Two days after a season-ending loss to Young in the Public League playoffs, Austin learned it would be relegated to the Blue Division next season.
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Donald Pittman, head of the Public League’s board of principals, announced Thursday that the board had upheld executive director J.W. Smith’s ruling last week that Austin must forfeit 26 games for using an ineligible player.
“We saw no reason to reverse J.W.’s decision,” Pittman said. “As a result, Austin’s record is 1-27 and it will play in the Blue Division next season.”
Austin junior forward Michael Edwards was found in violation of the Public League’s past-semester-standing rule. According to documents reviewed by Smith, Edwards did not compile enough academic credits in his second semester at Kennedy two years ago to be eligible after transferring to Austin. He wasn’t enrolled in any school last year.
Edwards said he was unaware of the rule that was adopted last year, and had he known, he would have sat out the first semester at Austin to become eligible the second.
Austin went 26-4 last season in sweeping through the Blue Division and moving up to the Red Division for the first time since 1981. The Tigers finished third in the Red West and were 18-8 before the forfeits. Each season, last-place teams in the Red Division and first-place finishers in the Blue exchange places.
“We’ll just work our way back up to the Red Division,” said Austin coach Frank Lollino Jr. “You haven’t heard the last of Austin basketball, I promise you that.”
— Bob Sakamoto.
City pride: Revenge will be on the minds of local basketball stars at the second annual Chicago vs. New York Wendy’s All-Star Shootout April 2 at the UIC Pavilion. The all-star game televised by Fox (WFLD-TV) features Cedrick Banks and Martell Bailey of Westinghouse, Dwyane Wade of Richards, Cameron Echols of Simeon, Matt Lottich of New Trier, Odartey Blankson and Reo Logan of Hillcrest, T.J. Cummings of Homewood-Flossmoor, Marcus Smallwood of Elgin and Brett Melton of Mahomet-Seymour, a group out for payback for New York’s victory last year. The Team Chicago coaches are Chris Head of Westinghouse and Rick Malnati of New Trier. Tickets, $5 for adults and $3 for students, go on sale Wednesday at Ticketmaster and the Illinois-Chicago box office.
Big Mac: Andre Brown of Leo and Darius Miles of East St. Louis will team up on the West team at the McDonald’s All-American Game March 29 at the FleetCenter in Boston. The 6-foot-9-inch Brown, who has signed with DePaul, was selected after averaging 26 points and 13 rebounds for the No. 1-ranked team in Class A. The 6-9 Miles averages 22 points, 13 rebounds and seven blocks and is headed for St. John’s unless he is a lottery pick in the NBA draft. Other standouts on the West squad include 6-9 Zach Randolph of Marion, Ind., and guard Marcus Taylor of Lansing, Mich. Heading the East team are 7-6 Neil Fingleton of Worcester, Mass., 6-9 Eddie Griffin of Philadelphia, 6-7 Gerald Wallace of Childersbury, Ala., plus New York guards Omar Cook and Andre Barrett. The game will be televised by ESPN at 7 p.m.
New school, new job: Mike Murphy, former assistant at Libertyville, York, Bremen and St. Rita, has been named varsity basketball coach at Vernon Hills High School, which opens next fall.