In Portsmouth, Virginia, school officials have announced that they are looking into allegations that a 22-year-old assistant coach pretended to be a 13-year-old girl and participated in a junior varsity basketball game earlier this month.

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The girl’s parents tell Nexstar’s WAVY that their daughter was away at a club basketball competition on January 21 when Churchland High School hosted them in Suffolk.

Who is Arlisha Boykins? 

Local media sources claim that on Saturday, January 21, Arlisha Boykins, an assistant for the Churchland H.S. Truckers in Virginia, impersonated one of her players who was away from the team competing in a club basketball competition.

Boykins apparently decided to take matters into her own hands and dress up as the student-athlete instead of having to play with one fewer hooper. Video obtained by WAVY10 shows the full-grown adult balling out against the opposition, driving the lane for a layup, getting a block, and nailing free throws.

The team’s assistant coach, Arlisha Boykins, can be seen giving teammates high fives following successful plays in game footage that WAVY received.

Portsmouth Public Schools no longer employs the assistant coach. The Churchland High School team has chosen not to play any further games this year after consulting with its players and parents.

Speaking about the incident, the 13-year-old’s father admitted that he was “shocked” the instructor would do such a thing. 

“Coaches always preach to the kids about integrity and those types of things, so I was just shocked,” the girl’s father said.

The girl’s family informed WAVY that their daughter will not be attending Churchland High School the following year and will instead pursue other options.

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The event is currently being investigated by the school, and the student’s family is requesting an apology.