I'm sorry, but Memphis and the coaching staff 110% have the right to not play an athlete if they deem the risks greater than the reward long-term.
Coaches play favorites and choose to not play kids over petty issues all the time. Coach doesn't like a kid's attitude, for example, and chooses not to play him despite said player being 100% eligible to play, and is perhaps better than everyone playing in front him. Coach doesn't like the kid, however, and chooses not to play him. Tool move, yes, but well within the coach's right to play who he or she wants to play.
Parents may get pissed. Player may get pissed. Tough luck. They can't sue the coach for lack of playing time, and a judge has no authority over who a coach chooses to play in a sporting event.
Can you provide a single case where this occurred? A single case as precedent here? I'm not a lawyer, but I am a dentist, and we use peer-reviewed journals and studies to help dictate how we practice evidence-based dentistry. If the literature supports our decision-making, it helps ensure that we cannot be held liable regarding standard of care.
So are there any prior court cases where a judge was given the authority to force a coach to play an athlete in an athletic event?