The PA announcer introduced the Highlands High School boys basketball starters and coach Bill Flow, but he wasn’t there for Tuesday’s game at Hampton.

Instead, basketball parent and former assistant Mike Foster coached a scaled-back roster that dressed only nine varsity players while the program faces an investigation into hazing allegations.

Foster said the missing players were not expected back this season. But he was optimistic Flow would return to the team and finish his first year as coach. Highlands lost to Hampton, 65-30.

“I’m hopeful that Friday is the last one (without him) and then Coach Flow is there next week,” said Foster, whose son is a junior on the team. Foster declined to comment on the allegations.

Harrison police on Tuesday confirmed they are investigating reports of a hazing incident involving the Highlands boys basketball team.

Police Chief Brian Turack said the school district made his department aware of the allegations. He did not offer details about the allegations, citing the ongoing investigation.

“We will be consulting with the (Allegheny County) District Attorney’s Office to determine what, if any, charges should be filed,” Turack said. “The investigation is ongoing at this time, and we will release additional details as they become available.”

The school district acknowledged the incident late last week but offered no details.

Superintendent Monique Mawhinney issued a statement that said the district takes the allegations seriously and will take appropriate action. She declined to discuss the situation further when contacted Monday.

“Since this incident involves students, I won’t be able to make any further comments,” Mawhinney wrote in a statement.

Highlands athletic director Katie Joe Stobert, who attended Tuesday’s game, declined to comment.

Some parents said on social media that the incident happened on a bus returning from a scrimmage game and involved multiple players.

Flow, hired by the district in June to coach the team, did not return calls seeking comment. Neither did the district solicitor, Anthony Giglio.

TribLive reached out to each of the nine school board members but none responded.

The Golden Rams started the season with 17 players on the roster. Only 11 were listed in the scorebook for Tuesday’s game, of which nine were in uniform.

Foster acknowledged that playing shorthanded would be difficult, especially against an opponent such as Hampton, which had a deeper bench.

“For a lot of guys, this is their first varsity experience,” Foster said. “It takes a little bit to get going. They’re three games in. I personally feel that by the second half of the year, these guys will be ready to go.”

A Highlands graduate, Foster has coached in the district for several decades. He was a varsity assistant under late Rams coach Rich Falter until 2011. He was assisted Tuesday by Steve Bielak.

“We’ve had these guys since they were in third grade,” said Foster, who coached his sons’ youth teams.

Highlands (1-3) hosts Burrell (1-2) at 7:30 p.m. Friday in a Section 1-4A opener.

Previous Highlands hazing

This is not the first time Highlands has been hit with hazing accusations.

Two senior soccer players were disciplined in 2014 after being accused of duct-taping an autistic sophomore player to a goal post at the soccer field in Harrison. Police were called by passersby who found the boy yelling for help. He was tied up for about 22 minutes, according to surveillance video.

The soccer coach was also suspended, although he was not suspected of participation. The remainder of the team’s season was called off as a result of the incident.

At that time, a Highlands graduate who played soccer told TribLive that the duct-taping was a team ritual that he believed had occurred for at least a decade.