Hoover High baseball coach Adam Moseley to miss spring season

Hoover High School baseball coach Adam Moseley is set to miss the upcoming season following a ruling from the Alabama High School Athletic Association on Wednesday morning.

Moseley and infielder RJ Hamilton represented Team USA at the World Baseball Softball Confederation (WBSC) U-18 Baseball World Cup in September. Since they competed with the same team outside of the school baseball season, they were determined to be in violation of AHSAA rules.

Hoover administration presented an appeal to the AHSAA Central Board on Wednesday, seeking a change in the original ruling from AHSAA Executive Director Alvin Briggs, which would require Moseley or Hamilton to sit out the spring school season.

The AHSAA bylaws state, "Any coach that coaches a student (grades 7-12) from his/her school in practice or competition outside an allowable period renders that student or the offending coach ineligible in the sport in which the violation occurred for that school season."

Moseley is expected to sit out the 2023 season, which would allow Hamilton, a senior and Vanderbilt University commit, to play for the Buccaneers this spring.

“We appreciate Hoover High School following the appeal process and for their presentation,” said Central Board President Mike Welsh, following the Central Board's vote. “I commend the Central Board for standing by the constitution and by-laws of the AHSAA. The process to change a by-law includes a school submitting a proposal in January, which is then surveyed by the member schools in February and voted on by the Legislative Council in April. However, that process could not take place before this particular participation was to occur.”

The Hoover High athletic department began communicating with the AHSAA several months in advance of the World Cup event, hoping to find a resolution in the event Moseley and Hamilton were both selected to the team. Obviously, the ultimate ruling did not go in Hoover's favor.

"We do not have a method in our athletic association to address things quickly," Moseley said, when reached Thursday morning. "That's why we went to them more than once. We did it in good faith. We didn't hide a thing. This was not one of those things where we were going rogue. This was an attempt to involve them in the process of changing this in a positive way."

While knowing the specifics of the rule does not allow for leeway, Hoover presented documentation from USA Baseball, showing Moseley was not involved with coaching Hamilton at the event. Moseley was the team's pitching coach, while Hamilton played in the infield and was coached by three others with professional baseball experience.

"We came to them on multiple occasions because of the spirit of the rule and trying to honor that spirit of the rule," Moseley said.

Moseley was accompanied by Hoover athletic director Andy Urban and principal John Montgomery at the appeal. He expressed gratitude for their support through the process.

"What they did is what I hope every coach in the country gets to experience," Moseley said. "In a moment of difficulty, have other leaders at your school support you and fight for you and that's what did. I'll be always indebted to that."

Moseley said he feels "like a failure" because his decision to coach Team USA will not allow him to coach his players at Hoover this spring.

"I don't ever do this to try and get accolades, but it has been really disappointing that the AHSAA has not recognized RJ Hamilton and what he accomplished on the baseball field, as one of the top 20 players in the country, competing against countries from around the world," Moseley said. 

Moseley added, "This is a time we can really build athletes and build young men up and bring a positive light to the accomplishments of young men, and that's what should be happening to him."

Chris Wilson and Chris Coons will coach the varsity team this season.

"One of the great joys of being here is having a great staff that wanted to be here and will take this and provide the best possible opportunity for our players to have success," Moseley said.

Moseley released a statement on his social media pages following the Wednesday ruling.

"I am disappointed that the AHSAA did not see merit in the extensive documentation from USA Baseball, which clearly states I did not take part in coaching my player during the event in question," he said.

He added, "I have taken every step to work through this process in a manner that is open and honest and I will continue to do so. Moving forward, I am committed to doing all the AHSAA will allow to support Chris Wilson and Chris Coons, along with ALL of our players, as they lead the Bucs forward while we consider all possible solutions to this situation.

Moseley also released a statement via Twitter last Sunday, the day before the start of official practice for high school baseball teams.

"The past few days have been extremely difficult," he said. "I am thankful for the countless encouraging messages, tweets, etc. Quite frankly, I have been blown away by the response from so many people. I look forward to eventually being able to share more about the facts of what has happened. For now, I am doing all I can to support our Hoover Buc coaches and players as they officially start their 2023 journey on Monday. They have all worked extremely hard this off-season to carry on the strong tradition of our Buc family."

It is the third instance in recent years in which an AHSAA ruling has caught national attention.

Maori Davenport, one of the top prep players in Alabama at the time at Charles Henderson High, was suspended during the 2018-19 season after receiving a stipend check from USA Basketball after playing for Team USA in the FIBA Americas U18 Tournament in Mexico City.

Last winter, Oakwood Academy forfeited a playoff basketball game due to it being scheduled for a Saturday, which is the Sabbath for Seventh-Day Adventists. The AHSAA declined to move the game to a different time. 

Several figures throughout the sports world sounded off on the decision regarding Moseley over the last week via social media.

Jay Bilas, an ESPN basketball commentator who was extremely vocal during the Davenport suspension, voiced his concern via Twitter, posting in part, "If you remember the unconscionable way Maori Davenport was treated, the Alabama HS Athletic Association is at it again … this time with a respected baseball coach. Hey AHSAA, show some common sense. Moseley sacrificed to help the USA win a gold medal."

Sonny DiChiara, who played for Moseley at Hoover before going on to star at Auburn and who nows plays in the Los Angeles Angels organization, shared his thoughts on Twitter as well.

"To say that I played in and was affiliated with the AHSAA is an embarrassment," DiChiara wrote. "Coach and RJ were representing our country. Making the state of Alabama proud. All you can care about is the politics and your rules that nobody has liked for years and years. Disgusting."

Casey Dunn, a Vestavia Hills native and current head coach at UAB, said, "[It's] time to look at the intent of your rules and do the right thing. We should be celebrating both coach and player for winning a Gold Medal as part of our national team. Let's promote the great coaches and athletes we have in our state, not punish them!"