Her Kansas City school canceled girls basketball. Now it won’t let her transfer, either

A player shortage canceled the Barstow School’s varsity girls basketball season. Calling it quits on a season before it begins is a tough break. But why are Barstow administrators threatening to block a student-athlete from transferring to another school, as her parents claim?

Last season, Barstow junior Chanelle “Nelly” Anderson was a varsity player for the Lady Knights. And a good one. She hit three or more 3-point field goals in multiple games. Against Lee’s Summit, Nelly made five 3-point shots. Her jump shot is just OK, she told us. How modest. Judging by the video highlights we viewed, Chanelle is a talented player — a potential college recruit. This year, through no fault of her own, Nelly is on the sidelines.

To make up for the lost season, school administrators at the private school in southern Kansas City offered Nelly a spot on the boys team, according to emails from school officials. Absolutely not, her parents told the school. They feel that she’s not physically able to excel in the boys league — and her father Charles Anderson told us he doesn’t want his daughter to be a talking point because of her gender: She just wants to compete against other young women in preparations for what could be a promising college career.

Yes, we understand why there are rules in place to discourage high school recruiting and other questionable transfers. In this case, however, Barstow is unfairly holding Nelly in basketball purgatory. Asking her to compete with boys doesn’t undo the fairness of holding her in place, even when the girls’ team’s season has been canceled.

To compound the injustice, school officials told the family Nelly would be marked ineligible if she leaves Barstow this year, according to Anderson. Talk about playing hardball. The family provided emails to back their assertions.

“You still retain the right to withdraw (Chanelle) and enroll her in another school at any time,” Tom Niermann, head of school at Barstow, wrote in a September email sent to the family. “But her withdrawal includes a financial penalty, and we consider her withdrawal to be based on athletic reasons.”

Niermann confirmed only two players showed up for girls basketball tryouts, and the season was canceled. Why are Barstow officials interfering with a student-athlete’s decision to participate in girls basketball at another school when the Lady Knights don’t even have a team? Niermann told us that as a member of the Missouri State High School Activities Association, the school must follow the organization’s rules and policies.

“When a student requests to transfer schools, MSHSAA member schools must indicate if the reason for the transfer is athletic,” Niermann wrote in an email to the editorial board. “The Barstow School informs any family who may transfer as a high school student that there may be an athletic eligibility issue.”

It’s a private school, and if it wants to charge a financial penalty for a student leaving the school — though with appropriate notice, we can’t imagine why the family would have to pay a steep fee just to enroll somewhere else — that’s between the student’s family and the school. But when there is no viable option for a basketball standout to keep playing at her chosen school, the MHSHAA needs to bend its rules to permit the transfer, without impacting her eligibility. That’s just common sense.

Barstow should let Nelly, and any athlete in her position, transfer elsewhere without contesting the leave with MSHSAA. Nelly wants to play college basketball. A student-athlete’s junior year of high school is a crucial year for evaluation. Missing an entire season could hurt Nelly’s prospects of obtaining a college scholarship.

But common sense is not as common as you’d think. MSHSAA officials told us the bylaws are clear: If a transfer is made for athletic reasons, then the student is ineligible for up to 365 days. Like most zero-tolerance policies, that’s a rule ripe for abuse. The MSHAA’s board of directors should seriously consider adjusting their bylaws for obvious exceptions to the rule. Why penalize a player or their family for wanting an opportunity to participate in after-school activities not offered at their current school?

Back in April, it became apparent Barstow wouldn’t field a team on the girls side, Anderson said. He then inquired about Barstow joining a cooperative sponsorship with another school, which would have allowed Nelly and other Barstow students to compete with a cooperating school. But the co-op never developed, leaving Nelly and others on the outside looking in.

“It was heartbreaking to see only two people cared enough to show up (for tryouts),” Nelly said. “There was like no faith left in the girls basketball program.”

Barstow must side with Nelly and support — not fight — her family’s decision to transfer.

It’s the right thing to do.