A few weeks ago, when word broke that a high school assistant at San Antonio's Jay HS (TX) told two players to target a ref and to "make him pay" the nation was up in arms...and understandably so.
Well, a similar story line has been developing since February in Oklahoma between the rival basketball programs at Elgin HS and Cache HS where a girls basketball coach reportedly targeted a star high school player on the opposing team.
According to NewsOK, it all started at a Cache practice when their head coach, Kenny White, allegedly told his girls to hit Elgin's star player (Jentry Holt, now a freshman women's basketball player at Oklahoma State) in the face with the ball during an inbounds play. The aim was reportedly to break her nose so she would have to leave the game.
The girls said that they never practiced the play, but on February 10th, coach White called on the girls to execute the plan.
In the video below from a local news outlet below, you can see the whole thing unfold. You can even see one of the Cache HS girls standing at the free throw line point to her nose as a reminder of the play after her head turned to a voice from the sideline.
Thankfully, Jentry sustained no substantial injuries, but noted that she doesn't remember the flagrant foul shot she attempted as a result of the malicious play.
Over the course of the last several months, coach White served a three game suspension, and players were served with affidavits to get their sides of the story for a pending court case which is why the story has reemerged.
I know this isn't necessarily football related, but this situation, coupled with the situation at Jay HS and the Saints Bountygate situation that had structured incentives for hurting players, is cause for reflection for all head coaches, assistants, and perhaps most importantly, athletic directors - we need to make sure we are all surrounding kids with deserving, high character role models so things like this don't continue to happen.