Ineligible player costs Bartlett 17 wins

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Bartlett enjoyed its highest win total in three years during the 2008-09 girls basketball season, but those victories were nullified when the Illinois High School Association ruled Tuesday that one of the team’s members was ineligible.

The Hawks finished the season 17-11, but the record will now stand at 0-28. In a statement released by the school, Bartlett principal Dr. Kevin Skinkis said, “We are disappointed in the ruling, but we will abide by it.”

The ineligible player is believed to be freshman Ashley Santos, but school officials said they could not verify that due to student confidentiality rules. Bartlett coach Denise Sarna declined to comment, referring to Skinkis as the school’s lone spokesperson on the matter.

Skinkis did confirm that the ineligibility “had nothing to do with residency rules. It had to do with guardianship issues.”

IHSA Executive Director Marty Hickman made his initial ruling in early March. Bartlett appealed, but the ruling was upheld by the IHSA Board of Directors on Tuesday.

Minutes from the IHSA’s meeting state that the student was from Streamwood and in violation of IHSA bylaw 3.045. That specific rule deals with students who transfer between school attendance boundaries in conjunction with a change in guardianship.

“In order to be eligible under the circumstances this girl faced, she would have to get court-appointed guardianship,” Hickman said by phone Wednesday. “She didn’t have that so she was ruled ineligible.”

Santos, believed to be the player in question, was a key part of Bartlett’s success last season, averaging 13.3 points and 4.4 rebounds per game. She was named to The Courier-News All-Area second team and earned All-Upstate Eight Conference honors.

The original ruling stated that the player is ineligible for the 2009-10 season, but the IHSA changed that stance in Tuesday’s ruling, saying that Hickman will review the student’s eligibility status for next year after receiving documentation regarding residency and assignment of guardianship.

“They are going to have to get that issue clarified,” Hickman said. “We will need them to give us additional documentation and then we’ll be able to make another ruling on the matter.”

That’s good news for the Hawks, who have a bright future after a number of underclassmen contributed to last season’s success, including sophomore standout Jacki Gulczynski.

Bartlett’s girls basketball team is one of the area’s more successful programs. The Hawks have enjoyed winning seasons in seven of the past eight seasons, including a second-place finish in the Class AA playoffs in 2005.

Multiple phone messages seeking comment from members of the team were not returned on Wednesday. Staff writers Cigi Ross and Erin Calandriello contributed to this report.