Don't let high school transfer rules ruin a season

The story of Barnegat High School lefthander Jason Groome has become national news, since he could stand to make millions in Major League Baseball's first-year player draft. But he must wait a few weeks to pitch for free for his high school team.

It brings up some fascinating questions about the NJSIAA, which declared Groome ineligible for either 30 days or half of his team's scheduled regular-season games. The NJSIAA also ruled that Barnegat had to forfeit the two games that the 6-foot-5, 230-pound lefthander pitched and his team won.

Here's the short version of what happened to Groome. After attending Barnegat in his first two seasons, he transferred last year to IMG Academy in Florida. Groome decided to return for his senior year to Barnegat, which competes in South Jersey Group 2 in baseball.

Under NJSIAA rules, an athlete who transfers from one secondary school to another without a "bona fide change of address" must sit out 30 days or one half of the next varsity season.

Since Groome changed his address from Florida back to his original home, he had to sit under the transfer rules.

Whether anybody agrees with these rules, they are in place, and the only unfortunate aspect is that the players on the team, who had nothing to do with this, had to have two games forfeited.

And that leads to the one common-sense rule that should be followed whenever a transfer takes place. The school should always call the state athletic association, whether it is New Jersey, Pennsylvania or Hawaii, just to make sure the student-athlete is eligible.

Barnegat athletic director John Germano was asked why a call wasn't made. "We made a statement and aren't commenting further," he said.

Part of the statement said that "the Barnegat Township School District does not feel the rule should apply in an instance when a student-athlete returns to his hometown, where his parents have residence and are taxpayers."

Later in the statement, Barnegat School District officials admitted they misinterpreted the NJSIAA residency rule.

So, a simple phone call could have avoided at least the forfeits.

Here is one question posed to the NJSIAA.

Groome has been at Barnegat since the fall. There were many stories about this since he is such a high-profile athlete who could be the first player selected in the draft.

There were numerous stories of his first start on April 5 when an estimated 150 MLB scouts and front-office people attended, including Phillies general manager Matt Klentak.

Barnegat wasn't contacted by the NJSIAA until after Groome pitched a no-hitter in his second start on April 11. The NJSIAA then made its ruling on April 14.

Groome's adviser, Jeff Randazzo, issued a statement blasting the NJSIAA.

"The NJSIAA has been fully aware of Jason's return home, yet now arbitrarily and unilaterally decides to impose and enforce the so-called 'transfer rule' three weeks into the baseball season?" he wrote.

According to the NJSIAA, the organization wasn't fully aware - or even aware at all - about Groome until he made his second start.

That might be one of the most baffling parts of this story. The NJSIAA wasn't aware that it had one of the highest-profile athletes in the country competing for one of its member schools?

"It is not unusual for us to be the last one to hear of something like this," NJSIAA assistant director Larry White said in a telephone interview. "We get 1,500 transfers and 1,500 transfer papers."

The NJSIAA has many committees, and here is another that we're proposing: one that tracks the top high school stories and keeps the NJSIAA abreast of them.

Michael Cherenson, a spokesman for the NJSIAA, disagrees with this idea, saying no special treatment of athletes is needed.

"There is as much focus on an incoming freshman bowler or fencer as there is on a top football, basketball or baseball player," he said.

That's a noble thought, but the NJSIAA should be on top of the big stories, even if it isn't its job to initially contact schools on behalf of a player.

Cherenson said in 2014-15 there were 279,377 student-athletes competing in the NJSIAA, with 15,296 playing baseball.

"To track nearly 280,000 student-athletes and 15,000 baseball players is a lot," he said.

We get that, but being on top of the big stories wouldn't hurt.

As for Groome, those saying he could be denied millions of dollars by not pitching are going a little too far. He will miss only a few starts and is expected to be eligible sometime in the last week of April, when half the games have been played.

In fact, if MLB teams were given truth serum, they are probably glad Groome will be throwing even fewer innings, so his arm will be relatively fresh by the draft on June 9.

By then all this will be old news. But what shouldn't be forgotten is that anytime there is a transfer, crossing the T's and dotting the I'sis as important as making the right pitch on a full count with the bases loaded.

mnarducci@phillynews.com

@sjnard