It happened during the Camden County Tournament Championship game between Camden High School and Eastside High School. The kinds of people their own parents work for. 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. Finally, Evans had said that one of Eastsides principals, Karen Johnson, would not be disciplined because she was going to retire. Thanks to our long history of educational excellence and deeply felt sense of mission, any change at Eastside Catholic invites high interest from our current and alumnae community. "It's very unfortunate that she's caught up in the middle of something like this.". *Ugly accusations tearthrough highest levels of school. Griles, the Rodriguezes said, approached the family after Selwyn led Puerto Rico to the Under-17 championship in a 2011 Central America tournament. Soon, he said, the coach began ostracizing him during practice. PATERSON As a result of the basketball recruiting scandal that rocked Eastside High School in 2017, more than 100 Paterson sports coaches this year were required to pass a test . 15 questions we still want answered after taxpayer-funded special report, A Star-Ledger Editorial: Report flawed by 'unexpectedly bizarre conclusion, The key players in Eastside scandal, fallout, Report leaves more questions than answers, Coaches, athletic director fired as fallout spreads, School forged transcripts in Eastside scandal. In addition, two Board members have stepped down. 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. When the member refused to pay his monthly dues, his wife was reportedly provided with video evidence of her husbands infidelity. Rodriguez left Puerto Rico in 2011, chasing the promises of a coach from New Jersey -- his own apartment, a spot on an elite high school team and a Division 1 scholarship. Two years later, a newspaper named him West Virginia's Player of the Year -- his father proudly holds up the story for all to see. 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. 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). For most of the kids working at the Beat, getting accepted to college is only the first hurdle. Former Supreme Court justice was paid$900 each time he traveled from South Jersey to the Passaic County school. He was visiting family in Queens and playing for a club team in a tournament at Eastside. 2023 Advance Local Media LLC. Ortiz found himself leaving practice many nights in tears, wondering why this coach brought him to New Jersey if he didn't let him step onto the court. "This is her cry for help.". When I think about even if it was just 50 students whose parents cheated for them, those 50 spots could have actually gone to someone who gained those positions.. WHEN/WHERE: Monday, 4:30 p.m., at No. Ejiofor said the Jordans "did (their) best to make sure I was okay and comfortable. The turmoil weighed on Aquino, who confided in a teacher in 2015, according to the school report. I used to play against them and perform good. Coaches Juan Griles, Alberto Maldonado, and supervisor of athletics Gregory Co According to that action , Brian Gem Garrison - a former adjunct tennis coach at Eastside High School in Taylors, S.C. - was protected in allegedly predatory activities by the school's . The big picture is this: We are working to restore our school's previous administrative structure. Andrea says her father paints houses and does construction work, and during the week, her mother works a graveyard janitorial job on the Westside. *District busted budget on$90k Wallace report. ICE officials are in the process of interviewing officials and players. Most found something much closer to a nightmare. Father Heric was appointed to be interim president after the previous president, John Kennedy, resigned over the summer. "She was treated like a freak because she was so tall," said a New Jersey coach familiar with Aquino who declined to be identified due to the delicacy of the situation. She appears to be living in the home owned by Shirley Jordan where the Nigerian players also stayed; NJ Advance Media observed Aquino leave the home and head to school the morning of March 21. 2023 Advance Local Media LLC. In January, the NJSIAA representative assigned to monitor Patersons athletics program sent the district a letter saying he had checked the basketball roster against eligibility lists and transfer records. Submit your letter to the editor (or guest column) via email HERE. Got a tip for a story? A second male student then appears on screen and states, "Remember, *explicit removed* the Mexicans. The Office of the Attorney General is reaching out to staffers at Eastside. According to our sources, Mathews was grilled for more than three hours by investigators. "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. Camden was leading Eastside 30-17. "I would just meet her at the gym and work out from there and take her to her game if need be. It's still unclear what sparked the altercation. In April 2015, the teenager moved to New Jersey, using a visa issued for a New York-based private school, the document said. Our district prepared and addressed each step of the Corrective Action Plan,and as a result of our follow-up on each area, we have received several positive reports from the NJSIAA monitor regarding our current 2017-18 athletic programs, said Terry Corallo, the district spokeswoman. Donnie Evans was Patersons schools superintendent when the district imposed disciplinary action against Eastside staff members in April 2017. By Steve Lopez Columnist. She said she learned of the problem after enrolling last summer at Vanderbilt, where she had earned a full athletic scholarship. "I can't say no to this,"Ortiz, now 20, remembers thinking. Thanks To Our Sponsors. We have already announced all these changes to our community and they are overwhelmingly supportive of moving forward. Theres the back door, which [is] you pull strings and do donations and then theres the side door, which he kind of created. Stay tuned we will continue doing our best to sift through the information we are provided related to all of these scandals. After a series of winning seasons and strong showings in the state tournaments, Eastsides girls and boys teams finished with losing records this year. "He was very intrigued and impressed with her level and quality of skills and wanted to speak more in depth with her and her family about the opportunity of a lifetime," the report said. 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.. Paterson school board President Oshin Castillo said the district has emphasized accountability among its staff members. Got a tip for a story? So far, there has been no official acknowledgement of the seismic, sexually charged side of this investigation by anyone in law enforcement. Griles had taken the role of legal guardian for most of those players, the schools subsequent investigation found. "I am innocent and didn't know any better," Ejiofor said. In the meantime, a disclaimer as we have been investigating these reports, we have been cautioned (repeatedly) that controversial behavior is not necessarily the same as criminal behavior. The deputy in question is a family friend of both Rick and Jennifer Mathews (below), our sources say. 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. Jio Fontan, a former Sparks coach and now the head coach at Queen of Peace High, said he worked closely with Aquino early in her New Jersey stay. 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A big shakeup happened at. "I don't want him to coach again," Ortiz said from the arena in Bayamon. F: contact@email.org Get Directions. We have now invited the administrators and faculty to rejoin us on the first day of school. ", "As I'm sure you can understand, I am not able to provide specific personnel details. ", "The administrative changes were intended to support the board's vision for the school's future. "I really thought for me, right now, I was supposed to be playing in the NBA. The school serves the city's Ironbound neighborhood. 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. Our Upstate sources which include law enforcement officers, prosecutors, attorneys and private investigators, among others have conveyed a remarkably consistent narrative about what allegedly transpired behind the scenes in this exclusive enclave. North 1, Group 4: Eastside. Under the districts 50-step plan, coaches and other employeeswho allow transfer students to live with them or become their legal guardiansmust report that information in writing to their school principal and the superintendent. The game was held at Cherry Hill East High School, a neutral site for both teams. He came to New Jersey that fall, just before basketball season began, and moved into a house where Griles lived in Somerset. Abraham wrote, "I will not remain at a parochial school whose singular religious figure, and now, president badly lies to his faculty and staff.". Excellence for All Students Through Strong Relationships & Instructional Strategies Delivered by Effective Educators. 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. "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. 0:57. *A Star-Ledger Editorial: Report flawed by 'unexpectedly bizarre conclusion', Justice Wallace's work is "relentlessly ignorant of those who coach sports on this level. ", "I'm the victim because I'm the one who is out of school for six months," Ejiofor said last month. Im taking three or four. Well good for you, but I dont want to die, said Olivia, who joins clubs and is on the cheer squad to make her college application more appealing. Community Rules apply to all content you upload or otherwise submit to this site. "On the patio, in the kitchen and we'd have to pick her up and bring her upstairs. Ejiofor still hopes to return to the U.S. and pursue her dreams, but she said she has been denied a new visa three times. What sort of proximity are we talking about? By allowing ads to appear on this site, you support the local businesses who, in turn, support great journalism. We are disappointed that these students engaged in this inappropriate behavior. Home. In anticipation of a radio story for the Beat, Andrea went to work on her Roosevelt campus last week and asked students what they thought of the scandal. 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. Ejiofor lived there with other Eastside girls and boys basketball players from Nigeria, including Juliet James and ThankGod Okenwa, according to school documents obtained by NJ Advance Media. The Paterson Public School District announced wide-ranging penalties to its athletics department. It is not immediately clear, although some light was recently shed on the case when Greenville, S.C. insurance marketing executiveRick Mathewsissued a statement related to his recent divorce fromJennifer Mathews who runs a yoga and pilates studio in Greenville. But how do you know? Marlene Gamas, left, and advisor Christine Kelley brainstorm at Boyle Heights Beat for a story about the college admissions scandal. When one Disciple wanted to get out earlier this year, he was told in no uncertain terms that leaving was not an option. The police investigated the incident as an alleged gang rape. 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. What if she owed money to drug dealers? *School suspends hoops coach who had 6 overseas players living with him. Boys and girls teams face state tournament bans. Got something youd like to say in response to one of our articles? Often, the players lived with coaches or other school employees. More:Paterson Eastside High School basketball ban upheld by state commissioner, More:Paterson names new coach for Eastside girls basketball team, More:Michael Baker named boys basketball coach as Eastside looks to rebound from scandal. On Saturday morning at the Boyle Heights Beat, a student-run journalism operation, the hot topic was the college entrance cheating scandal and how to craft stories about it for the groups newspaper and radio show. According to our sources, most of the initial speculation has centered around Eastside High School in Taylors, S.C. and perhaps one other nearby school in the South Carolina government-run system. A furious Edwin Rodriguez -- who said he sent more than $60,000 to Paterson in two years for rent, food, clothing and other expenses -- moved his sons to another apartment in the fall of 2012. COVINGTON, Ga. - Students at Eastside High School are under fire after a social media post went viral showing discriminatory and racial remarks and actions. Days after a report detailed that six overseas basketball players were living with a coach, a number of pressing issues remained. She says that, on weekends, her mother makes and sells pupusas outside the South L.A. home they rent from an uncle. 0:05. The officials at the post office insisted it was left in a safe place. Between five and six boys basketball players from Paterson Eastside lived with the team's head coach this season. It is, for most players on this island, a dream come true. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. All rights reserved. School is supposed to start August 23, but on Friday the school confirmed classes will be postponed one week and start August 30. He did not stick around for answers. The first one, a senior named Luis, knew the name of the cheating scandals mastermind. Seattle Times staff reporter A Seattle high school teacher is accused of repeatedly having sex with a 16-year-old student, who reported their encounters to school officials and police last. Ejiofor said she was greeted by a man she had never met or heard of -- Ray Lyde Jr., the girls coach at Eastside. There are also blackmail allegations linked to the rumored prostitution/ sex ring. But there he was Wednesday in Bayamon, Puerto Rico, at a massive Goya factory. A basketball powerhouse is under fire after packing its roster from overseas, leaving players to live with their coach. All of these scandals perform good * District busted budget on $ 90k Wallace report of interviewing officials players. Court justice was paid $ 900 each time he traveled from South Jersey the! Playing for a club team in a tournament at Eastside 's caught up in the NBA in Queens and for! 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