Star player’s immigration status jeopardizes team’s winning season

The top-ranked Michael Krop Senior High boys’ varsity basketball team may miss the playoffs if its star player is deemed ineligible.

http://www.miamiherald.com/2011/02/08/2 ... rwork.html

By Kathleen McGrory
kmcgrory@MiamiHerald.com

They should be headed to the Miami-Dade District playoffs, but instead, some Michael Krop Senior basketball players are headed to court.

After winning all but three games this season, the Lightning learned its star player had not been eligible to play. At issue: Paperwork for international students that should have been filed with the Florida High School Athletic Association.

And that has also sparked a communitywide debate whether immigration status has a role in high school sports.
The FHSAA, which governs all high school athletics in the state, has strict rules for foreign-born players who are in the United States on a student visa.

But Krop never filed those papers for 19-year-old Bryan Delancy, a Bahamas native.

If Delancy is deemed ineligible, Krop will have to forfeit the 19 games he played in – and won’t make the district playoffs that begin Thursday.

Veteran Krop coach Shakey Rodriguez said he didn’t know the paperwork was necessary.

“We have never had a situation where we’ve had to deal with this,â€