Millcreek Youth Athletic Association

Basketball

Welcome to the MYAA Basketball League.

Registration opens September 1st and closes September 30th every year. Once registration closes, we base the number of teams on registrations as of 10/1 and if teams are full, we close the division with no late entries. The only way to guarantee entry is to register by 9/30.

Director of Basketball - Jaclyn Clover - Questions directed to 814-833-3298 - [email protected]

Basketball is offered to boys and girls from Millcreek and surrounding areas that are in Kindergarten to 12th Grade. It is the intention of the program to offer an environment where the children learn the skills of basketball, respect for the game and coaches, sportsmanship and to have fun.

**There is a Q&A section at the bottom of this page for commonly asked questions.

NOTE: All Divisions are subject to adjustment based on the number of participants.

INTRODUCTORY (K) and BEGINNER (1st Grade)
Introductory basketball designed to teach the children the game of basketball in a structured format. Both of these leagues are co-ed. These two leagues will play 3-on-3 basketball opposed to traditional 5-on-5. With 3-on-3 play, the court is spaced in a way that it forces the children to work on passing, defense and shooting. It eliminates the groups of 10 players crowding around the ball, which often puts children in situations where they are not fully participating and getting frustrated. It is our goal to coach the fundamentals in practice and during games so that the children stay engaged. There is no screening/picks or steals in these leagues. Introductory (K) will play on 8-foot baskets, Beginner (1) play on 8.5-foot baskets.

Scoring - The main objective of this league is to learn! There will be no score kept in this division.
One adult from the home team on the schedule must be provided to assist with time clock.

Teams practice in November (about 4 of them) are on random nights or weekends. Once games start in December, everything is on Saturdays. They practice for 20-30 minutes and then immediately play their game. 10 total Saturdays running to mid-February.

ROOKIE (2nd Grade Boys)
Building off of what the kids learn in 3-on-3 in Beginner and Introductory, they will then move to 4-on-4 basketball for Rookie. This league will play on 9.5-foot baskets. Once again, the objective of this league is to teach the game and develop players. There will be a 15-point cap on leads. There is no stealing or pressing in this league. Rules are designed to help the children develop.

Teams practice in November (about 4 of them) are on random nights or weekends. Once games start in December, everything is on Saturdays. They practice for 15-20 minutes and then immediately play their game. 10 total Saturdays running to mid-February.

MINOR (3rd Grade Boys / 2nd & 3rd Grade Girls)
Boys league plays 5-on-5. Girls league plays 4-on-4. This league will be introduced to various aspects of traditional basketball with some rule limitations. There is no stealing off of the dribble. Plays are introduced and they begin to learn team play. We continue to keep an educational component and expect coaches to be visible during the game to step in for in the moment coaching. There will be a 20-point cap on leads. Boys utilize a 10-foot basket, girls play on a 9.5-foot basket.

Teams practice in November (about 4 of them) are on random nights or weekends. Once games start in December, everything is on Saturdays. They practice for 15-20 minutes and then immediately play their game. 10 total Saturdays running to mid-February.

Note for Junior and Senior Divisions: With the older ages, registrations fluctuate every year. We aim to build our divisions as listed below, but we sometimes need to adjust the divisions based on the final number of registrations.

JUNIOR (6th - 8th Grade)
The Junior division begins to open up to regular basketball rules. Because we are a recreational league and have children with all different abilities on the team, some rule restrictions are in place to allow coaches the ability to control the game - if needed. But for the most part, the Junior division abides by standard basketball rules.

Team practices in November (about 4 of them) are on random nights or weekends. Once games start in December, everything is on Saturdays. 10 total Saturdays running to mid-February.

SENIOR HIGH SCHOOL DIVISION (9th through 12th Grade)
The Senior division will be regular basketball rules with no restrictions. The senior division will play at least one game per week the day of the week is TBD.

GIRLS TEAM DIVISIONS (There are no Boys Team Divisions)

Level A - 3rd/4th grade

Level B - 5th/6th

Level C - 7th/8th

The Team division is a separate division that is unrestricted basketball. Coaches develop their own team and control their own playing time. It is comprised of a regular season and playoffs with a championship at the end.

Parents must understand that when you join a Team division team, you are making the decision to join and abide by the coach that runs the team. We as a league do not dictate practice schedule, playing time, or anything with how the team is run on the court in regards to plays etc.

This is a competitive league that is separate from the recreational for players that want more exposure to basketball in preparation for the next level. This is not an all-star league. We have players of all talent levels that join teams. It is a tremendous experience for players.

There will be press restrictions in place for Level A.

If you are interested in entering a team in Girls Team Division, email [email protected] for a team code. Each player will register individually and will enter the team code when they register to identify them to your team.

Girls team games are played on a week night, however, that night is TBD based on the number of teams that sign up.

CLINIC DAY -
Clinic Day is held in October every year. This is an opportunity for the players for the season to come out for an hour on a Saturday and start to get introduced to basketball before the kick-off to the season. This is also when the coaches selected for your age group will observe the players while they go through shooting, dribbling, defense and other drills. The coaches are observing not to create an all-star team, but instead to help spread the different skill-levels evenly across the teams.

Attendance during the Clinic Day is not required to play basketball. Players who are unable to attend will be randomly assigned to a team for the season. Times to be announced closer to clinic day.

A couple days after clinic, the coaches will gather to assemble the teams. You will receive information with your team and coach contact info after the teams are set in October. Practices then begin in November.

DRAFT PROCESS (Rec Leagues)

The draft was designed to do the best we can to keep teams balanced. This attempts to eliminate a team coming in with 4 or 5 players that may have higher talent, which causes lopsided games. The draft process has worked great for several years. That said, no matter what system we use, every year there will be teams that are better and teams that are not. Remember, the players that are not at the clinic are randomly assigned after the players are drafted. Therefore, luck of the draw result in a better team. So, when we hear a team is "stacked" or is "unfair,” I can tell you that it is luck. At the end of the day, though, if we are teaching kids about character, this is part of it. Throughout their life, they are going to be a part of a team that is not as good and be on teams that are better. It is our job as parents to help them through it.

Q&A

· Where are the games and practices? All games and practices are scheduled at various locations throughout Erie and Millcreek. However, where you practice on week 1 will be where you play every week, unless there is a change due to availability. That will be communicated with ample amount of time to make accommodations.

· Do I have to live in Millcreek? No, we are open to kids from all surrounding areas.

· Can my child play with a friend or neighbor? All teams are based on the draft model that is described above to maintain balance and fairness, therefore, we do not take requests for teams, teammates or coaches. The child of the Head Coach and one Assistant Coach are automatically assigned to their team. If you would like more control over who is on your team, we encourage you to sign up to coach, as you then get to draft your team. Unfortunately, we have no exceptions to the draft process. In the Girls Team division, you are allowed to form a full team to bring in.

· When are practices and when do they start? Practices typically start the first week of November. Teams will practice at least 4 times in November (more if the schedule permits). There is no set day for practices in November, they vary between weekday evenings and weekends. Once the season starts the first week of December, practices are combined with games, except for Junior and Senior leagues. Combined means they come and practice for 15-20 and then immediately following that, they play their game. This means that once December arrives, everything is focused on Saturdays.

· When are games? The majority of games are held on Saturdays. Games begin at 8:00 am and run until 6:00. Times will vary each week. We take time off for Christmas/New Year and usually finish the season by the second or third week of February.

· Is it possible that we could play a game other than Saturday? Historically, all rec games are on Saturdays, team division and high school is on weeknights. That said, we have experienced exponential growth over the last several years, and eventually we might not fit everything into Saturdays. Based on registrations, there is always the possibility of a random weeknight game, but that would be an exception and will be communicated at the start of the season to plan accordingly.

· My child never played basketball, can they play in this league? Yes. Our league is a recreational league and is designed for players of all skill levels. All players in the recreational league are guaranteed equal playing time.

· What is the GirlsTeam Division? In our recreational league, we have some rule restrictions to allow all players a chance to succeed along with the guaranteed playing time. Some players want a higher level of competition, so we formed the Girls Team division. In this division, a coach forms a team and brings the whole team in as a unit. There are no rule restrictions and no guaranteed playing time. When you sign up to play with a coach, that coach is making all of the decisions for the team. Many teams that start out in the Team division end up staying together and play for their school team, tournament or AAU basketball after the season. We have playoffs and a championship in this division, as well.

· Can my child do both Team division and recreational league? Possibly. You would want to first have a discussion with your Team division coach to make sure practices they schedule would not interfere with Rec league. Please keep in mind how much your child can handle.

· My child is going to try out for the school team, what should I do about MYAA? There are very few school situations that interfere with our league. If you are in a city school, please know that usually the city school leagues do not even start until February. If you are playing girls basketball in Millcreek schools, usually their leagues are done for the year before our league starts. If you are playing boys basketball in Millcreek schools, the 5th grade league plays on Sundays, so there is no conflict. The only one I advise you to pay more attention to is the middle school boys basketball in Millcreek as schedules may possibly overlap. That said, we have many boys that do both every year. We have many 6th through 8th grade Millcreek boys that play on their school teams still play MYAA. Every once in a awhile, there is a conflict with a tournament, but it typically works. All that said, unfortunately, every year we get many calls after a child did not make their school team, then wanting to join MYAA. By that time, our teams are usually set and the child is left with nowhere to play. Unless you know for sure your child is going to make the team, you might want to sign them up. Please note though that we do not issue refunds after the first practice in November.

· If I sponsor a team will my child have the sponsor? Yes, we do everything we can to align the sponsors with the child. If there is going to be an issue where we can't, we will reach out and you can decide what you want to do with your sponsorship. There can only be one sponsor per team, so if your child ends up on a team with a sponsor already, they may be moved to a different team.

· What equipment or clothes do I need? All players should have soft sole rubber sneakers. We supply game shirts. Players can wear any color or style of shorts and some of the little kids even wear pants, their choice. We recommend they bring a properly inflated ball to practice as it makes it easier to do drills when they each have their own. If you can't afford a ball, not a problem, the coach will work around it. We supply the balls for game days and ask that no balls be brought to the gym for games. A water bottle is also good for the player to have on the bench.

· I wasn't aware of your program, what's the history of it? Our basketball program has been in existence for 65 years. Last year we had 1,000 boys and girls participate in the program. We look forward to having you join us this season!

· If I coach, do I get my child on my team? Yes, coaches’ children are automatically assigned to the team. The coach can also identify one assistant and their child is also automatically assigned to that team.

Any additional questions on basketball, please contact [email protected]