This week a disgruntled parent of a high school women’s basketball player filed a lawsuit alleging that Homewood-Flossmoor (HF) varsity girls basketball coach Anthony Smith recruited players in violation of Illinois High School Association (IHSA) rule against recruiting for athletics. Smith denied the allegations. True or not, allegations of dirty recruiting appear to be firmly placing women’s high school athletics on par with men’s sports.
As reported by the Chicago Tribune on Friday, the HF varsity girls team had just been ranked No. 1 in the state. The lawsuit alleges that coach Smith improperly recruited six players from outside the school district and replaced the existing players. Five of those players are now starters on the team. Four of those players came from Smith’s former Bolingbrook team. Smith had won four state titles and placed second twice at Bolingbrook.
Even assuming that nothing improper occurred under IHSA rules, the events seem more like the high school and college recruiting tactics associated with men’s basketball. As quoted in the Chicago Tribune, Purdue University sports sociologist Cheryl Cooky said girls sports are no longer “seen as this nice activity that girls can do to stay physically fit but also becomes a means that girls can get college scholarships and professional opportunities.”
One can feel for those players who were starters on the HF team and now ride the bench. However, that type of cutthroat competition has existed on men’s teams for years. Gone are the days Cooky described where high school sports, especially basketball, are just for fun. Women can at least feel that their sports are treated in equally in that respect.
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