Boys' Basketball: Players suspended at Vegas tournament

The Douglas High boys' basketball team had to send three players home from the Las Vegas Prep Championship tournament for violations of the Nevada Interscholastic Activities Association Drug & Alcohol Policy on Friday.

Douglas had to suspend another player earlier in the month for a similar incident, meaning the weekend's disciplinary actions left the team with just 10 players suited up for the remainder of the tournament.

Both Douglas High athletic director Jeff Evans and coach Corey Thacker declined to comment on the specifics of the situation, saying only that some players were unavailable due to disciplinary reasons.

A source close to the program, though, said the three players were smoking marijuana and that the one earlier in the season had been caught in possession of drug paraphernalia.

"We've said from the beginning that this is stuff we won't put up with, but we never really had a situation to back that up," said Thacker, who is in his second year at the helm for the Tigers. "We're letting the team know this is stuff we won't mess with and the school won't put up with it."

Thacker said the three players were suspended from the team indefinitely, pending completion of the NIAA requirements for policy violations.

All high school student-athletes in Nevada must sign the NIAA's policy before the season begins.

Penalties for a first offense include a six-week suspension from participation in interscholastic competition, although four weeks may be waived if the student completes all of the components of a substance abuse intervention program. For a second violation, the student is suspended for a minimum of 90 school days and a third violation means the student is ineligible to participate in sports for the remainder of their high school career.

When asked about the possibility of drug testing, Evans said he has been thinking of ways to try to fund a program for all sports at the school in a time where statewide budget cuts are prevalent.

"Our board is looking at drug testing," he said. "Funding is the obvious issue. We might look to get a grant or find a sponsor.

"Maybe we will even add it to the price of playing the sport. It could be a random deal where everyone pays $40 at the beginning of the season with the understanding that you may never get tested but the chance is still there."

McQueen High School started a random drug-testing program for its football team in the summer, funded by the school's booster club.

Evans said he was hoping to sit down with Carson High athletic director Bob Bateman in the next couple of weeks or months to develop a plan for drug testing that could work for both schools.

"You look at it, and especially if it is a one-time offense, you hope it can be used as a tool to get kids back on track," Evans said. "As a coach, you have to do the right thing. Something we're always saying is that with sports at this school is that the wins and losses are secondary.

"It's the development of the kids first, then the program. The kids are always No. 1, even though it may not seem like it to the kid and their families at the time. Ultimately, we are here for the betterment of the kids."

Thacker said that since the incident, the team has pulled together.

"This was something that happened that helped show us what we need to work on," Thacker said. "It made the team stronger. We have some guys who have really stepped up as leaders in the last few days.

"We came down to this tournament hoping to learn a lot about ourselves. This isn't really what we pictured, but we're coming together, we're playing as more of a unit because of this incident."