An investigation into now-retired Duncanville girls basketball coach Cathy Self-Morgan turned up “insufficient credible evidence” that the longtime coach committed any recruiting violations, according to findings released Thursday.
Duncanville launched a UIL-mandated internal investigation last month over the potential recruitment of Deja Kelly, a junior guard who transferred to Duncanville from San Antonio this year.
The allegations came from Hannah Gusters, a basketball player who left Duncanville for Irving MacArthur after a “conflict” with Self-Morgan. Gusters referred to text messages between Self-Morgan and Earl Rooks, who coached both Gusters and Kelly on a non-school-affiliated Nike Pro Skills team.
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In those text messages, Self-Morgan and Rooks discuss Kelly’s move to Duncanville, which included employment within Duncanville ISD for Kelly’s mother.
“Several of the text messages between Rooks and Coach Self-Morgan certainly give the appearance of impropriety,” read the findings released Thursday by Mansfield law firm Leasor Crass.
Among the apparent impropriety was Self-Morgan’s offering of Duncanville’s gym to Rooks’ Nike Pro Skills team, free of charge, over the summer – a gesture her accuser said was used to lure Kelly to Duncanville.
The investigation, though, determined that, “while the practice of allowing free gym usage is not consistent with District policy as set forth below, the practice doesn’t constitute recruiting.”
Several other organizations had been granted free use of the facility in 2018 and the years prior, according to the findings.
Investigators also concluded that Nunn received no preferential treatment in her pursuit of a community liaison job with Duncanville ISD. She applied for a total of 11 jobs with the district and received an interview for only one, while being “screened out” of the others. She was one of three applicants who were given “family engagement liaison” positions.
“There is no evidence that Self-Morgan, Nunn, or anyone in the Athletic Department was involved in the employment process for the position,” the report reads.
Gusters had also alleged that Self-Morgan helped Nunn get a director of basketball operations with Rooks’ Nike Pro Skills organization – a job investigators deemed she was qualified for.
“During the course of this investigation, some evidence was discovered regarding practices that do not amount to violation of the UIL Constitution but are not consistent with what we believe to be best practices in these areas,” the findings read.
Duncanville ISD will now be asked to present the findings of the investigation to the UIL.
Leasor Crass identified a set of recommendations for the district, including compliance training within the athletic department and a tightening-up of transfer policies. The district was instructed to improve its filing of Previous Athletic Participation Forms and provide any prospective transferee the UIL’s definition of recruiting.
Self-Morgan, who won 638 games at Duncanville and more than 1,100 in total over 42 years coaching at the high school level, announced her retirement after the Duncanville girls were upset in the first round of the state playoffs.
While the announcement came on Feb. 13, a week after the UIL called for an investigation, her statement said she had submitted her retirement letter on Feb. 4.