School Districts Relent; Smith Will Play Senior Season
Nick Smith Jr. will play his senior season for the North Little Rock Charging Wildcats.
North Little Rock and Sylvan Hills signed paperwork for the Arkansas Activities Association that clears the way for the top-rated player in the state to compete his senior season.
Smith is the highest-rated commitment in a 2022 class for Eric Musselman's team that is ranked among the best in the country.
The two school districts, located in adjoining towns in the Little Rock suburbs, issued a joint statement Wednesday:
"As of Wednesday, October 27, 2021, the North Little Rock School District (NLRSD) and Pulaski County Special School District (PCSSD) have each signed the appropriate documentation with the Arkansas Activities Association (AAA) to allow a student-athlete to play high school boys' basketball for the 2021-2022 season at North Little Rock High School.
"NLRSD and PCSSD superintendents extensively conferred with AAA and, after additional conversations over the last two days, it became apparent the AAA is not prepared to resolve this issue. Both school districts agree there were violations of AAA rules but have determined this was at no fault of the student-athlete or the family. Therefore, it is time to move forward in the best interest of our student-athletes and stakeholders."
It appears a long-running drama over a player transferring from one school to the other and then a feud between those schools getting out of hand is over.
The AAA notified the NLRSD in August they needed to investigate potential recruiting violations that were reported by the PCSSD.
On September 14, the NLRSD initially self-reported two violations: Article III Section I Rule 1, E (Non-school Coach) and Article III Section I Rule 5, G (Recruitment).
On October 14, the AAA subcommittee voted by a 6-1 margin in the appeal process that violations had occurred.
It appears none of the infractions were the fault of Smith or his family.
Smith is the ninth-rated player in the country and highest-rated recruit in the state of Arkansas in over 20 years.
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