Get all your news in one place.
100’s of premium titles.
One app.
Start reading
USA Today Sports Media Group
USA Today Sports Media Group
Sport
Logan Newman

A Virginia assistant HS basketball coach impersonated a 13-year-old player, leads to multiple firings

Multiple girls basketball coaches were fired from a Virginia high school after a 22-year-old assistant coach was caught impersonating a 13-year-old junior varsity player who was out of town during a January game, according to WAVY TV10.

Video allegedly shows former Churchland High School (Portsmouth, Va.) coach Arlisha Boykins posing as the youth player during the Jan. 21 game. WAVY TV 10 gained access to some video clips and aired them during a news segment, which now lives on YouTube. The player, who is presumed to be Boykins, can be seen blocking an opponent’s shot, celebrating a made layup, and grabbing a rebound after her missed free throw.

Boykins has been fired, as was the head coach of the junior varsity team and the head coach of the varsity team, according to the news outlet.

Churchland administration met with parents and players after the incident. Both the junior varsity and varsity teams decided to opt out of the remainder of the season, according to 13 News Now. Both teams were scheduled to play their final game on Feb. 8; the varsity team instead ended the season with an 0-13 record, and the junior varsity ended at 5-3. MaxPreps shows that the JV game on Jan. 21 against Nansemond River (Suffolk, Va.) was a forfeit.

The family of the 13-year-old told WAVY that their daughter does not plan to attend Churchland next season.

“Coaches always preach to the kids about integrity and those types of things, so I was just shocked,” the father said in the video clip.

More:

Latest boys Super 25

Live stream or watch high school basketball on-demand on the NFHS Network

Sign up to read this article
Read news from 100’s of titles, curated specifically for you.
Already a member? Sign in here
Related Stories
Top stories on inkl right now
One subscription that gives you access to news from hundreds of sites
Already a member? Sign in here
Our Picks
Fourteen days free
Download the app
One app. One membership.
100+ trusted global sources.