A cloudy situation cleared up Wednesday to allow one of the nation's top high school basketball players to suit up for his senior season.
University of Arkansas commit Nick Smith will be eligible to play this year after the superintendents from the North Little Rock School District and Pulaski County Special School District issued a statement declaring they'd signed the necessary documentation with the Arkansas Activities Association that would allow the standout guard to take part in the 2021-22 season.
"NLRSD and PCSSD superintendents extensively conferred with the AAA, and after additional conversations over the last two days, it became apparent the AAA is not prepared to resolve this issue," according to a statement that was released on the North Little Rock School District's Facebook page. "Both school districts agree there were violations of AAA rules but have determined this was at no fault of the student-athlete or the family. Therefore, it is time to move forward in the best interest of our student-athletes and stakeholders."
The news came after a whirlwind four-day stretch that included finger pointing and endless rumors surrounding Smith's playing status.
Over the weekend, it was reported that Smith, who transferred to North Little Rock during the summer after playing at Sylvan Hills the previous three seasons, was ruled ineligible after a member school reported to the AAA that the Charging Wildcats' program had committed violations. The AAA allowed North Little Rock to do an internal investigation, which eventually led the district to self-report some rules were broken.
Those infractions arose after it was learned that two trainers, both of whom had worked with Smith since the sixth and seventh grade and had been volunteer coaches at North Little Rock before ending their affiliation with the school in the spring, having never signed an Athletic Release Form. It was also revealed that neither of the districts signed a Changing Schools/Athletic Participation document, which is also a part of the criteria in order to complete a student-athlete's transfer, according to AAA rules.
However, the issues were resolved Wednesday. The two districts pointed out in their statement that there were still a number of concerns related to the AAA rules, procedures and accountability structure, all of which caused confusion amongst them. They also called on the organization to review and audit their rules "with input from member schools and all AAA stakeholders".
But in the meantime, the country's No. 6-rated player and consensus five-star recruit by ESPN will get a chance to try to win a state title in his final high school season.
"Our practices were just completely different [Wednesday]," said North Little Rock's Johnny Rice, who's in his 10th season as the team's head coach. "It's kind of being weighing on everybody, and in a way, it was hard to prepare for the things we wanted to do. Offensively, defensively, everything because we weren't 100% sure we were going to have [Smith].
"So we had to go back and forth with that. And then we've got big events that we're playing in, and with that, comes travel plans and all of that. There were a whole lot of things and emotions going on. But now, it's like a huge weight off our chests. Now, we're able to just get back to worry about basic basketball stuff and getting ready for the season."
Rice admitted that there's always pressure for North Little Rock to win, particularly after his team beat Little Rock Central in March to collect their fifth state championship since 2013. With Smith now on the Charging Wildcats' roster, he believes those expectations are heightened.
"We embrace those expectations though," Rice said. "We have before. It's what we've built now, and we like that. After [Wednesday], it does seem like there will be a little more pressure. But then again, that's what you want."