Reclassing is cheating, but currently allowed
by DuRon Grant
Student athletes are reclassing to higher their chances of being successful as a professional athlete. Reclassing is when a student stays back a grade for “educational” purposes, but now student athletes are taking advantage of this rule.
Some student athletes stay back a grade to play against younger, less experienced athletes. This gives the older students a higher chance of dominating their competition and getting a higher rank in the recruiting process. Holding back is allowed because the recruitment and ranking process is determined graduating class and not age.
For example, Hillcrest Prep High School basketball player Kyree Walker, 17, reclassified to heighten his chances of becoming a professional athlete. His birthday is Nov. 20, but Walker is entering his junior year. Walker is 2 grades behind, yet all his coaches know is that he’s class of 2020.
Another example is NBA player Josh Jackson, who also reclassified as a student. He used his extra experience to get a scholarship to Justin Siena High School for basketball. Jackson eventually received a scholarship to play college basketball and went to the NBA.
Student athletes know this action is legal, but many feel that it should be classified as cheating.
RHS basketball player Angelo Robertson said, “The rules should be changed to where you can’t purposely reclass, and you can’t play if you’re over 18 years old, it takes the fun out of the game.”
Hamtramck basketball player Terence Ireland also said the rule isn’t fair. “A student shouldn’t have to worry about facing players 2 or 3 years older every year. As a senior, you should be 18, and not a year older.”
