Girls basketball team booted from playoffs for pink uniforms seeks reinstatement

Updated 12:15 p.m., March 3

UPDATE: According to a tweet from Eric Sondheimer of the L.A. Times, Narbonne has won its appeal and has been reinstated for the championship game.

The Narbonne (Harbor City, Calif.) girls basketball team that was removed Monday from the Los Angeles City Section Open Division playoffs for wearing illegal pink-lettered uniforms, is pleading to get back in.

Narbonne improved to 23-5 on the court with a 57-52 win over View Park on Saturday to move into Saturday's finals against Palisades. But wearing colors that aren't aligned with school colors is a violation of the City Section, commissioner John Aguirre ruled, and now Narbonne is eliminated for the season. View Park will take its place.

A win Saturday would have qualified Narbonne for the state playoffs. Narbonne was already on probation for using an ineligible in last year's playoffs, which contributed to the decision, Aguirre told the Los Angeles Times.

Flaming this debate is the fact that the pink lettering was designed to bring awareness to breast cancer, Narbonne officials said.

"Breast cancer awareness is in October, and there's a process for people to request color change," Aguirre told Times staff writer Eric Sondheimer. "If they're going to blatantly disregard these rules and regulations, they're going to affect kids."

Narbonne Principal Gerald Kobata said in a statement: "This is a huge disappointment for the girls basketball team, a team that worked so hard to achieve success on the court and in the classroom. We were unaware that honoring cancer victims with uniforms was against California Interscholastic Federation rules. I feel badly for the students — especially the seniors — their families and the Narbonne community. Though bound by the decision, I want to make sure this never happens again here."

Players on Narbonne are hoping the commissioner changes his mind before Saturday's game.

"We're just praying and hoping that they have somewhere in their heart that maybe we deserve a second chance," Narbonne senior point guard Latecia Smith told ABC7. "We didn't commit a crime. This was all for a great cause. We apologize for the violation but as far as the punishment we're receiving, I don't think it's fair."