Texas Supreme Court Ruling Opened Door for UIL to Strip Black, Teammates of Title

Former coach of current Razorback, mother's fiancé, suspended for year

Author:
Kent Smith
Publish date:
Oct 31, 2022 11:26 PM EDT

In this story:

FRISCO, Texas – Just when Razorback fans think the state of Texas has kicked the men's basketball team enough, another hard shot comes flying in from the Lone Star State.

Earlier today it was ruled by the University Interscholastic League that the Duncanville boys' basketball team be stripped of its 2022 state championship and suspended its coach David Peavy.

So what does a sports controversy 350 miles away have to do with the Arkansas men's basketball team?

It all surrounds the high school transfer of Razorback guard Anthony Black from Coppell to Duncanville.

Arkansas guard Anthony Black looks for an open man during the Arkansas Razorbacks' blowout of Rogers State during exhibition play last week.

In 2021, Black's mother, Jennifer, started dating Peavy and enrolled Black at Duncanville as the relationship became serious. Shortly thereafter, the UIL declared the guard ineligible, determining the transfer was only for athletic purposes.

However, his mother successfully filed a restraining order against the UIL's ruling, which cleared the way for Black to compete.

Peavy carefully made sure to only play Black once he became officially cleared. Once in the line-up the team was virtually unbeatable as the future Arkansas guard helped lead the Panthers to their third consecutive state championship, defeating McKinney 69-49.

Black celebrated with his team, graduated, moved in at Arkansas, and traveled to the other side of the world to compete with his new teammates while his old ones began preparing to make it four in a row.

Then, six and a half months after winning the state championship with an eligible Black running the offense, the Texas Supreme Court issued an opinion on Black's eligibility status.

"After granting the petition for review and without hearing oral argument or considering the merits, the Court vacates the court of appeals’ judgment and the trial court’s temporary injunction, dismisses the case as moot, and vacates the court of appeals’ opinion."

Nearly a month to the day after the ruling, the UIL retroactively ruled Black played while ineligible, ordered all games in which he played to be forfeited, and handed McKinney the state championship with a recorded score of 2-0.

Ms. Black has since become engaged to the now suspended Peavy, leading locals in the area to become convinced the move really was about family and about athletics.

Duncanville Mayor Cliff Boyd told WFAA, the local ABC affiliate in Dallas, that he knew the couple personally and vouched for the legitimacy of their relationship.

"It was hard watching Black endure all of this last season," Boyd told WFAA. "I know the coach and his fiance's efforts to become a family. This was not a sham of any sort. It was about putting two families together for the betterment of the kids and the spouses."

Despite Duncanville ISD's lawyers emphasizing that Black only played once he was cleared, the UIL found fault in the team and its coach with its final ruling.

For now, the Panthers will still have a chance to win a fourth consecutive title even though it will technically only count as three, just without their coach on the court for the remainder of the year.