On Saturday, January 21st, 2023, a 22-year-old former assistant coach for the Churchland JV girls basketball team from Portsmouth, Arlisha Boykins, posed as a 13-year-old player who played for the Truckers (the team). The real student athlete was away at a club basketball tournament, the parents of the athlete said.

The JV coach along with the head coach of the team have both been fired after the impersonation.

The game in which the JV coach played was held in Suffolk against Nansemond River on January 21. Video footage shows Boykins wearing a number 1 jersey for the Churchland team, actively playing. The parents of the student athlete claim the JV coach played under the student’s name.

WAVY confirmed Boykins is no longer an employee of Portsmouth Schools. Her last day of employment was January 25, 2023 after administration held a meeting with parents and players for both the JV and varsity teams. The players as well and the parents of the players, chose to opt out of the remainder of the season.

The executive director of the VHSL, Billy Haun, noted that this marked the second time in his seven-year tenure that a coach tried to impersonate a player. Since these incidents do not happen often, there have been no discussions to change or redevelop any regulations or procedures. In an interview with WTKR, he expressed his thoughts on what Arlisha Boykins did.

“When an adult commits to being a high school coach, it’s not just about coaching the game. They take on a lot of responsibility. “Adults who fail to live up to those expectations – I’ll just put it bluntly – they fail students. We failed kids because we’ve got a group of young ladies who will now not be able to finish their season because of the behavior of some adults.”

The parents of the 13-year-old player who was impersonated were not happy. In an interview with WAVY-TV, they voiced their opinion on the matter.

“Coaches always preach to the kids about integrity and those types of things, so I was just shocked,” the father of the 13-year-old said.

The family of the 13-year-old told WAVY that their daughter is no longer interested in attending Churchland High School next year and will pursue other opportunities. The family also expressed that they are seeking an apology from the school division. As of February 18th, there is still no word on if the family has heard back from the school division.