The Illinois High School Association has disciplined 17 member basketball programs for violating summer contact rules.
According to the Chicago Sun-Times, IHSA bylaws state that the contact period for high school coaches begins after the last day of an academic year's classes or the Monday of Week 49 on the IHSA calendar, whichever comes earliest. Several popular summer team camps, including one at Riverside-Brookfield High School and one at Carmel High, began before the Monday of Week 49.
Boys' basketball coaches and athletic directors from Bogan, Clark, Curie, DePaul Prep, Farragut, Harlan, Kenwood, King, Lincoln Park, Morgan Park, Johnson, >Simeon, Young, Bulls Prep, Evanston, Fenwick and Loyola will be required to participate in an online rules seminar, after the IHSA concluded "there was no malicious intent in these violations or attempt to gain an advantage."
The full statement from IHSA executive director Craig Anderson reads:
“In early June, the boys’ basketball teams at multiple IHSA member high schools participated in various shootout events hosted by fellow member high schools. This is a standard activity and many of the schools participate in the same shootouts annually as a part of their summer programs. The dates of two shootouts this year caused several participating schools to be in violation of an IHSA rule that prevents teams from starting their summer programs before the school year ends. Many of the participating schools had completed their school year and participated legally, however, several others were still in session and violated the rule. In my eyes, there was no malicious intent in these violations or attempt to gain an advantage, nor was any gained. It remains the responsibility of each member school and its personnel to know and follow IHSA rules, so as a result, we are requiring the athletic director and head coach boys’ basketball coach of each program in violation to participate in an online IHSA rules education seminar.”
