It didn't take long to realize the living situation wouldn't match the promises. *Report leaves more questions than answers, Wallace documentminimizes the actions of key figures, even referring to the ousted boys basketball coach as a "humanitarian. Selwyn Rodriguez and Christian Ortiz started their odyssey in Puerto Rico. ", "Here I am sitting there watching her. 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. My mom, shes a housekeeper and she used to work at a house in the Palisades, and the lady had kids and was very school-oriented, said Azucena Hilario, a Bravo junior. The change was posted the day after the school had a meeting with parents. 0:49. All four ended up in Paterson, playing for the powerhouse teams at Eastside High School, . The Vaqueros are a proud franchise in the country's top basketball league, and as their first-round draft pick this season, Rodriguez, a 6-foot-7 point guard, can carve out a nice career here. "I really thought for me, right now, I was supposed to be playing in the NBA. The deputy in question is a family friend of both Rick and Jennifer Mathews (below), our sources say. But their jobs dont cover all the bills, Andrea said, so when her mother gets home after her Friday night shift, she prepares the pupusas, then steals an hour of sleep before selling them Saturday morning with Andreas 14-year-old sister. 0:00. "She's a mature, strong kid and she's hanging in there," Vanderbilt head coach Stephanie Smith said earlier this year. "We're not dumb people. VIDEO: Eastside Catholic HS teachers quit. "I am innocent and didn't know any better," Ejiofor said. * Ousted athletic director: There are others at school involved in scandal. But Johnson, who is Shafers domestic partner, remains on the districts payroll with a total salary of $170,000, according to public records. Lyde also told Ugboaja the school could accept international students with I-20s, Ugboaja said. Furthermore, we have argued (controversially) that school officials caught having sex with students who have attained the age of consent should not be charged criminally. Days after a report detailed that six overseas basketball players were living with a coach, a number of pressing issues remained. Our number one objective at the district is to raise students that meet the standards that we set for society and that we want our very own children to embody.Nevertheless, last night, at the Cherry Hill High School East gym those standards were severely undermined by an incident between Camden High School and Eastside High School during the championship game of the Camden County Basketball Tournament.Let me be clear, I am saddened and disappointed with the conflict from last night, but I believe we need to make this a learning experience for our student body.Furthermore, we know meaningful action must be taken and it must be done swiftly which is why the District will be withdrawing both teams from NJSIAA tournament play.This initiative is being taken to ensure that our scholar-athletes know that accountability for their actions is paramount not only in basketball but also in the larger game of life. But Esteban, who admits crying when he read the first story about the Eastside scandal, said Selwyn was . The report painted a grim picture of an emotionally distressed and helpless teenager, thousands of miles from home. Coaches from the powerhouse Paterson Eastside's boys basketball team served as legal guardians to six playersand had them living in their homes. Three employees fired, two others disciplined. Their experiences cover six years and account for four of at least 13 players NJ Advance Media has identified as coming through Eastside's ambitious and bold pipeline. Investigators were also looking to interview several current and former students at Eastside High School as well as several current and former employees of the Thornblade Club, per one of our previous reports. When one Disciple wanted to get out earlier this year, he was told in no uncertain terms that leaving was not an option. Follow him on Twitter @MattStanmyre. Andrea Aquino was treated like a curiosity in Caacupe, Paraguay, according to local coaches and an article on ESPN.com. By allowing ads to appear on this site, you support the local businesses who, in turn, support great journalism. Most found something much closer to a nightmare. And he regrets others who followed him encountered similar problems. 2023 Cox Media Group. The school released the following statement Friday afternoon: "We made and announced administrative changes on August 2. Or an issue youd like to address proactively? Father Heric and the board co-chairs told teachers, the principals were fired due to restructuring. unanswered questions in the Paterson basketball scandal. Blessing Ejiofor landed at John F. Kennedy International Airport in February 2014, working through a mental checklist of her new life in North Carolina. A second male student then appears on screen and states, "Remember, *explicit removed* the Mexicans. We just had one get into the University of Oregon, but I dont know if theyll be able to afford it, Kelley said. Submit your letter to the editor (or guest column) via email HERE. ", *The key players in Eastside scandal, fallout. In response to questions raised by our faculty and community, we held a Town Hall on Wednesday August 16. Christine Kelley, an adult advisor to the Beat which operates under the auspices of the USC Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism said shed been on the job eight years and had never seen students deal with more pressure. But Esteban, who admits crying when he read the first story about the Eastside scandal, said Selwyn was broken emotionally by Griles and couldn't wait to return to Puerto Rico after graduation in 2013. Some kids are saying, Oh, youre only taking two APs. *African players are flocking to top N.J. basketball teams. Having said all of that, there are criminal statutes on the books which protect minors in this state from being exploited and prevent adults from contributing to their delinquency. According to our sources, the Thornblade saga has elements that could potentially fall under both of these categories. Father Heric will go back to being the school chaplain. We have an open microphone policy here at FITSNews! Soon, he said, the coach began ostracizing him during practice. Ortiz then briefly played collegiately before pursuing a career in music and art. See the documents, African players are flocking to top N.J. basketball teams. 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. But there are far more serious allegations being probed by agents of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS)s special investigations unit including the alleged activities of a group of men who apparently refer to themselves as The Disciples.. Boys and girls teams face state tournament bans. Meanwhile, the adults linked to Aquino -- Ayala, Lyde, Sparks founder Shane Gerald and Sparks coach Keith Gilchrist -- have not responded to numerous phone calls and text messages asking about the player. Deputy reportedly cleared after being accused of failing to report intimate knowledge of Upstate scandals . In her resignation letter teacher Lisa Abraham wrote, "Justyna stands up for each, individual student. Carol said she was talking to her father about the scandal, and they wondered where the cheating stopped. *15 questions we still want answered after taxpayer-funded special report. *How scandal of overseas hoops players living with H.S. We will be sure to let our readers know if that changes . "No one ever told me, and I wish someone did.". Luis says he reads up on the college application process and what his peers say about their experiences. "I would have been able to pull names out of a hat pretty quick to be able to get her in the right direction. Selwyn tore his ACL in his very first game at Eastside. What if she owed money to drug dealers? Thirteen faculty members quit in protest, most of them teachers. These financial allegations have since receivedmainstream media coveragecourtesy ofThe Greenville News. *This is just tip of iceberg, senator says in demanding full probe. He asked to play with the junior varsity just to prove he belonged. Some of the Sparks' coaches also are on the Eastside girls staff. She believes that education- particularly the education of the Spirit- is not about politics, money, football.". "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. Since our first story on Thornblade ran last week, we have been bombarded with tips related to these various allegations. Neither do we. Our current administrative structure has been undergoing some review and change. In addition, the changes were announced very close to the start of the school year, which caused a lot of consternation. The ongoing drama tied to this upscale Upstate neighborhood which was first reported by this news outlet a week ago has been dominating discussions in the greater Greenville, S.C. area. Should they lose their jobs? Coaches Juan Griles, Alberto Maldonado, and supervisor of athletics Gregory Co 36-0 vote holds punishment for teams and former boys coach Juan Griles. "On the patio, in the kitchen and we'd have to pick her up and bring her upstairs. The parents of an Eastside High School student accused a former tennis coach of having sexually inappropriate conversations with their teenage son on a cellphone he secretly gave the . Lopez is the author most recently of Independence Day: What I Learned About Retirement, From Some Whove Done It and Some Who Never Will. His book The Soloist, inspired by his columns on his relationship with a Juilliard-trained homeless person, was a Los Angeles Times and New York Times best-seller, winner of the PEN USA Literary Award for Non-Fiction, and the subject of a Dream Works movie by the same name. It has also prompted an investigation by the U.S. Secret Service (USSS) although it is not initially clear which component of the multi-faceted situation the feds are focused on. Even the women making rice-and-beans in the back of the room stopped to snap photos. "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. *State athletics group orders hearing into Eastside. I found out in late June of this year that my wife, Jennifer Mathews, had engaged in multiple extramarital activities, Mathews said in the statement. Selwyn and Esteban added they rarely left that room because they feared what was happening downstairs. "She didn't know any English, so I just kind of guided her through that," Fontan said. The split-level home sits on a congested street, about six blocks from Eastside. "He didn't have a bed (for me) so I was sleeping on a pile of clothes on the floor. "Nobody ever said anything to me about I-20s," Lyde said. Ayala also told people he was related to Aquino, and the ESPN articlerefers to Aquino having a cousin in New Jersey. Andrea Galdmez apologized for arriving a few minutes late. On Friday, an unidentified boy, 14, was fatally stabbed during a fight outside Paterson's Eastside High School at dismissal, according to the Passaic County Prosecutor's Office. *District busted budget on$90k Wallace report. Things have been eerily quiet in the South Carolina Upstate over the last few weeks as it relates to the Thornblade saga a host of alleged scandals centered around an upscale neighborhood and exclusive golf club located in the suburbs of Greenville, S.C. And quiet is just how the wealthy, influential local citizens at the heart of these scandals hope things will stay . Meanwhile, we have spoken with numerous Thornblade residents who have offered their own intimate insights into the situation. All rights reserved. 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. Father Heric was appointed to be interim president after the previous president, John Kennedy, resigned over the summer. Be permanently banned from teaching and/ or coaching? It is, for most players on this island, a dream come true. Ortiz grew desperate. Got a technical question or a glitch to report? Now, through interviews with players, parents, coaches and other sources, NJ Advance Media can trace the remarkable circumstances under which players were recruited, lured and even hijacked to New Jersey. Editor's note: The following story contains profane language and disturbing content. 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. 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