SURREY — Will he play, or won’t he?
One of B.C.’s best high school basketball players may be sidelined when Tamanawis Wildcats head into their next playoff battle Friday night (Feb. 17) at home.
The question about Miguel Tomley’s eligibility to play for Tammy’s senior boys team will be answered Thursday (Feb. 16) by a B.C. School Sports panel tasked with an appeal in the matter.
He could be blocked from playing by a rule that states student-athletes in B.C. are eligible to play only one season of a particular sport during a single school year.
Tomley, a Grade 11 point guard, has played hoops at Ontario’s Orangeville Prep school over the past several months. He transferred there late last summer, after starring for Tamanawis last season.
But a couple weeks ago, Tomley returned home, for family reasons, and he’s back in classes at Tamanawis.
His mom, Alisha, recently gave birth to a baby girl, Milayah.
“I just wanted to come home and help support my mom as much as I could,” Tomley told the Now during an interview at the family’s basement-suite home in Newton last Friday (Feb. 10).
A single mom, Alisha could use the help around the house. Tomley’s younger brother, Kevin, a Grade 6 student, also lives there.
“Now that I’m here, I just want to play,” Tomley explained. “I’m being patient with it, and hopefully they (BC School Sports) come back with a reasonable answer.… I just hope they take into account the reason why I came home in the first place.”
Over the past two weeks, the governing body has twice rejected applications made on Tomley’s behalf, by officials at Tamanawis.
One question is, should Orangeville Prep be considered a sanction school or a basketball academy?
(STORY CONTINUES BELOW)
PICTURED: Miguel Tomley drives to the hoop during the final game in the 2016 Surrey RCMP Basketball Classic on Saturday in Langley. File photo: Gord Goble
Tamanawis coach Mike McKay believes Tomley should be allowed to play.
“We’ve been going along with the team we have all season, but I think there’s pretty good grounds for him to end up being eligible (to play), but it comes down to the decision-makers making a decision,” McKay said.
“He’s a great kid and it was the family’s decision, his decision, for him to come back when he did,” McKay added. “He just wants to support his mother and brother and sister, and it’s just a situation he’s in.”
Alisha is proud of her son for coming home when he did, before Orangeville’s season ended.
“I’m hopeful he’ll be able to play this year still, because it’d really suck that he came all this way and won’t be able to play,” she said.
“He came home for me, to see her (Milayah, born on Jan. 28) and help me. I’m going to cry, because I’m emotional about everything right now. It just means a lot. With him being in Orangeville, it’s definitely showed him how much money things cost, and even though we got a great deal on the whole prep-school thing, there are a lot of extra costs that come with it. It gets expensive, and at the end of the day that’s probably what he was thinking of, too – not putting too much of a burden on me, financially.”
Whatever happens on Tammy’s possible road to the provincial finals this month, Tomley is certain that he wants to play for the Wildcats next season, in his Grade 12 year, despite enjoying his time at Orangeville.
“I want to stay here and play in front of my mom again for one more year, before I either go to college or another year of prep, and we’ll go from there,” Tomley said.
• Tamanawis hosts Fraser Valley 4A Zone Tournament action this week. On Friday (Feb. 17, 8:15 p.m.), the Wildcats will face the winner of Wednesday’s Fraser Heights-Frank Hurt clash (Feb. 15).
CLICK HERE for the schedule
This week, zone final games are also played at Semiahmoo and Holy Cross, with Fraser Valley championship-round action continuing at Fleetwood Park on Wednesday, Feb. 22.
The senior boys’ provincial championship tournament returns to Langley Events Centre from March 8 to 11. Seniors girls action runs from March 1 to 4 at the same venue.
tom.zillich@thenownewspaper.com