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Powerhouse Texas high school basketball program in danger of shutting down

Lawrence Andrew Fernandezby: Lawrence Fernandez7 hours agolawandfern
Texas high school basketball - Oak Cliff Faith Family Academy
© Nathan Giese/Lubbock Avalanche-Journal / USA TODAY NETWORK

One of Texas high school basketball’s top squads could close shop due to an F rating given to its academic program.

As originally reported by Greg Riddle of the Dallas Morning News, Oak Cliff Faith Family Academy is undergoing academic problems that could see them shutting down by the end of the 2025-26 school year. Under the Texas Education Agency’s “three strikes” law, a charter school district that receives three consecutive failing marks for financial or academic reasons can be closed down.

Oak Cliff Faith Family appealed the ratings and will know the results next month during the Texas high school basketball season. In a post on the school’s website last August, Faith Family superintendent Mollie Purcell Mozley claimed that their score translates to a C rating.

The Oak Cliff Faith Family Academy boys basketball team has won four University Interscholastic League state championships. As of writing, the Eagles are sixth in the state’s Massey Ratings.

However, the school left UIL more than a year ago after their girls basketball team was prohibited from postseason play and their coaches suspended due to recruiting violations. This development had Oak Cliff Faith Family’s basketball teams playing a national schedule.

Last season, they played Bishop McNamara (Maryland), Utah Prep, St. Benedict’s Prep (New Jersey), AZ Compass Prep (Arizona), Long Island Lutheran (New York), and IMG Academy (Florida). They finished the campaign with a 27-9 record. Meanwhile, coach Brandon Thomas guided the team through this grueling schedule while earning $168,399 last school year, a figure higher than the salaries of some state title-winning Texas high school football coaches.

The Eagles started the 2025-26 Texas high school basketball season at 3-1, losing to Dynamic Prep after wins against TMI-Episcopal, Crowley, and Lancaster. They still have games against other powerhouse squads like Oak Hill Academy, Link Academy, and The St. James Performance Academy.