Courts rule in LHSAA’s favor; VCHS ousted from playoffs

Vandebilt Catholic girls’ basketball coach Kathy Luke walked out of the University Center in Hammond on Friday afternoon and said all that needed to be said.

“It’s been a long week,” the coach murmured to a parent with a wry smile as she turned and headed toward the team bus. “Let’s go home.”

The coach’s thoughts were exactly on point.

After a three-day battle in two separate courtrooms, the First Circuit Court of Appeals in Baton Rouge ruled late Friday afternoon in favor of the Louisiana High School Athletic Association.

This ruling overturned a restraining order that had been granted in a Houma courtroom one day earlier, which paused the LHSAA’s ruling last Wednesday that Vandebilt sophomore guard Jewel Triggs was ineligible because of a violation of the residency and transfer rules.

More important than the legal jargon, the Baton Rouge court’s ruling forced Vandebilt to forfeit its Feb. 25 playoff quarterfinals win against Salmen High School – ending the team’s season. The ruling came down approximately a half-hour before they were scheduled to play a LHSAA Class 4A Semifinals game with St. Michaels.

Instead, Salmen played in their place – and won, moving to the Class 4A Finals set for this weekend.

Outside the gym while the game took place, the Lady Terriers’ players searched for answers and lamented what had been a long, confusing week for the prestigious basketball program.

 

Short-lived Quarterfinals victory

The final seconds ticked off the clock and Luke took a peak at the scoreboard.

The giant electronic board shined back a beautiful sight to the coach and the rest of the Vandebilt fans packed into the gym for Monday night’s Class 4A Quarterfinals game between the Lady Terriers and Salmen.

The bright bulbs within it read: Home 48, Away 44.

Vandebilt had done it. Despite being an underdog to most, they had avenged their 2012 Semifinals loss to the Lady Tigers and had pushed their way back to Hammond.

As the final ticks bled off the clock, Luke threw her arms in the air in sheer jubilation. She pumped her fists with exuberance as the Lady Terriers stormed onto the court to celebrate their victory – their biggest of the season.

Senior guard Shakira Harding said the team celebrated the victory so passionately because no one expected the Lady Terriers to win.

Other players agreed and it showed in the joy and passion within the gym floor as the team cut down the nets in honor of a return trip to Hammond.

Among the Vandebilt players relishing the moment was Triggs, a 5-foot, 9-inch sophomore wing player who solidified a spot in the starting lineup this season because of her versatility and skill.

But shortly before the playoffs started, LHSAA Executive Director Kenny Henderson said his office was summoned to the Vandebilt campus after the school requested an investigation into Triggs’ eligibility.

“The school asked for this. They are the first ones who notified us about the situation,” Henderson said. “They called and prompted us to look into the matter.”

Triggs played in every district game for the Lady Terriers except the final game of the season against Ellender – a game that she watched from the bench without dressing out. No explanation was given at the time regarding her absence.

A source close to the Vandebilt basketball program told the Tri-Parish Times that Triggs was held out of that game because of the pending LHSAA inquiry.

Triggs returned to the team’s lineup in the playoffs and had played in all of the Lady Terriers’ three postseason games – including against Salmen.

The reason for the inquiry was because of confusion regarding the student athlete’s residence, according to Henderson.

According to a source that asked for anonymity, the school received a tip late in the regular season that Triggs was possibly living with her father Garland Triggs, in Thibodaux during the school year.

If that were the case, Triggs would not be eligible under LHSAA rules because she attended St. Joseph Elementary School in Thibodaux as a seventh grader.

To make the move out of town to Vandebilt would have required the player to sit out of athletic competition for a calendar year.

Triggs failed to do so and competed for Vandebilt in her eighth grade year.

Triggs’ mother and father divorced in November 2010 and in the joint-custody agreement, mother Charity Triggs was listed as Jewel’s primary parent. The address provided in the agreement by the mother was a Houma address.

As the LHSAA looked into the matter, Henderson said making a final determination was proving difficult because of a lack of evidence to support one side over the other.

That is the reason why the investigation stayed open all the way into this week and wasn’t decided before the playoffs got under way.

But this past Wednesday, Henderson said his office got unexpected testimony it needed to make a final determination.

“We received additional information in this case at that time,” Henderson said. “Once we had that information, we were comfortable in making a ruling and moving forward.”

 

 

Statement sets forward LHSAA’s ruling

According to information uncovered during the LHSAA’s appeal in Baton Rouge on Friday, the LHSAA received a sworn written affidavit last week from a, “former Vandebilt player who now lives in Florida.”

In the affidavit, the LHSAA said they were told that Triggs lived in Thibodaux and that the Lady Terriers’ coaching staff and players were aware of Triggs’ living situation – and even took measures to accommodate it.

The Tri-Parish Times learned this week that the former player played with the program for two seasons before transferring to a new school. 

The player’s family moved out of town following the junior season. 

With the written testimony, the LHSAA felt it had enough to close its case and make a ruling. The governing body ruled last Wednesday evening that Triggs was ineligible and that Vandebilt would forfeit its spot in the playoffs.

Hours later on Thursday morning, they voted by a wide margin to place Salmen back into the playoffs in Vandebilt’s spot.

After learning the decision, the Triggs family countered the LHSAA’s ruling and filed a motion in state district court in Houma to be granted a temporary restraining order from the LHSAA.

Listed in the lawsuit were Garland and Charity Triggs. Vandebilt Catholic was not mentioned in the suit.

Local attorney Jay Luke (husband of Kathy Luke) agreed to represent the Triggs family in the matter.

If successful, the temporary restraining order would have forced the LHSAA to freeze its penalty on Triggs pending a final hearing, which would have occurred within 10 days.

The case was heard throughout Thursday in Judge George Larke Sr.’s courtroom.

Late Thursday afternoon, Larke granted the restraining order and Henderson told the Tri-Parish Times that night that the Lady Terriers were back in the playoff bracket.

The LHSAA countered and announced late Thursday evening that it would appeal the decision – both in Larke’s courtroom and also in a higher court if necessary.

That decision meant that both Vandebilt and Salmen were told to show up in Hammond for Friday’s 4:30 p.m. tip-off.

Whichever side won the legal battle would continue its season.

The other would go home empty-handed.

 

 

Final ruling hits hard

Throughout the week of drama, Kathy Luke has refrained from commenting on specifics regarding the investigation and its various rulings.

She was reached by phone three times Friday and was asked whether she had heard any news about the court proceedings that were occurring that morning and afternoon.

During the final conversation, which occurred at 1:47 p.m., Luke said she prayed about the situation earlier in the day and had a “good feeling spiritually” that Vandebilt would be able to play.

The Lady Terriers went through their morning walkthrough in Hammond without a hitch.

They took the floor just before 4 p.m. and started warming up for St. Michaels – again without a hitch.

But just three minutes after starting its drills, the team was pulled off the court and taken to its locker room.

While there, they were told the news that had the University Center’s floor-level employees scrambling in chaos.

The LHSAA had lost its Friday morning appeal in Larke’s courtroom and had taken the case to the First Circuit Court of Appeals in Baton Rouge.

There, they successfully lifted the restraining order – the final and decisive blow in the three-day legal battle.

Triggs was officially ineligible. Vandebilt was forced to forfeit its victory on Monday. As the last team Vandebilt defeated, the Lady Tigers were placed back in the playoff bracket – per the LHSAA handbook.

Henderson said Salmen being placed back into the bracket was “saved by the bell” scenario.

He said that if the 4:30 p.m. game would have started, the LHSAA would have allowed it to be completed.

Vandebilt would have just forfeited following the game, if victorious.

“We wouldn’t have embarrassed the kids and pulled them off the court,” Henderson said. “If it would have gotten started, it would have finished. And then St. Michaels would have been granted a spot in the finals as the last team that Vandebilt had competed against.”

When news broke of the decision, University Center employees scrambled to get Salmen into the arena without allowing them to come in contact with Vandebilt.

No decision was made regarding the swap to the University Center crowd.

Many Vandebilt fans didn’t realize what had taken place until they saw Salmen’s players trot onto the court to begin stretching.

“So we’re out?” one parent asked when word had filtered across the arena’s floor. “And is it for real this time? No more petitions? There’s no way to fight this? We’re just out?”

Outside the arena, Vandebilt fans lobbied for refunds, which were not given.

Parents lined up in the University Center’s parking area to wait for their daughter to come out of the locker room.

When that occurred, it was tough to find a dry eye, as the Vandebilt players were noticeably filled with emotion at their playoff exit.

Triggs and her family stood at the side of the bus and quietly talked amongst one another.

The Vandebilt sophomore had noticeably been crying. Her family asked for space and refused to comment on the decision.

In addition to the forfeiture in the Salmen game, Henderson said Vandebilt would be forced to vacate all of its wins from this season in games Triggs competed.

He added that upon the investigation’s completion, it’s likely that the team’s victories from the 2011-12 season will also be vacated.

“That appears likely at this point,” Henderson said.

The Vandebilt girls’ basketball program has also been fined $200 and placed on administrative probation for 12 months.

They will also be forced to return the gate from their two postseason home games and will be staked with paying for the costs involving the investigation.

Per the penalty, Luke will be required to take part in LHSAA handbook certification classes.

Triggs will be ineligible for a calendar year.

Other penalties aside, the biggest burn on this day for Vandebilt was its playoff exit – that was the source of most of the team’s angst.

After a three-day legal battle, Vandebilt’s long week ended in a bus trip back to Houma.

A trip that occurred without the team being given a shot to play in the Class 4A State Semifinals.

Vandebilt Catholic girls’ basketball coach Kathy Luke meets with the family of Jewel Triggs right after a judge overturned a temporary restraining order Friday afternoon, which made the sophomore guard ineligible. The Lady Terriers were scheduled to play St. Michael on Friday afternoon. That game never took place because the court reversed the decision approximately 30 minutes before tip-off. Vandebilt will be ordered to pay fines and forfeit wins as part of an LHSAA investigation’s findings. 

CASEY GISCLAIR | TRI-PARISH TIMES