Volunteer Coaches Meeting @ the Harward Recreation Center

2nd-3rd League, 4th-5th League - GIRLS        Tuesday, October 3   7pm-8pm
K-1st League - CO-ED                                      Wednesday, October 4  6pm-6:45pm
6th League, 7th-8th League - BOYS Wednesday, October 4  7:15pm-8:15pm

Format

The format of this program will be 5 V 5, meaning, five players from each team will be on the court at one time.  Team sizes will be no larger than 10 players.

Uniforms

Uniform Distribution: Teams will receive their game shirts at their first game. Uniforms will have a label with team name, player name, and shirt size ordered by parent/guardian at the time of registration.

Jersey Colors

Picture Day

Pictures will be taken October 24 & 25 at Harward Rec Center and will be located in the Senior Center. Picture Times: TBD

Practices

See below for practice times and locations for each league.  

K-1 League - CO-ED

2nd-3rd League - GIRLS

4th-5th League - GIRLS

6th League - BOYS

7th-8th League - BOYS

Hoop Height

K-1st | 8'
2nd-3rd, 4th-5th | 9'
6th, 7th-8th | 10'

Games (Fall)

Games will be once a week on Saturdays October 14, 21, 28 and November 4, 11, 18     8:30am-12:30pm
K-1st - Centennial 
2nd-3rd - Roosevelt & Lake Ridge
4th-5th - Owyhee & Greenhurst
6th, 7th-8th - South Middle

Game Schedules will be out when teams and coaches become finalized. 

Rules

K-1st League
2nd-3rd League
4th-5th League
6th League
7th-8th League 

Referees and Sportsmanship

This section is super important to read. While it's great watching your player playing, and watching Referee’s ref, the last few years in youth sports have been troubling.  Particularly how Coaches and Parents respond to referees and the not-so-favorable calls.  There are a few things that I want all parents and coaches to understand.  You are a positive role model for youth. Sportsmanship goes a long way. The fact is that most of our refs are high school kids learning how to ref.  They will referee the K-1^st league, 2^nd-3^rd league, and 4^th-5^th league. And they are great kids.  When they do a great job, let them know.  Give them positive feedback.  

The 6^th-7^th-8^th grade league is officiated by refs wearing stripes.  This crew is the same crew of refs that officiates at the middle school and adult league levels.  The fact is we have a referee shortage in the Treasure Valley.  If you have feedback please have coaches reach out to me, and remember:

1. Understand That They’re Human. Referees aren’t perfect. Just like you and I aren’t either. They’re not going to make the correct call 100% of the time. Just like you and I aren’t going to make the correct coaching decision every single time. Just because they make an incorrect call doesn’t mean they need to ‘get their eyes checked’ or ‘learn the rule book’. Stop expecting perfection and start expecting consistency.

2. You Both Have Different Angles On The Play. While you are both watching the same game, you will always have a different angle on the play from the referee. Sometimes you’re going to see things that the referee misses, and sometimes they’re going to see things that you miss.

3. Set An Example. Your role as a basketball coach and parent extends much further than merely winning games. Whether you like it or not, as a basketball fan and coach you are a role model to your players. They look up to you. If they see you being overly angry at the referees, you can bet they won’t be far behind you. Don’t teach them bad habits. Teach them to stay under control and fight through it mentally when things aren’t going their way.

4. Players and Parents Never Argue. One of the most important rules on all of my teams is that players never argue with the referees. Not every call in basketball is going to go their way. Just like not everything in life is going to go their way either. Learning how to deal with this is an important skill for all players to learn. 

5. Remember Your Role. One of the biggest problems I notice in parents without much experience is that they often get caught up dealing with the referees and forget what their role is in the game. Your role is to cheer on your player and team. Remember that. Don’t let the referees affect your ability to support your player and team. 

6. Adjust to The Referees. As long as the referees are making calls consistently at both ends of the floor, it’s up to you to adjust your game plan to their style of refereeing. For example, some referees allow the players to play tougher in the paint than other referees do. Everyone’s heard the phrase ‘take what the defense gives you’, right? Well in some ways that rule also applies to referees, ‘take what the referees give you’. Please let me remind you, You are a positive role model for youth.

7. Never Blame Losses on the Referees. Never blame a loss on the referees. Especially to your players. By finding an external force to blame for the loss, the players dodge being held accountable for the loss. If they accept accountability, they accept that the other team was simply a better side which will motivate them to improve. However, if they blame the referees for the loss, they have no motivation to improve their game. Rather, let your players know that the game is not won and lost in the dying seconds of the game. If they had made one extra shot, or one extra hustle play during the first 32 minutes of play, the game would have been out of reach for the other team.

Source: https://www.basketballforcoaches.com/dealing-with-referees/