News

Father says his son, 12, can't play school basketball because he's too good

SCOTT TOWNSHIP, Pa. — A father told Channel 11 that his son isn’t allowed to play basketball because he is too good.

“I score a lot of points for my age.  I get a lot of rebounds,” said Liam Ball, 12.

Last year, as a fifth-grader at Our Lady of Grace in Scott Township, Ball was the top scorer in the Pittsburgh Diocese.

This year, the sixth-grader finds himself without a team, practicing drills alone in the park.

“I don’t know what I did to deserve this,” said Ball.

Ball’s father said his son is being punished because he's a standout player. At 6 foot 1 inch, he is being scouted by colleges.

"One day, the coach approached Liam and said there was a problem for next year. He told him he was too advanced to play with his own classmates,” said Bill Ball, Liam Ball’s father.

Ball’s parents transferred him to St. Bernard’s in Mt. Lebanon, where they learned he also wasn’t able to play basketball.

The diocese said it learned the transfer was primarily for basketball related issues, violating a diocesan policy.  It’s an allegation Bill Ball denies.

The diocese said Ball’s coach recanted his comment about being too advanced to play and asked him back to the team. If Ball would have stayed at Our Lady of Grace, he would be playing this season, said the diocese.

“All of my friends are playing, but I can’t play.  That makes me sad,” said Ball.