Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1953-01-30
| Dant Is Ruled Eligible
To Play With TONES
In Catholic League
By Brian Bell, Jr.

Harvey Dant, previously ineli-
gible st. Anthony's player, will
be allowed to participate in re-
manning Catholic High School
League basketball games.
This ruling was made by Msgr.
John S. Spence, head of the Dis
trict's parochial school system.
at a meeting of the Catholic
League yesterday at the Airlie
branch of st. Johns. Earlier
this season the Catholic League
board of directors, which is COM
posed of the coaches and athletic
directors of the eight schools,
had voted 1912 and 90 not to
allow Dant to play in league
games.
The Catholic League, before
yesterday, had an eligibility rule
which stated that a transfer
student from one Catholic high
to another could not play in
league games for one year lex
cept in special case" Dant
transferred from Gonzaga to St.
Anthony's last fall.
On the two occasions that ST.
Anthony's had appealed to the
league board of directors to con-
slider Dant as a special case, the
league voted not to allow the
player to participate. Dant has
been playing for st. Anthony's
in montague games and played
a protested league game against
Priory.
Rule Change Ordered.
Yesterday, Msgr. Spence told
the Catholic League representa-
tiveS that Archbishop Patrick A..
O'Boyle felt the eligibility rule
should be changed. Msgr. Spence
said the Archbishop did not
think a boy should be pro-
hibited from participating in all
athletic events for his school.
MSgr. Spence instructed the
league to change it's rule to read:
ANY student who voluntarily
and for reasons of mere athletic
advantage transfers from one
league school to another shall
be ineligible in league compe-
tition for one calendar year.
The rule shall not include stu
dents who transfer for academic
reasons (the situation under
which Dant made the switch>
nor students transferring for
disciplinary reasons provided the
student is authorized by Diocesan
authorities"
The old rule was adopted by
the Catholic League to prohibit
players from transferring from
poor team to better team and
keeping their eligibility. Also,
the old rule prevented coaches
from influencing star players to
switch schools.
Another important change
was made by Msgr. Spence in
the method by which eligibility
questions are decided. Previously
this was done in a meeting of
the Catholic League board of di-
rectors.
Protest Still Undecided.
The new rule adopted yester-
day provides for a special board
to be called on each case. The
new body would consist of rep
resentative of the Diocesan
Board of Education and two
members of the boards of gov
errors from each school involved
in the dispute or representatives
from the boards of governors.
However, these representatives
can not be members of the
leagues board of directors which
rules out coaches or athletic di-
rectors deciding on eligibility
questions in the future.
No vote was taken on the two
changes in the rules, but mem
bers of the league Board of Di-
rectors said they considered the
rules to have been adopted.
Dant played for st. Anthony's
against Priory in a league game
a week ago and a protest has
been lodged. The league did not
vote yesterday on whether the
TONES victory in that game
would be forfeited, but member
of the Board of Directors said
he assumed st. Anthony'S would
have to forfeit the contest be-
cause at that time Dant was
not eligible under the old rule.
st. Johns and st. Anthony's
are tied for the league lead with
40 records. The addition of
Dant, tall high scorer, will in
crease the TONES chances of
- 49, A:A1~