Chicago Curie High, the No. 1 team in the state of Illinois and the 2 ranked team in the USA Today basketball poll, has been stripped of its 24 victories and the Public School city championship.
A Chicago Public Schools investigation, triggered by an anonymous phone call, revealed that seven players had been ineligible since the beginning of the season. The CPS said the players would have been eligible if the proper forms were filed with the league office. The announcement came Friday.
Students whose GPA fall below a 2.0 are ineligible unless they have signed Independent Study program forms. According to CPS rules, teams are required to exchange eligibility sheets before every game.
The seven players weren’t identified by the CPS. Curie defeated Whtiney Young, 69-69, in four overtimes to win its first city championship ever last week before a sellout crowd of over 8,000, which included mayor Rahm Emanuel, at Chicago State. The game, which was televised on ESPN3.com, featured the matchup between 6-11, 275-pound center Jahlil Okfor of Young and 6-9, 250-pound Cliff Alexander of Curie, both McDonald’s All Americans and members of Team USA inn the upcoming Nike Hoop Summit. Alexander scored 20 points and 12 rebounds, playing the entire game. Okafor had 16 points and 8 rebounds, playing just four mintues in the second half before fouling out with 2:13 to play in the fourth quarter.
CPS will void the championship this year but indicated Curie could be eligible for the Illinois State tournament because state rules differ from those in the CPS. But the IHSA wouldn’t confirm that. The state tournament begins Tuesday. Curie coach Mike Oliver will be suspended for a length of time to be determined by CPS officials.
