Promising sophomore Santos lands at Geneva

Ashley Santos, who was ruled ineligible by the IHSA in March, a ruling that caused Bartlett to forfeit its 17 girls basketball wins last season, has enrolled at Geneva High School and is expected to play this season for coach Gina Nolan's Vikings.

Nolan as well as Geneva athletic director Jim Kafer confirmed Friday that Santos has enrolled at Geneva, and Kafer said his understanding is that the promising sophomore will be eligible to play.

"From everything I can see, yes, she will be eligible," Kafer told the Daily Herald Friday afternoon. "This all just transpired in the last couple weeks. She registered and we instituted the forms you have to do with the IHSA and that's all gone through so as far as we know everything's OK."

Santos, a 5-foot-9 guard/forward, helped Bartlett to a 17-11 record last season as a freshman, averaging 13.3 points per game, 4.4 rebounds and 2 assists. She earned Fox Valley all-area honors from the Daily Herald as well.

However, her residency came into question when the IHSA ruled that guardianship papers filed in and accepted by Elgin Area School District U-46 did not meet IHSA requirements. IHSA Executive Director Marty Hickman initially ruled Santos ineligble and also ruled that Bartlett had to forfeit its 17 wins. The Santos family was living in Elgin but had transferred guardianship to a Bartlett family, they said, in anticipation of possibly having to leave the country to tend to a sick relative. The guardianship, however, was not court appointed, which the IHSA requires.

Hickman originally ruled that Santos would be ineligible for the 2009-10 season but the IHSA board of directors overturned that ruling, instructing Hickman to review Santos' eligibility status when and if the family got the proper court appointed guardianship.

Now, though, it appears the Santoses have moved to Geneva, although the family could not be reached for comment Friday. Hickman was also out of the office on Friday and IHSA assistant executive director and girls basketball administrator Beth Sauser directed questions on Santos to Hickman, saying he and he alone deals with eligibility issues.

Nolan, who guided the Vikings to a 32-2 season and fourth place in the Class 4A state tournament last season, also acknowledged Friday that Santos is at Geneva, although she said the Division I prospect did not participate in any summer activities with the team.

"I'm sure she will try out and come to our open gyms," said Nolan. "I haven't talked to her but I did see her in the hallways today and said hello."