The Spain Park girls’ basketball team was honored with individual trophies and commemorative coins Monday night after being denied the title for winning a boys’ tournament.
The fifth grade girls received their trophies in a private ceremony with the city’s mayor and looked ecstatic as they got their hands on some hardware.
“Members of the Lady Jags 5th grade basketball team all beamed as they received a trophy and commemorative coin from Mayor Brocato in recognition of their recent championship win,” according to a Facebook post from the city of Hoover.
“The team received their trophies in a private ceremony at their request, rather than attending Monday’s city council meeting.”
The Spain Park girls – one of Hoover’s elite teams – were reportedly told earlier in the season that they would not be able to train at the local gym unless they joined the boys’ leisure league.
The Spain Park girls’ basketball team was honored Monday night after being snubbed
The players looked delighted as they were awarded for their tournament victory
Despite being an elite team – one that conducts try-outs to fill out their roster – the Spain Park girls did just that, winning the tournament championship before being told they didn’t qualify for the trophy.
Instead, the hardware was given to the boys’ recreational team, which they defeated in the finals.
That decision caused controversy when a team mom sparked the debate with a Facebook post.
“What did you do to get disqualified?” asked Jayme Mashayekh, the mother of one of the girls on the team. “Have you not paid your dues? Didn’t they level up in the competition? Oh it’s because they’re GIRLS?!?!’
The problem was due to tournament rules separating elite teams from recreational league teams, not the gender of eventual champions, according to HPRD. While the girls from Spain Park competed against boys, they were still considered a selected or ‘elite’ team and for that reason they were never eligible for a trophy in the tournament, which consisted mostly of recreational teams.
“Only regular recreational teams are eligible for awards/trophies,” the HPRD statement said. “Coaches of the ‘Elite’ teams are made aware of and agree to these rules at the time of their application to participate.”
The team’s coach, Wes Russell, released a statement after backlash over the alleged snub, insisting he and the girls had known the rules since the start of the season.
He also insisted his team had not been treated unfairly, claiming that throughout his 12-year coaching career, “boys and girls have always been treated the same”.
The HPRD insisted that the girls’ snubs had nothing to do with their gender
The girls were one of two “elite” teams invited to Monday’s city council meeting
The girls received their trophies and commemorative coins from Mayor Brocato
“Posts on social media negatively portrayed the rules and policies of the City of Hoover Parks and Recreation, as if girls were somehow being treated unfairly towards boys,” Russell said.
“The city of Hoover has allowed our team to train and work out at city gyms just as they have in my 12+ years as a coach in both the girls and boys Hoover league. Our team knew the rules of the Hoover Rec League before the tournament, and we still decided to have our team compete in this boys’ tournament,” he added.
“I’ve coached boys’ and girls’ flag football and boys’ and girls’ basketball, all under the umbrella of the City of Hoover leagues. In my 12+ years as a coach, boys and girls have always been treated the same.
“While the visuals of this story seem to portray the city of Hoover in a negative light, my personal experiences and those of many other Hoover families tell a different story,” he said. “The Hoover Parks and Rec Dept. has agreed to review the rules for competitive teams playing in the rec league to clarify the rules and make them fair to all participants going forward.”
“So proud of Rylie and her basketball team,” Mashayekh’s post read. “It was a hard lesson they learned tonight. They won the 5th grade boys Rec-League championship but received no trophy.
“These girls have been playing together for a competitive girls league representing Spain Park for 3 years. All are fifth graders in the Hoover school system. In the middle (sic) of their season, they were told they could not use the Hoover gyms for their exercises unless they paid to play in the Hoover Rec League.
“They were told to stay together as a team, they had to level up in the competition and play against the 5th grade boys,” Mayshayekh continued. “The girls have been midfield all season and lost several close games by 1 point.
“Playing against the boys was a challenge that they took on. It made them better players and a better team. They were told before the championship that they could take part, but if they won they wouldn’t be allowed to have the trophy.
The HPRD responded in a statement Monday, saying the Spain Park Girls and another elite team would be honored at Monday night’s city council meeting.
“Questions have recently been raised regarding the recognition of teams participating in a youth basketball tournament administered by the Hoover Parks and Recreation Department (HPRD),” the organization’s statement said.
“For many years, HPRD has allowed “elite” teams from Hoover to compete in the tournaments it hosts. These “elite” teams are not sought out by HPRD, but come to HPRD and ask to participate. The members of the “Elite” teams are hand-picked.
“They don’t go through the same talent evaluation as those who participate on regular recreational league teams. Therefore, “Elite” teams willingly agree to compete against recreational teams in another division within their class level or against teams above their class level to ensure fair competition for all youth athletes.
If an “Elite” team competes in a HPRD youth tournament and makes it to the championship round, they are not eligible for any awards/trophies. Only regular recreational teams are eligible for awards/trophies. “Elite” teams’ coaches are made aware of and agree to these rules when requesting participation,” the statement concluded.
The organization vowed to review its policies to ensure fair competition and due process, and said those details would be “more clearly understood”.
Mashayekh did not respond to ‘s request for comment.