A fight broke out on the court at Binks Gymnasium after a boys basketball game between Piedmont and San Leandro high schools on Jan. 30. Video of the brawl made it to Youtube and onto the KTVU newscast. Initial reports from the Piedmont Police Department said that a Piedmont student suffered a broken nose and an adult associated with the San Leandro team suffered a broken wrist.
Both schools are investigating the brawl and have not announced any further discipline as of Feb. 3. Piedmont Police said their investigation is ongoing.
Piedmont announced that no fans will be allowed in Binks for the Feb. 4 game between the Highlanders and Bishop O’Dowd.
In an update to high school families on Feb. 3, PHS Principal David Yoshihara acknowledged that “spectator behavior that evening fell short.” Yoshihara also said the school was implementing immediate changes to student seating, visiting team interactions, and the enforcement of conduct that includes:
- Restricted student section that is moved further away from the playing surface that is clearly marked and identified.
- Student sections between home and visiting team to be separated to minimize crossover that could create conflict.
- Additional security/staff at all home basketball games to support our student section.
- Students reading the CIF/NCS student sportsmanship PSA at all home regular season boys basketball games.
He said that staff will give, at most, one warning for inappropriate sportsmanship. At that point, the student will be asked to leave. If administrators cannot determine the source of the inappropriate behavior, they will ask the group or entire fan section to leave.
“We must take full ownership of the gravity of this event, which resulted in injuries and a distressing environment for many. Students who contributed to the escalation will face consequences that reflect the seriousness of their actions. Given our recent history of sanctions, we recognize that this recurring issue puts our men’s basketball program—and the reputation of our school—at significant risk,” the message said.
Yoshihara said PUSD will also host a community meeting on Feb. 26 on Athletics to include sportsmanship and fan behavior; the PHS Boosters and the PHS Parents’ Club are also setting aside time to discuss the incident.
Spectator videos capture melee as it unfolds on court floor
A video on Youtube (since removed) showed the final moments of the game, which San Leandro won, 63-52. After the buzzer, two San Leandro players headed to the opposite side of the court where the Piedmont student rooting section sits. Two or three dozen students typically harass opponents during games, copying a college student rooting section.
The Pirate players appeared to be taunting the Piedmont students. Students came down on the floor. Then, one of the students chest-bumped a Pirates player. At this point, the melee broke out. Other San Leandro players and coaches came across the court. Most of the people were pushing. However, a Pirates player can be seen throwing a punch at a Piedmont student. Piedmont Athletic Director Tyler Small came over attempting to break up the fight but a man pulled Small to the ground. Another Pirate player can be seen trying to throw punches at Small.
Highlanders coaches got their players to go to the locker room and none were involved in the fight.
Later, a second near-scuffle broke out involving one of the officials at the game.
Incident under investigation
“We have video from the school, video from a spectator,” Piedmont Police Captain Chris Monahan said. “We have a lot of that that we’re going through. We have video from multiple angles.
“Nobody is in custody. We’re still interviewing victims and witnesses.”
The San Leandro Unified School District issued a statement from principal Maite Barloga. “After the game, physical altercations occurred and escalated, prompting a response from local law enforcement,” Barloga said. “In coordination with district officials, we are actively investigating what happened by gathering accurate information, and we will follow all established school, district, and (California Interscholastic Federation) protocols as the review moves forward.”
Said Piedmont Unified School District Superintendent Dr. Jennifer Hawn, “We’re still investigating and working on (any discipline). We do have documents that outline spectator expectations and consequences when they are not followed. We are looking at students and video. Hopefully that investigation will be concluded by the end of this week.”
Hawn said during the game, Piedmont Principal David Yoshihara was supervising the student section. Small had gone over to the San Leandro rooting section at one point. According to Hawn, they could not find the San Leandro administrator (schools are supposed to have an administrator supervising students at every game).
Typically, the CIF and North Coast Section expect their member schools to handle discipline after incidents. West Alameda County Conference Commissioner Dave Kiesel had no comment other than to say, “Both schools are conducting thorough investigations.”
Piedmont’s players created an Instagram video in which they said they were taking a stand against poor fan behavior.
Captain Monahan said he wasn’t sure if the Piedmont Police could staff games in the future due to the small size of the Department. But they would try to accommodate the school district.
“At this point if we have on duty staff available, we’ll have a presence at the games,” he said.