Minden boys basketball head coach Alan Shaw, who last coached on Jan. 5 against Lakeside, has been suspended by the Webster Parish School district for one year due to a scheduling conflict with the Minden Holiday Classic.
The LHSAA is also looking into an email sent to a head coach one day prior to the Holiday Classic concerning the tournament’s scheduling error. An investigation is currently underway to determine if the email was fraudulent, according to the Shreveport Times.
The way the bracket was designed would have required two boys teams to play five games in order to reach the tournament finals, but LHSAA rule 11.2.3 (4) Tournaments, says: “A team shall be limited to four games in a tournament, including out of state events.”
Shaw could not be reached for comment, but told The Times,”I’ve never been questioned on so much as an eligibility issue on those 25 years. I made a mistake. I admitted it and was open about it.”
The LHSAA would not explain the issue further to the Times on Tuesday.
Doyle said in a text message to the Times that Shaw and Tucker visited the LHSAA offices in Baton Rouge and the decision was made that it would be “handled at the local level.”
Both Woodlawn and Parkway played five games in the Minden Holiday Classic and received letters of reprimand from the LHSAA for playing the additional game.
In past years, athletic teams that played too many contests were fined $100, forced to play one fewer game the following season and the tournament was suspended for a year, according to the Times article. Had the Minden Holiday Classic been suspended for a year the financial impact would have been significant.