Basic baseball forfeits all league games for ineligible players

Basic’s baseball team has forfeited all of its league wins for using ineligible players, the Nevada Interscholastic Activities Association and the school confirmed Tuesday.

The Wolves, ranked No. 2 in Class 5A by the Review-Journal, will not advance to the playoffs.

“Today, we were informed that the Varsity Baseball team has to forfeit its previous games after students were determined to be ineligible and had participated throughout the season,” Basic principal Gerald Bustamante said in a message sent to parents obtained by the Review-Journal.

“The ruling came after (the Clark County School District) shared newly discovered information with the (NIAA) in the spirit of fair play and integrity.”

Basic is shown as winless (0-11) in the NIAA’s league standings. The Wolves are listed as 21-6 overall and 8-3 in 5A Mountain League play on MaxPreps.

Basic, which won the 5A state title in 2022, hosts Green Valley in its regular-season finale at 3:30 p.m. Wednesday.

“The team will be eligible to play its remaining regular season game. While the outcome is disappointing, we must uphold the rules and respect the decision,” Bustamante said in the message.

The NIAA did not confirm what rule Basic violated, how many players were ineligible or how many nonleague games the team had to forfeit.

The Review-Journal learned April 10 that baseball coach Scott Baker was “no longer with the team,” according to a letter sent to parents. No reason was given for Baker’s dismissal, and it is unclear if the forfeitures are related to it.

Since Baker’s dismissal, Basic was 5-3 and in contention for the league title.

The school appointed assistant Gino DiMaria as the interim coach. He was an assistant with Basic last year and served as the coach at Bishop Gorman from 2015 to 2022.

Basic is not the only past baseball champion dealing with forfeitures.

Gorman, the defending 5A champion, said in a letter obtained by the Review-Journal on April 24 that the baseball team has forfeited several games after using an ineligible player.

Gorman did not specify how many games it had to forfeit. According to the NIAA’s standings, Gorman is in last place at 2-8 in 5A Desert League and will not make the playoffs.

The Gaels’ record is listed at 13-14 overall and 4-6 in league play on MaxPreps.

Both schools entered the season as favorites for the 5A state title, but have been rocked by coaching controversies.

The same day the RJ learned of Baker’s dismissal, Gorman told the RJ that coach Chris Sheff was suspended and the program was under investigation after it “received some complaints that were concerning,” a spokesperson said in a statement at the time.

Gorman has not commented since its initial statement April 10. The school appointed assistant Jeff Malm as the interim coach.

Contact Alex Wright at awright@reviewjournal.com. Follow @AlexWright1028 on X.