Steel Valley boys' basketball is regarded as one of the top teams in the WPIAL Class 3A and primed for a run with the playoff's coming up, but they're going to have to do it without their head coach Dale Chapman.
In a February 3rd game against Sto-Rox, one of Steel Valley's star players, senior Makhai Valentine, went to ground in the 3rd quarter and hit his head in the process.
The Sto-Rox superintendent reportedly went out to check on the player along with the schools' trainer, before Valentine went to sit on the bench for the next 3 minutes.
When Chapman was ready to bring Valentine back into the game, the Sto-Rox superintendent, Megan Marie Van Fossan, reportedly warned Chapman that "doesn't play the rest of the game,".
"It's a complicated situation, the Steel Valley administration went with what the Sto-Rox superintendent said… but Dale Chapman's this is, she's not the one to make that call," explained the Post Gazette's Mike White as he joined Rick Dayton on KDKA.
Chapman is claiming Valentine wasn't showing any signs of a concussion nor did the Sto-Rox trainer prevent or warn him from putting the player back into the game.
Valentine's mother was also in attendance, sitting behind the bench and said her son seemed fine to play.
PIAA rules say coaches must partake in classes to become concussion protocol certified and any player that shows sign of concussion they aren't permitted to play until cleared by appropriate medical staff.
Steel Valley will be appointing Lauren Varcelli as the head coach for the rest of the season, who was previously an assistant.
