Faith Family Academy, a charter high school in south Dallas’ Oak Cliff neighborhood, recently made headlines with their impressive girls’ basketball team. The team managed to recruit 18 transfers, including some of the top players in the country. However, their dreams of making it to the playoffs were shattered when the UIL, the state’s governing body for high school sports, declared Faith Family ineligible for the playoffs this year and suspended their coaches for two years due to recruiting violations.
According to Greg Riddle, a high school sports writer and editor for the Dallas Morning News, Faith Family denies the allegations of recruiting violations and claims that there is no concrete evidence to support the claims. However, the UIL pointed to the 18 transfers and various pieces of evidence, such as social media communication between a Faith Family assistant coach and a player from Lincoln High School, as proof of recruiting violations.
The UIL aims to maintain a level playing field in high school sports by preventing teams from building “super teams” through recruiting violations. While recruiting violations are not uncommon in Texas high school sports, the number of appeals to the state executive committee remains relatively low, indicating that many cases go unreported or unnoticed by coaches.
As a result of the sanctions imposed by the UIL, Faith Family Academy decided to drop out of the UIL and join the Texas Christian Athletic League, allowing them to play a national schedule. The suspended coaches will still be able to coach the team, and the 18 transfers will be eligible to play throughout the season. This move also means that Faith Family will not face any further sanctions from the UIL.
In their new league, Faith Family will face off against Legion Prep Academy, another team with top recruits in the area. This sets the stage for an exciting competition between two powerhouse teams in the TCAL league.
The decision by Faith Family Academy to move to a different league not only allows them to continue playing but also opens up new opportunities for the team to showcase their talent on a national stage. While the recruiting violations have cast a shadow over their season, the team remains determined to make the most of their new league and prove themselves against strong competition.
