Basketball league comes up short

According to the Agoura Youth Basketball Association's mission statement and code of conduct, AYBA strives to "motivate each player to achieve their own individual level of success" while expecting them to "do their best" and "try hard at all times."

Motivating others to succeed is certainly a fine and decent undertaking. Unfortunately, the league has no clue how to achieve its stated purpose and has displayed outrageously poor judgment when it decided to limit the playing time of one particular 10-year-old player- a very talented and successful 10year-old player.

Apparently convinced that their children would never be able to compete at such a high level, some parents openly complained about the talented player and secretly longed for the day their child's inadequacies on the hardwood would no longer be blatantly exposed.

After hearing the complaints, President Howard Lauterbach issued an "official order" just in time for the playoffs that limited the talented player's playing time to two quarters. Mr. Lauterbach's claim that he based his decision on many factors doesn't withstand scrutiny and gives credence to a division director's claim that the order was a result of pressure from parents, I mean, board of directors.

Mr. Lauterbach's claim that he was trying to level the playing field and achieve league parity is laughable. Mr. Lauterbach's claim that violations of league rules influenced his decision is also disgraceful. Who was it exactly that violated the rules? It seems there were convenient issues regarding missing paperwork, draft placement and insurance. The division director is responsible for placing players on teams. The talented player didn't hijack the Sparks, hold the coach hostage and demand playing time-she was placed on the team by the league.

If any rules were violated, they were violated by league directors, not a 10-year-old girl.

I'm not sure when excellence and a high level of skill became threatening and a cause for retribution, but I know this: the Agoura Youth Basketball Association has abandoned its mission statement and violated its code of conduct as a result of its treatment of that 10year-old girl. Terry Campbell Calabasas