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Preps

Devils' Sanders ineligible

County says forward violated residency rules when he left Dixie Hollins.

By JOHN C. COTEY, Times Staff Writer
© St. Petersburg Times
published February 8, 2003

ST. PETERSBURG -- Forward Jamon Sanders, the county's fifth-leading rebounder and a key contributor to St. Petersburg's success, has been declared ineligible for the remainder of the season.

However, on a rough day for first-year coach Chris Blackwell, there was some good news. The Green Devils won't have to forfeit any of their 17 victories, keeping alive their chances of playing in next week's Pinellas County Athletic Association championship and retaining their No. 1 district seed.

For now.

Sanders, who played for Dixie Hollins for part of last season before he was dismissed from the team, enrolled at St. Petersburg this summer but never changed addresses. That is a violation of county residency rules, which state that players must play at the schools for which they are zoned unless they have a special permit.

Florida High School Activities Association rules state that a player is eligible as long as he is enrolled on the first day of the school year.

"It's not a violation of FHSAA policy, if he was in school from day one this year, and we are checking that out," county athletic director Bob Hosack said. "If he was in school from day one, they still have an ineligible player. St. Petersburg is not required to forfeit based on school board policy. Unless there's more to the story than I know."

Hosack said that while FHSAA rules generally punish the schools with forfeits, probation and postseason bans, the player is punished when county rules are violated. In this case, Sanders will have to sit out a year.

"If that's the case (that he has to sit out a year), there will be an appeal," Blackwell said. "The schools are the ones that made the mistake. They never said he was zoned for Dixie. Dixie told him he was zoned for St. Pete. Then, when he came here, he came up as zoned for St. Pete. He has all his paperwork showing this."

Blackwell said he hasn't seen the paperwork, but Sanders' mother planned to fax it to Hosack.

But Hosack said, based on what he has been told, this is an open-and-shut case.

"There's two sides to every story," he said. "I talked to Dixie Hollins, and they say they never told him he was zoned for St. Petersburg. They are claiming that they said the kid withdrew. Actually, he never even withdrew. And he never moved. The kid lives in the wrong zone."

If it is found that Sanders was not enrolled on the first day of school, the Green Devils would be in violation of FHSAA rules and could face penalties.

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