Glencoe coach and families react to OSSAA's decision to uphold ineligibility due to 'linked rule'; Lawsuit filed to overturn ruling

Parents, players, and the coach say they followed the rules and want changes to avoid similar disputes

Thursday, August 14th 2025, 4:19 pm

By: Kaitlyn Deggs


-

8/14/2025 UPDATE: The Glencoe families involved in this case filed a lawsuit on Thursday, seeking to overturn the decision to allow the student-athletes to play.

The following information is from the filed petition. Original story below.

“We are deeply disappointed in OSSAA’s decision, but we will not stop fighting for these students,” said Hannah Whitten, attorney for Glencoe Public Schools and Coach Garrett Schubert. “This lawsuit is about holding OSSAA accountable to its own rules. The harm being done to these kids is real, immediate, and entirely avoidable.”

Glencoe Superintendent Jay Reeves said the ruling not only harms students but undermines the very concept of school choice.

“Families are told they have the freedom to choose the best school for their kids — academically and athletically — but this decision sends the message that your choice can be taken away by an unelected body that changes the rules at will,” Reeves said. “That’s not school choice. That’s a barrier to opportunity. We played by their rules, followed their instructions, and still our kids are being punished. This isn’t just about basketball — it’s about trust in the system. And right now, OSSAA has shattered that trust.”

Coach Garrett Schubert, who is in his first year at Glencoe, said the ruling sends the wrong message to Oklahoma student-athletes.

“We tell kids to work hard, do the right thing, and follow the rules,” Schubert said. “These boys did exactly that, and they’re being sidelined for reasons OSSAA hasn’t been able to prove. It’s wrong, and it’s why we’re going to court.”

----

Four Glencoe transfer student-athletes and their families are frustrated after the OSSAA ruled the students have to sit out this basketball season.

PREVIOUS: OSSAA Board unanimously denies appeal on Glencoe High School basketball players' eligibility

This was the OSSAA’s initial decision, but the students appealed it, and the board voted to deny that appeal in a meeting on Wednesday.

BOTH SIDES

An OSSAA investigator says the four boys not un-enrolling from their previous schools before coming to Glencoe violates what’s called the “linked rule” because the kids attended a team camp.

The “linked rule” refers to connections students have with a coach outside school, including being coached by them on a club team, going to a sports camp, or players following a coach to a new school after playing for him or her at the old school.

Attorneys for the school and families say there is nothing in that rule that refers to students having to un-enroll from their previous school before going to a team camp.

STUDENT REACTION

The four students were upset by the ruling on Wednesday.

“I want to pursue a career in this,” said Hollis Garfield. “I want to go to college and play basketball, so for me to not be able to do that is really hard.”

“I came because I figured out that Glencoe had fall baseball, and I didn’t really want to play football anymore, and so that was a big part of my choice on why I wanted to transfer,” said Cameron Racy. “And it’s just a plus that Garrett and these guys wanted to transfer too.”

PARENT REACTION

Kip and Cristy Racy say they wish the rules were clearer and would change so other students do not have to go through this.

“The rules are very vague, and so it can be applied in different ways, so it’s very confusing as a parent,” Racy said. “We are operating in good faith and want to follow the rules.”

“It’s not like all these guys are going Power Four Division I,” said Kip Racy. “They all want to play together. If there’s not a basketball team, there’s no Glencoe. Glencoe invests $6 million in this school. Sports are a huge part of high school athletics and day-to-day camaraderie.”

Kip Racy says his boys want to play together and play multiple sports.

“My boys want to play multiple sports; it’s easier to play multiple sports at a smaller school than a bigger school, and we are at a school where if these boys are deemed ineligible, they don’t have it,” said Kip Racy. “In every community, we’ve all grown up, high school sports is the backbone of the community.”

COACH REACTION

Garrett Schubert, the coach for the basketball team, says he did everything by the book and was confused why the kids were deemed ineligible.

“Because of this linked rule, I didn’t coach them all summer,” said Schubert. “If I would have known that this rule was in place for team camp, I wouldn’t have coached them summer camp. I followed the rules, what I was told, I even called down here to OSSAA.”

NEXT STEPS

The attorneys say the students will be appealing their decisions individually and claim a lawsuit will be filed against the OSSAA.

OSSAA REACTION

The OSSAA says it does not want to comment on the board’s ruling because of pending litigation.

Kaitlyn Deggs

Kaitlyn Deggs came to Tulsa after graduating from the University of Oklahoma with a degree in Broadcast Journalism. Kaitlyn started as a Multimedia Journalist for News On 6 January 2022.

logo

Get The Daily Update!

Be among the first to get breaking news, weather, and general news updates from News on 6 delivered right to your inbox!

More Like This

August 14th, 2025

August 14th, 2025

August 14th, 2025

August 14th, 2025

Top Headlines

August 14th, 2025

August 14th, 2025

August 14th, 2025

August 14th, 2025