The State Basketball League Commission has overnight become aware of a second incident involving an ineligible player taking part in SBL qualifying games.

In rounds thirteen to nineteen the Willetton Tigers men suited up a player for a total of seven games and failed to lodge a contract, player registration and proof of citizenship which are all documents required by the league before a player is eligible to play.

The games in question are the Tigers games against Rockingham (June 9), Wanneroo (June 22), Lakeside (June 30), East Perth (July 6), Kalamunda (July 14), Goldfields (July 15) and Perth (July 21) with the Tigers defeating Rockingham, Goldfields and Perth in that time.

The administrative error was reviewed by the SBL Commission overnight and in keeping consistent with previous decisions of a similar nature, the following penalties were applied:

• Hayden Noordhoeks individual statistics from the seven games will be removed from the records (all other player statistics will remain intact).
• Willetton will be deemed to have forfeited the three games that they won, as per the by-laws, and the result will be recorded as 0-2 in favour of Rockingham, Goldfields and Perth.
• Willetton will be fined for breaching the SBL by-laws.

The SBL would like to acknowledge that Willetton have been fully cooperative throughout the process and were up front in identifying the error to the league when it became apparent.

The changed result leaves Willetton in eleventh on the SBL standings with a 9-16 record.

Click hereto view the revised standings.

Photo by Mick Cronin