Seven Bay Area basketball teams secured spots in the State Final Four, but only six will be eligible to compete in Capital City.
On Saturday afternoon, the State High School Activities Association (SHSAA) announced that the St. Martin’s Academy Knights would be replaced in the 1A Boys semifinals by River Valley, the team they defeated 49-34 on Wednesday night.
St. Martin’s Academy Principal Laura Jennings issued a statement revealing the boys’ basketball team had been disqualified due to the “participation of a player who was later determined to be ineligible.”
Earlier in the day, the Herald Tribune reported that the ineligible player is the Knights’ leading scorer, Marco Ruiz, who, according to sources, transferred to St. Martin’s from Jefferson Prep in Atlanta, Georgia, as a fifth-year senior. Ruiz was averaging just under 21 points per game for the Knights, despite several outlets listing him as a senior at Jefferson Prep for the 2025 academic year.
Jennings’ statement continued: “First and foremost, I want to sincerely apologize for the disappointment and inconvenience this has caused our student-athletes, families, and the St. Martin’s community. This oversight was entirely unintentional and in no way malicious. Nevertheless, the responsibility rests with us, and we fully accept the consequences of this mistake.”
