Coolidge Guard Allowed to Play Rest of Season

Coolidge guard Derrick Washington was granted a waiver last week to play the remainder of the season, following an appeal to the D.C. public school system.

Washington had been ruled ineligible to play this year by D.C. schools Athletic Director Troy Mathieu, who said that Washington had completed his eligibility according to the eight-semester rule, which limits students to athletic participation in eight consecutive semesters upon entering ninth grade.

Washington played his ninth-grade year at Francis Junior High in 2004-05 and also played in 2006-07 at M.M. Washington and last season at Coolidge. Mathieu said at the beginning of the season that he had declared Washington ineligible because eight semesters had passed since Washington first played at Francis.

What happened in 2005-06, however, has been a source of contention. Washington said he did not enroll in school that year, following the death of his mother. If that was the case, he was eligible for the waiver, because he would have begun this school year having competed in only three athletic seasons.

But Donald Ford, who coached at Young America Works Public Charter School in 2005-06, said that Washington was on his team that season. According to game results that the team reported to The Washington Post that season, Washington played in at least eight games for Young America Works.

"He did play for me that season," said Ford, a former All-Met at Dunbar in the late 1980s. "The problem was the charter [schools] league was so unorganized, I don't think they have any records" of who played.

Washington said Tuesday that he "didn't even go to Young America Works."

"I wasn't in school" that year, he said.

Coolidge Coach Vaughn Jones and Athletic Director Toby Strong were told they could not comment on the matter and referred all questions to the D.C. Public Schools Office of the General Counsel. A request for comment from the office was not returned.

Mathieu said the D.C. Interscholastic Athletic Association does not have a process by which students can apply for a waiver, but added that several other states have a person or committee to whom all waiver requests are referred. Texas, for example, has a waiver review board that handles all requests statewide.

Several other DCIAA coaches said they were upset with the decision. Washington led M.M. Washington and Coolidge, respectively, in scoring the past two seasons. Although the DCIAA has been marked by widespread parity this season, Washington is talented enough to make Coolidge a favorite when playoffs start in two weeks.

Star Gets Strong Support

Ballou's Natasia Saunders is proof that H.D. Woodson hasn't cornered the market on potential Division I girls' basketball players in the DCIAA.

For the second consecutive year, Saunders is putting up some impressive numbers. The difference this season, though, is that her supporting cast is helping to make sure all terrific scoring efforts aren't going for naught. Ballou is 11-6 and in second place in the DCIAA East Division heading into tomorrow's game against Anacostia. Saunders is averaging 25 points per game, tops in the DCIAA.

"We've got a good supporting cast this year," Knights Coach William Brockenberry said. "But the bottom line is, it's set up around her, and she's doing the job."

By pinning all of the responsibilities on its leader, Ballou not only wore Saunders down late in games but also gave opponents little reason to give its four other players much attention. Brockenberry said sophomore forward Monique Williams and freshman guard Evan Phoenix have helped lessen the burden on Saunders.

But nights such as the one last Thursday showed that Saunders can still take over a game as few others can. McKinley started off going box-and-one on her, and Saunders was able to find openings for her jump shot. When the Trainers switched to man-to-man, Saunders blew right past defenders. She finished with 37 points, one off her season-high, in Ballou's 75-48 victory. It was the third time in four games she scored at least 35.

Brockenberry said Saunders has received some recruiting interest from Delaware State and Central Florida, which took note of Saunders in December when Ballou went to a holiday tournament in Coral Springs, Fla. Brockenberry said he hopes those discussions will pick up after the season. He said that Saunders has qualified under the NCAA's initial-eligibility standards.