The PIAA’s new rules on transfers and a “competitive classification formula” are now in the books. So it’s time to explain and opine.
A little more than two weeks ago the PIAA board of directors passed the rules, which are seen by many as major changes. One rule deals with student-athletes who transfer after the start of their sophomore years, a rule that could end up barring some transfer students from playing in the postseason.
The classification formula rule deals with only football and basketball teams and involves bumping up teams one classification if they go far in postseason play and use transfers.
The rules are the PIAA’s attempt of trying to address the growing number of critics who want separate postseason tournaments for public and private/Catholic/charter schools. These new rules may not quiet those critics. But we’re not here to tackle the public vs. private schools issue again.
Some questions have come up from coaches and fans about the new rules, so we’re here to offer help. It also should be pointed out that the new rules have holes and could put some coaches in tough situations.
Explanations
• 10th-grade transfer rule — It has been widely reported that the new PIAA rule makes any athlete ineligible for the postseason (district or PIAA playoffs) at their new school if they transfer at any time after the start of 10th grade. That is only partially true.
The rule actually means a transfer student is ineligible for the postseason in any sport they participated in after the start of 10th grade. For example, a sophomore does not play football and transfers to another school in October and wants to play basketball. He is completely eligible for basketball and any other sport because he did not play those sports before the transfer.
But if a sophomore plays football and transfers in December to a new school, he is ineligible for the football postseason in his junior year at the new school, but completely eligible in any other sports.
This new rule goes into effect Aug. 6.
• Hardships — The 10th-grade transfer rule can be waived for hardship cases, such as a change in employment by a parent or guardian. The rule also states that “a demonstrable change in income or other financial resources that compels withdrawal from a private school” is a reason to waive the 10th grade transfer rule.
However, it is important to note the PIAA rule states that postseason ineligibility will not be waived for a student who uses “academic, developmental, spiritual and/or social reasons” for the transfer, or “a change of residence resulting from a family situation, unless court approved.”
• More transfer rules — The PIAA passed the 10th-grade transfer rule in July, but the PIAA passed a few other transfer rules earlier. If a student-athlete is eligible to participate in at least 50 percent of the maximum regular-season games and then transfers, they can’t play at their new school the rest of the season.
Call this the “Neumann-Goretti Rule.” This rule was put in to stop what happened with the Neumann-Goretti girls basketball team this year. Diamond Johnson played almost an entire season at a school in Virginia and averaged 33 points a game before transferring to Neumann-Goretti. She was ruled eligible before the postseason and helped the team win a PIAA championship.
• Old rule still exists — Despite the new transfer rules, the PIAA still has the rule where a student-athlete can be ruled ineligible for a year (regular season and postseason) if it is ruled they transferred for athletic reasons.
• Competitive classification formula — The PIAA came up with the formula name. This rule deals with only football and basketball and makes teams move up in classification if they go far in the postseason and do so with a number of transfers. The formula might be a little confusing, but here goes:
Advancing to a district championship — such as the WPIAL — would give a team one point, the PIAA quarterfinals two points, the PIAA semifinals three and a PIAA championship four. It’s important to note that points are not cumulative in a season. If a team goes to a PIAA title game, it gets only four points.
If a football or basketball team reaches six points or more over a two-year span and also exceeds the maximum number of transfers allowed, then the school moves up one classification when the PIAA realigns every two years. The maximum number of transfer students allowed on a team over a two-year span is two in basketball and five in football.
Teams that are successful and don’t reach the maximum number of transfers are unaffected by the rule. Also, teams that might have a number of transfers, but don’t go far in the postseason will not be affected.
Transfers will be followed for the next two years and teams can start getting bumped up in classification starting in the 2020-21 school year.
• Ninth-graders count — Under the competitive classification formula rules, students who transfer after the natural break of eighth grade to ninth grade do not count. But if a student transfers after the start of ninth grade and plays basketball or football, that student counts toward a school’s number of transfers, even if that student plays only on the ninth-grade or JV team.
Opinions
• The competitive classification formula has a hole. It is veritable open season for Class 6A teams (like St. Joseph’s Prep of Philadelphia) to welcome transfers because they can’t be bumped up in classification. PIAA executive director Bob Lombardi said the PIAA couldn’t figure out a solution to the 6A problem at this time, but still decided to pass the rule.
Although Class 6A basketball and football teams can’t be bumped up in class, transfer students still face postseason ineligibility if they transfer any time after playing in 10th grade.
• The competitive classification formula is going to affect so few schools because a team has to go to the PIAA semifinals at least once and then go far again the next season to reach six points.
• If the “10th-grade transfer” rule was around the past two years, it’s interesting to think what would’ve happened to some transfers in the WPIAL. Kenny White would not have been eligible for Pine-Richland’s football or basketball postseasons last year after transferring from West Allegheny. Would Thomas Burns have been eligible for Pine-Richland’s football postseason after leaving Florida and moving in with his older brother, Steeler defensive back Artie Burns?
Joey Porter Jr. wouldn’t have been eligible for North Allegheny’s football postseason last year after transferring from Cardinal Wuerl North Catholic. Michael “Dino” Tomlin wouldn’t have been eligible for Shady Side Academy’s postseason in 2017 after transferring from Cardinal Wuerl North Catholic, but Shady Side didn’t make the WPIAL playoffs.
• The new rules could put coaches in some tough situations. Think of this: If one of your football players transferred after 10th grade and is ineligible for the postseason, how much do you play him in the regular season, even if he is a starter? Do you sit him a little more in order to get another player ready for the postseason?
As for the competition classification formula, imagine this situation: Say you’re the coach of the Neumann-Goretti boys basketball team, a powerhouse in Philadelphia that has won eight PIAA titles in nine years. Your team has one transfer student this season and makes it to the PIAA semifinals. Then next summer, a sophomore transfers to your school and is good enough to make a contribution to the team, but not be a star. Do you cut him, because putting him on the team would mean you have to bump up in classification the next year?
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Mike White: mwhite@post-gazette.com and Twitter @mwhiteburgh
First Published: August 2, 2018, 11:00 a.m.
