GLENCOE, Okla. — On Sept. 5, a district court overturned the Oklahoma Secondary School Activities Association’s decision to deem them ineligible after transferring into the district when the Glencoe Panthers hired Garrett Schubert as their head coach.
Hannah Whitten, attorney for Glencoe Public Schools and Coach Garrett Schubert sent this statement:
“Today’s ruling is a resounding victory for four Glencoe High School basketball players and their families. The court not only reinstated the students’ eligibility but also made clear that OSSAA acted in an arbitrary and capricious manner when it stripped them of the chance to compete. These kids followed every rule, yet were punished by an organization that ignored its own guidance. The judge’s decision affirms what we have said all along — our students did nothing wrong, and fairness must prevail. This outcome is bigger than basketball; it restores accountability and sends a message to every Oklahoma family that their children deserve opportunity, not obstacles."
On Aug. 13, OSSAA denied Glencoe's appeal about four players' eligibility.
Initially, OSSAA deemed them ineligible after transferring into the district when the Panthers hired Garrett Schubert as their head coach.
Schubert took over the Glencoe basketball program after spending several years as an AAU coach. His team included several players in the Stillwater area who decided to join the Panthers after he took the job.
"They have not done anything wrong," Schubert said. "Their parents haven't done anything wrong."
WATCH: 'Not done anything wrong:' Glencoe team fights OSSAA eligibility ruling:
"I had no conversation with the kids before I took the job," Schubert said. "To be safe, I didn't coach these kids all summer, just to be safe for these kids."
Schubert says during that time, the OSSAA told him they did everything right. But last month, the organization ruled those five players would be ineligible for the upcoming season. Superintendent Jay Reeves says the reason remains unclear.
"The goalposts have changed," Reeves said. "They originally said recruiting. Then they ruled that out, and then said rule 24 linked rule. So we were trying to figure out how these kids were linked because coach Schubert did not coach these kids in AAU this year."
The link rule says a coach can't have a link with a player 365 days from the 1st day of school attendance. The school says the OSSAA also listed an open gym practice with the players, and a team camp as reasons for the ruling.
One of those players, junior transfer Cameron Racy, told 2 News he's eligible for baseball, but not basketball.
"I've played with Maddux, and Kent and Preston since I was knee high to a grasshopper," Racy said. "Now that's at risk of being lost, and that really sucks, because I want to play with them."
"They just want to play sports," Schubert added. "And me as a dad, and a coach that's been a part of their lives since they were young, that's all that I want."
The season officially starts in three months.
"I just want these kids to be eligible, to be able to play the sport they love," Schubert said.
"It would really suck because we truly don't know what we did wrong," Racy said. "He didn't recruit us. He didn't recruit me. Me and my parents made this decision."
On Aug. 14, parents filed a lawsuit seeking to overturn the decision and allow the students to play.
“We are deeply disappointed in OSSAA’s decision, but we will not stop fighting for these students,” said Hannah Whitten, attorney for Glencoe Public Schools and Coach Garrett Schubert. “This lawsuit is about holding OSSAA accountable to its own rules. The harm being done to these kids is real, immediate, and entirely avoidable.”
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