22-year-old basketball coach ousted for impersonating 13-year-old player

A 22-year-old assistant basketball coach in Virginia reportedly impersonated a 13-year-old player who was away on a club basketball trip.

It takes a special kind of insanity to be a 22-year-old adult and decide that impersonating a 13-year-old is a viable course of action.

And yet, that seems to be exactly what happened at a high school in Virginia in January.

Apparently, 22-year-old assistant coach Arlisha Boykins took the place of a 13-year-old player for the Churchland High School JV girls basketball team during their game against Nansemond River on Jan. 21.

A 22-year-old coach impersonated a 13-year-old basketball player

According to reporting by WAVY TV 10, the 13-year-old was away on a club basketball trip. She and her family were apparently unaware of the scheme to replace her.

Video showed Boykins actively playing in the game, defending, driving and taking free throws as though she were an actual member of the team. She wasn’t just filling a roster spot and keeping to herself. She was out there celebrating buckets.

As you’d expect, this development didn’t go down well in the school district, which is currently investigating the situation. Boykins is reportedly no longer employed by the district and the head coach of the team was reportedly fired.

The players and parents on the team opted to cancel the rest of the season after all this came out. The family of the 13-year-old player who was impersonated are asking for an apology.

This whole situation is just bizarre. It’s wild to think multiple adults had to be aware of the plan to have Boykins suit up and yet no one spoke up to put a stop to it. Did they really think they could get away with it?

Either way, they definitely didn’t. Unfortunately, it’s the players who are paying the price by forfeiting the rest of their season.