Analysis: The Hardship Eligibility Process and Why It Doesnt Apply to Tyran Stokes
Multiple sources tell J425 that SPS sought a hardship hearing for the nation's top basketball recruit. By rule, it doesn't apply to his situation.
The hardship process is a Washington Interscholastic Athletic Association hearing process available to transfer athletes who wish to forego the published eligibility process and plead an individual case to a district hearing board.
In electing this method, the student stipulates that if eligibility isn’t granted, they face a one year sit out period.
J425 can report that multiple sources report that a hardship hearing was held for Stokes shortly after arrival. To date, specifics of what was said or a copy of Stokes’ registration packet (which requires that he answer in writing questions establishing the intent and details of his move) haven’t been obtained by J425.
That said, J425 can still report that either key details were hidden, changed or withheld in the hearing; or the hearing was co-opted to such an extent that core rules relating to the hardship process were violated, resulting in an inevitable ruling of ineligible – even if such a ruling occurs after a fact-finder review.
Based on the WIAA Handbook, a hardship exemption (Rule 18.27.0) provides the District Eligibility Committee the authority to set aside specific eligibility regulations, such as the residency or transfer rules, if a student can demonstrate that “extenuating circumstances” significantly contributed to their non-compliance. However, applying the specific criteria defined in the handbook to Tyran Stokes’s situation suggests that he would fail to qualify for a hardship exemption due to the nature of his departure from his previous school. In short, hardship waivers require situations that occur because of events out of the students’ control. Deciding to pull out of school after getting suspended for fighting is not a strong case for a hardship waiver.
For a student to be granted a hardship waiver, they must meet strict standards. The burden of providing evidence rests entirely on the student.
1. Non-Student Action Requirement: A hardship exists only when the unique circumstances “are not the result of acts or actions by the student or family unit”.
2. No Athletic Motivation: There must be no reason to believe the transfer decision was made for athletic purposes.
3. Severe Circumstances: The situation must be totally different from the majority of students. Common maturation problems, family situations not causing “severe and abnormal emotional problems,” or dissatisfaction with a school’s academic or athletic curriculum do not constitute a hardship.
4. Causal Relationship: There must be a direct relationship between the hardship and the student’s inability to meet the eligibility rule.
Letter of the Law: Evaluation of Tyran Stokes’s Case for Hardship
A Tyran Stokes hardship waiver faces immediate disqualification as hardship exists only when circumstances are “not the result of acts or actions by the student.”(18.27.1.1)
• Facts: Reports confirm Stokes withdrew from Notre Dame High School in California after “facing disciplinary issues at the school, including altercations with students” and having “served a suspension”.
• Evaluation: Because his withdrawal was precipitated by his own behavior (disciplinary issues and altercations), his transfer is the direct result of his own “acts or actions.” Consequently, he fails the fundamental definition of a WIAA hardship.
Spirit of the Law: Fleeing Imposed Discipline
The WIAA Handbook states that a student who is ineligible at a member school (or presumably a school in another state, as WIAA respects reciprocal ineligibility) “may not become immediately eligible at another Member School without completing the imposed conditions of ineligibility”.
• Facts: Stokes withdrew while facing these disciplinary issues and after serving a suspension that kept him sidelined.
• Evaluation: The stated philosophy of the Residence Rule is to “deter students from running away from or avoiding imposed discipline”. Granting a hardship waiver to a student transferring to avoid the consequences of disciplinary actions at a previous school would contradict the association’s core philosophy.
Athletic Purpose Prohibition
A hardship exception will not be granted if there is evidence that the move was motivated by a desire to gain a “desired athletic outcome”.
• Facts: Stokes is the No. 1 ranked recruit in the nation and transferred to a perennial state championship contender (Rainier Beach) mid-season.
• Evaluation: While the disciplinary issues prompted the leave, the immediate enrollment at a top-tier basketball program could be interpreted as a move to ensure continued high-level competition, which violates the condition that the transfer must not be for athletic purposes.
Conclusion
Under the strict text of the WIAA Handbook, Tyran Stokes does not appear to qualify for a hardship exemption. His transfer was necessitated by his own conduct (disciplinary issues and altercations), violating Rule 18.27.1.1, which disqualifies circumstances resulting from the student’s own actions. Furthermore, attempting to secure a hardship waiver would likely expose him to Rule 18.12.1, requiring him to complete any pending conditions of ineligibility from his previous school before playing in Washington.