A Virginia assistant HS basketball coach impersonated a 13-year-old player, leads to multiple firings
Multiple girls basketball coaches were fired from a Virginia high school after a 22-year-old assistant coach was caught impersonating a 13-year-old junior varsity player who was out of town during a January game, according to WAVY TV10.
Video allegedly shows former Churchland High School (Portsmouth, Va.) coach Arlisha Boykins posing as the youth player during the Jan. 21 game. WAVY TV 10 gained access to some video clips and aired them during a news segment, which now lives on YouTube. The player, who is presumed to be Boykins, can be seen blocking an opponent’s shot, celebrating a made layup, and grabbing a rebound after her missed free throw.
Boykins has been fired, as was the head coach of the junior varsity team and the head coach of the varsity team, according to the news outlet.
Churchland administration met with parents and players after the incident. Both the junior varsity and varsity teams decided to opt out of the remainder of the season, according to 13 News Now. Both teams were scheduled to play their final game on Feb. 8; the varsity team instead ended the season with an 0-13 record, and the junior varsity ended at 5-3. MaxPreps shows that the JV game on Jan. 21 against Nansemond River (Suffolk, Va.) was a forfeit.
The family of the 13-year-old told WAVY that their daughter does not plan to attend Churchland next season.
“Coaches always preach to the kids about integrity and those types of things, so I was just shocked,” the father said in the video clip.
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