Assistant Coach Impersonates 13-Year-Old Player To Join Basketball Tournament, Gets Fired

A 22-year-old assistant coach of a high school girls basketball team in Virginia has been fired after impersonating one of her teen players and participated in a game, according to reports.

Arlisha Boykins, who previously worked for the junior varsity girls basketball team of Churchland High School in Portsmouth, impersonated a 13-year-old player during the squad's match against Nansemond River High School on Jan. 21, WAVY-TV 10 reported.

Boykins played in the game in Suffolk while wearing a jersey with the number 1 designation, a video obtained by the local media outlet showed.

She participated under the name of the student who owned the uniform, according to the unnamed minor's parents.

The student was out of town for a club basketball tournament, her parents claimed.

Boykins, who was up against girls aged 14 and 15 in the Churchland High School Truckers' match against Nansemond River High School, recorded a block and drove to the basket for a layup, highlights showed.

She also interacted with her team, shooting free throws at one point and diving into the stands for a loose ball.

The Truckers' head coach was "encouraging the behavior" during the game, according to sources.

"Coaches always preach to the kids about integrity and those types of things, so I was just shocked," the father of the student Boykins impersonated said.

Boykin has since been fired along with her team's head coach and the junior varsity head coach.

She is no longer an employee of Portsmouth Public Schools. Her last day of employment was dated Jan. 25.

Churchland High School's junior varsity, varsity girls basketball players and their parents have chosen to forgo the remainder of the season and not play any more games, Portsmouth Public Schools Public Information Officer Lauren Nolasco told USA Today.

The school is currently investigating the incident.

Meanwhile, the girl who Boykins impersonated is no longer interested in attending Churchland High School next year and will instead pursue another school, her family said, according to a report by the New York Post.

The teen's family is reportedly seeking a personal apology from school officials.