What to do with Genesis Prep, other private chools?

It was one of the most exciting games of any of the state boys basketball tournaments in March.

But it was also an example of an uneven playing field in Idaho’s smallest classification.

Genesis Prep Academy of Post Falls, even without its star player due to injury, and Lighthouse Christian of Twin Falls staged an epic semifinal before a lively crowd in the state 1A Division II tournament at Caldwell High.

Lighthouse Christian prevailed in a nail-biter, and went on to win its first state title the next morning at the Idaho Center in Nampa.

Genesis Prep, which had won the past two state titles, came back the next day and won the third place game.

Genesis Prep, as folks around here are well aware of, is a private school that can attract F-1 (international) students who can come in and play varsity for four years — as compared to foreign exchange students, who are here for one year. Also, Genesis Prep can attract students from all over Kootenai County — not just Post Falls — and has also had some players from just across the border in Washington.

Lighthouse Christian, also a private school, can attract kids from throughout Twin Falls.

THOSE ARE their rules — they’re just different from most other school’s rules.

So, at least up here, you can understand why the other North Star League schools decided not to play Genesis Prep in league this season in boys basketball, girls basketball and volleyball. Two of the league schools — Wallace (a 1A Division I school) and Lakeside — said they’d play the Jaguars in “nonleague” games during the season. And three league schools — Kootenai, Clark Fork and Mullan — didn’t schedule Genesis Prep at all.

In the big picture, it’s not a big deal to Genesis Prep — by Idaho High School Activities Association bylaws, the Jaguars must have a way to qualify for state, so Genesis Prep will be part of the District 1 tournament with all the other North Star teams (except Wallace, which has to beat other Division I teams in North Idaho to advance to state).

So it just means Genesis Prep has roughly six more dates to fill on its schedule in each sport. And especially in the case of basketball, it gives the Jaguars a chance to play more bigger schools during the regular season. Genesis Prep’s boys and girls already travel to tournaments throughout the west where it faces schools in some of the largest classifications in those states.

The only surprise might be that the other North Star schools didn’t make this decision earlier. Genesis Prep has dominated the league in boys basketball, losing just one league game in four seasons — and that one to Division I Wallace. Most of the Jaguars’ victories were decidedly one-sided.

NEXT YEAR, things change anyway.

Genesis Prep’s enrollment will force it to move up to 1A Division I, where it will have to battle traditional Division I heavyweights Lapwai and Prairie for state supremacy.

Two years ago, Genesis Prep petitioned to move all the way up to 3A, rather than accept the IHSAA changing the rules to say the Jaguars (and other schools accredited to accept F-1 students) could use their international players during the regular season, but not at districts or state, effective the 2018-19 school year.

Genesis Prep appealed that ruling and got it overturned last summer. The IHSAA said it was advised it was a fight the IHSAA would probably lose in court.

The IHSAA had another concern with schools accepting F-1 students, assistant director Mike Federico said.

“What we want to prevent is handlers making money sending kids to Idaho,” he said last month at a media gathering in Coeur d’Alene.

So the IHSAA is still trying to figure out what to do with schools like Genesis Prep and, to a lesser extent, Lighthouse Christian — schools that have different rules than do the public schools. Federico said the IHSAA considered creating a separate division for private schools, but it wasn’t feasible because there were so few of them, and they were spread out among our vast state.

Suggestions? Let us (and/or the IHSAA) know.

Mark Nelke is sports editor of The Press. He can be reached at 664-8176, Ext. 2019, or via email at [email protected]. Follow him on Twitter@CdAPressSports.