SPANISH FORK — One of the top boys basketball teams in the state lost four of its leading scorers this week after district officials confirmed the teens violated unspecified district and team rules in an incident that involved “multiple” victims.
“I can confirm four boys were removed from the basketball team this week, as well as suspended from school for a short period of time,” said Lana Hiskey, Nebo School District communications director. “That happened after a thorough investigation that’s been going on for a good length of time.”
Maple Mountain High is ranked No. 2 in 5A and No. 1 in the Utah High School Activities Association’s RPI system, but after the removal of those players, the team lost its first region game Tuesday night at Salem Hills High.
When asked if the victims were members of the team, Hiskey responded, “All we can say at this point is that there were multiple.”
Hiskey said it was a difficult situation, and the school has made counselors available to any student who feels the need to talk about what happened. She declined to provide details about the nature of the violations, only characterizing them as “inappropriate behavior.”
“It saddens us to have to deal with this type of situation where it affects the students, whether it’s the victims or offenders, it impacts their families, the entire team, the coaches and even the school,” Hiskey said. “Nebo firmly believes in having a safe place for students to learn, and it’s critical that all of our students feel safe.”
She praised those who reported the violation of team and district policy. There was “great cooperation throughout the investigation,” she said, “which has been very helpful.”
She said school and district officials encourage any student who doesn’t feel safe, for any reason, to seek help from administrators or counselors.
“We’re very grateful when information comes forward that needs to be reported,” she said. “We did a very thorough investigation from people who are not close to the situation, so they could be unbiased investigators. These students will be back at school, but they will not be back on the team.”
She said it is a sensitive situation, made more difficult by the reverberations the entire incident will have in the coming months.
“Our hearts really do go out, not only to the victims, but to the offenders and their families, because it really does affect everyone,” she said. “We take these types of situations very seriously. We hope we can learn from it, that we can move forward, and that we can make better decision in the future.”
She said she is “not aware” of any criminal investigation into the team and district violations that led to the dismissal of the boys from the team.