to take my place and made it very clear that he was responsible for monitoring the kids’ academics.
“This situation was totally avoidable. An adult needs to be held accountable,” Thomas said.
Alexandria City Public School Superintendent Morton Sherman asked T. C. Principal Bill Clendaniel to conduct a thorough investigation in to the situation and to report to him by today. The Titans have four remaining Patriot District contests including one game at home next week. The schedule is not clear because of the weather.
