Decision on Davenport’s eligibility coming soon
Published 2:36 pm Tuesday, December 11, 2018
- Photo/Jonah Enfinger Maori Davenport looks for an open lane during last years state championship.
The decision on whether Maori Davenport will be able to play the rest of the season will be announced on Wednesday.
The Charles Henderson star basketball player, who was ruled ineligible last week for receiving a check after playing for the Team USA’s U18 team this summer, began her appeal on Tuesday in a meeting that involved Charles Henderson principal Brock Kelley and representatives of the Alabama High School Athletic Association.
If the decision is overturned, the case will be sent back to the AHSAA for the next step of the process, which may include a meeting with Central Board of Control.
“They didn’t make a decision today,” Kelley said. “They are going to meet again tomorrow and give us a decision then. We put together a good case. I was able to present for about an hour to them. They listened, had a few questions.”
Kelley was joined in the room by Troy City Schools Superintendent Lee Hicks along with Charles Henderson girls’ basketball coach Dyneshia Jones, head football coach and Athletic Director Brad McCoy and others. Davenport and her family were also in attendance.
“I was the only one allowed to speak on behalf of the school system to the board,” Kelley said. “I presented our findings and our evidence for about an hour and they told me they would, within 24 hours, give me a ruling whether they have overturned the ruling or upheld it.”
Members of the four-person committee representing the AHSAA included Enterprise Athletic Director Trent Trawick, Andalusia head football coach and Athletic Director Trent Taylor, Crenshaw County Superintendent Dodd Hawthorne and Jeff Torrence, principal at Honeysuckle Middle School.
Davenport has missed the last four Trojan games. Charles Henderson has gone 4-0 without Davenport in the lineup. Davenport, who will be attending Rutgers University, entered the season as one of the favorites to land the Alabama Miss Basketball Award after missing out last season. Davenport entered the season ranked as the 15th best recruit in the 2019 class by ESPN as a 5-star recruit.