He asked to play with the junior varsity just to prove he belonged. supports HTML5 video. The stories, including allegations of human trafficking, highlighted how players on the boys and girls teams suddenly and mysteriously arrived with promises of playing time, eventual college scholarships and new homes, according to interviews with players and internal school documents. "The post included a video with offensive content that will not be tolerated. East Side High School is a four-year public high school in Newark in Essex County, New Jersey, United States, operating as part of the Newark Public Schools. Sherri Davis, NCSS director of public relations, said the students involved have been disciplined. The smell of marijuana often wafted into their room, and they feared arguments downstairs eventually would escalate. HSI agents have also reportedly been asking questions about Brian Gem Garrison - a former adjunct tennis coach at Eastside High School in Taylors, S.C. who was arrested and charged with. Four players from three continents -- all bound by the same dream and pitch: Leave your friends and family behind, travel thousands of miles and use basketball to find a better life. My mom, shes a housekeeper and she used to work at a house in the Palisades, and the lady had kids and was very school-oriented, said Azucena Hilario, a Bravo junior. Steve Lopez is a California native who has been a Los Angeles Times columnist since 2001. *15 questions we still want answered after taxpayer-funded special report. Paterson officials 'highly troubled' by latest bombshell in scandal that began with report of 6 overseas players living in coach's condo and widened to include concerns of human trafficking. All four ended up in Paterson, playing for the powerhouse teams at Eastside High School, now the focus of multiple state and local investigations after a series of NJ Advance Media reports. NJ man had guns, ammo, fake marshal ID at airport: FBI, 'Havana syndrome' 'unlikely' caused by foreign adversary: US intel, Eli Lilly cuts insulin prices up to 70% amid pressure to slash costs. We heard strong opposition to the changes from both the faculty and our community. undefined Paterson Eastside High School basketball scandal From news that six overseas players were living with the boys coach to the discovery of an international pipeline funneling. We are proud that the school holds such an important place in our community, and we look forward to working with everyone and continuing to serve our mission." WHAT TO KNOW: After winning Saturday's sectional semifinal at No. "Felix had problems in his household, and after that, that girl went from place to place," said a coach familiar with the events in Aquino's life that fall. She says that, on weekends, her mother makes and sells pupusas outside the South L.A. home they rent from an uncle. COVINGTON, Ga. - Students at Eastside High School are under fire after a social media post went viral showing discriminatory and racial remarks and actions. The injured boy is 16 years old. Eastside Catholic updated its website announcing Father William Heric, the school's chaplain, as the interim president on Thursday. In short, the district and the students fully understand the infractions that took place at last night's game.The students involved in the incident from both schools have had a tremendous season and have worked incredibly hard to be successful. Even the women making rice-and-beans in the back of the room stopped to snap photos. Once in the mainland United States, Ortiz slept on piles of laundry and cold floors, while Rodriguez lived with a stranger who openly used drugs. The turmoil weighed on Aquino, who confided in a teacher in 2015, according to the school report. In the fall of 2015, officials from her high school filed a report to the state Division of Child Protection and Permanency (formerly the Department of Youth and Family Services). Read more: http://nj-ne.ws/lHtJWSq. Got a tip for a story? What if she owed money to drug dealers? coach blew up, NJSIAA demands 'full accounting' from hoops power with several overseas players, School suspends hoops coach who had 6 overseas players living with him. It happened during the Camden County Tournament Championship game between Camden High School and Eastside High School. Eileen Shafer, the schools superintendent, submitted a status report on the 50-step plan to the New Jersey Board of Education during a recent meeting in Trenton. Legislation would ban buying, selling, makingor altering a transcript with the intent to deceive. *How scandal of overseas hoops players living with H.S. There was no disagreement on that point, or on another one: I was disappointed, but I was not surprised, said Carol Martnez, a Roosevelt senior who has been accepted by two California State University schools and Loyola University New Orleans but is hoping to get into UCLA, USC, UC Santa Barbara or Wesleyan. "I would have been able to pull names out of a hat pretty quick to be able to get her in the right direction. According to our sources, most of the initial speculation has centered around Eastside High Schoolin Taylors, S.C. - and perhaps one other nearby school in the South Carolina government-run. Shes hoping for a scholarship to pay her way. Ortiz left Somerset and moved in with the Rodriguezes in their apartment in downtown Paterson. * Ousted athletic director: There are others at school involved in scandal. So these guys got her over here and then everybody dropped the ball on her.". Use of and/or registration on any portion of this site constitutes acceptance of our User Agreement, Privacy Policy and Cookie Statement, and Your Privacy Choices and Rights (each updated 1/26/2023). 2023 Cox Media Group. What if they came knocking on the door?". It did not escape the notice of the Boyle Heights Beat reporters that a USC student had put out a video in which she said she didnt care about college but was looking forward to games and parties. They said they came because Juan Griles, the basketball coach at Eastside, sold a future that this working-class family from Caugas could not resist. Their stories, when taken together, reveal just how far a high school program would go to scour the earth for talent, only to then discard many of the same players. Superintendent Katrina McCombs released the following statement on Friday afternoon: In the Camden City School District, we pride ourselves on sculpting scholar-athletes and students that understand the importance of character and integrity. *State vows to crack down on international player recruiting. He told me he was going to get it fixed, but I couldn't handle that any more. We had hope," said Selwyn's older brother, Esteban, who joined him in Paterson at their father's insistence. "He made a lot of promises about the future, about getting Selwyn to a university, about getting him to Division 1," Selwyn's father, Edwin, said. As of this writing, we are told the internal investigation conducted by the Greenville sheriffs office into the deputys conduct is complete and that the local agency has no plans to investigate the matter further. 0:00. Follow him on Twitter @MattStanmyre. Edwin Rodriguez said he paid Griles $900 a month for an apartment for Selwyn, then 17, and Esteban, then 24. Lyde, in an interviewbefore his team's season was suspended, refuted Ugboaja's story and denied any wrongdoing. But Esteban, who admits crying when he read the first story about the Eastside scandal, said Selwyn was broken emotionally by Griles and couldn't wait to return to Puerto Rico after graduation in 2013. Both the Paterson Eastside High boys and girls basketball teams have seen an influx of international players enter their programs, raising concerns over immigration statuses. How the administrative changes were executed and the timing was a mistake and our community has spoken. I found out in late June of this year that my wife, Jennifer Mathews, had engaged in multiple extramarital activities, Mathews said in the statement. Some of the Sparks' coaches also are on the Eastside girls staff. They had SAT preps and the older girl was a senior in high school, and theyd use her old tests to study, and they would hire private tutors for them.. He did not stick around for answers. Griles, he said, promised to handle the rest, leaving Edwin to assume his boys would be safe and comfortable. The girls parents are charged with paying $500,000 to get her and her sister admitted under the guise that they were recruits for Trojan crew. Upon learning of this fact, we separated and I filed for divorce in July., Mathews added that he was aware that there is an investigation being conducted and that while he was not a suspect in any illegal activity, I am cooperating fully with law enforcement and will continue to do so.. "Especially because it was our kids who had to suffer the most because of this.. (Andrew Mills | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com). And at 6-foot-5, Ejiofor led Eastside to a pair of Passaic County championships, earning scholarship offers from Duke, LSU, Syracuse, Rutgers and several others. It has also prompted an investigation by the U.S. Secret Service (USSS) although it is not initially clear which component of the multi-faceted situation the feds are focused on. She said she learned of the problem after enrolling last summer at Vanderbilt, where she had earned a full athletic scholarship. The change was posted the day after the school had a meeting with parents. "Yesterday we were made aware of an inappropriate post on social media made by students at Eastside High School," Davis told The Covington News. According to our sources, the deputy in question was not disciplined by the sheriffs office however he is likely to be questioned by HSI regarding his alleged knowledge of the various scandals and proximity to some of its protagonists. Ortiz then briefly played collegiately before pursuing a career in music and art. Coaches Juan Griles, Alberto Maldonado, and supervisor of athletics Gregory Co The school will be known as Eastside High School effective the 2022-2023 school year, which begins in the fall, following a vote during Tuesday evening's board of education meeting. He is heard saying, "This is what happens when you cross the border illegally." Boys and girls teams face state tournament bans. But Aquino's living situation deteriorated soon after she was brought to Paterson, according to coaches and the school report. In her resignation letter teacher Lisa Abraham wrote, "Justyna stands up for each, individual student. Officials said Johnson has been using sick days she accumulated during her career with Paterson Public Schools, which started in 1979. By allowing ads to appear on this site, you support the local businesses who, in turn, support great journalism. 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