A girl’s high school basketball program in South Carolina is officially disqualified from the playoffs due to an eligibility concern. Ashley Ridge will not be allowed to compete in the state title game after losing only one game then entire season.

Cane Bay athletic director Randall Tucker vehemently denies his involvement in the anonymous tip that got the ball rolling earlier this week.

Ashley Ridge High School is located in Summerville, South Carolina, approximately 25 miles inland from Charleston proper. The Swamp Foxes lost their first game of the 2024-25 girl’s high school basketball season by one point in November and then never lost again. They finished the regular season with only one loss. They won the state playoff semifinal game in double overtime on Monday night.

And then the news broke on Tuesday that Ashley Ridge was officially disqualified from the playoffs by the South Carolina High School League for “use of a player they are deeming ineligible.” The Swamp Foxes lost their appeal and will not be allowed to play in the Lower State Championship Game. They have one final opportunity to appeal on Friday afternoon prior to the game on Saturday. It could then be moved back to Sunday or Monday based on the outcome.

Although said player has yet to be named publicly, the issue is linked to her home address and whether or not it falls inside the school’s residency limits. According to SCHSL associate commissioner Charlie Wentzky, the ineligible transfer player played at Cane Bay High School last season, approximately 18 miles away. Her younger sibling is still enrolled at Cane Bay.

Per league by-laws, the transfer player would have to sit out 365 days before being eligible unless one of the 16 exceptions in the league’s by-laws are met. None of the 16 exceptions were met. She is ineligible. Ashley Ridge is disqualified.

An anonymous tip sounded the alarms so people immediately pointed fingers at Tucker. The current athletic director at Cane Bay previously served in the same role at Ashley Ridge for nine years, up until July, so the optics initially made him look guilty.

However, he denied any involvement in a statement to Scott Eisberg of WCIV.

There seems to be a lot of speculation circulating about Cane Bay High School’s involvement with the Ashley Ridge girl’s basketball situation. Having served as the Athletic Director at Ashley Ridge for the previous nine years, it is disheartening to hear that my former colleagues in DD2 and at ARHS would think that I would report this type of issue at this point in the season.

I moved over from AR to Cane Bay to serve as the athletic director in July. I had no knowledge that there was na issue regarding the student in question. To my knowledge, no one from Cane Bay has reported any issues to the SCHSL. I spoke directly with our girls’ head coach, and he confirmed the same — he has not made any reports. Simply put — this is not a Cane Bay issue. I have tried to stay out of the conversation but I feel the need to address some of the rumors that allege that Cane Bay is behind this report to the SCHSL.

In this case, a student transferred from our school to another school. As the AD at Cane Bay, I have no way of knowing what her eligibility status would be at another school. I assumed that she met the transfer requirements, just like any other transfer student playing on a team. Ultimately, it is up to the new school to ensure the SCHSL eligibility standards are met. It is neither my responsibility nor the responsibility of Cane Bay High School to make sure they are handling their incoming transfers properly.

Personally, I don’t agree with the timing of this report, as it puts all involved in a difficult position. I feel for the student athlete at the center of this. I wish the AR Administration, Coach Brown and the Foxes luck with the appeal tomorrow. I think the issue in question was simply a mistake and not a calculated attempt to break the rules. I truly hope the appeallate panel shows them grace and allows for the team to continue to compete in the state playoffs.

— Randall Tucker

There you have it. If he is telling the truth, I commend Tucker for his statement. For him to ask for the appeallate panel to let his former school-turned-rival compete because he thinks it was a simple mistake is a classy move. Will the panel listen? That has yet to be determined…