Chandler Newberger Community Center Basketball Training Program Manual
Overview: The Basketball Training Classes at Chandler-Newberger work to instill confidence in the participant s basketball skills. While each class will have small differences in the way the coaches interact with the participants, each program is designed to teach the rules of the sport of basketball, challenge the participant s skills, and encourage learning to work as a team. K-1 st Grade Basketball Training This class is non-competitive where young children are introduced to the game of basketball in a safe and fun environment. We do not keep score or standings, have league champions, or MVP s. Players will be introduced to the basic skills of the sport through fun skill-building activities and games. 2-3 rd Grade Basketball Training This class is also non-competitive where young children are introduced to the game of basketball in a safe and fun environment. While we do have a scoring system, it is not the focal point for the class. In addition, the class does not acknowledge winners or losers, keep standings, have league champions, or MVP s. The children will be introduced to the basic skills of the game through fun skill-building activities and games. 4-6 th Grade Basketball Training The popular 4 th and 5 th grade school-based basketball league will begin in January. This prep class will give children a chance to learn about the rules of the league, get comfortable playing full-court basketball, and have fun! Players will hit the ground running in this class, playing games the first week out. We ve found it is best to play and learn, and it keeps the players engaged as well. In addition to the games, players will have approximately 1 hour (sometimes more) of skill building, where coaches will work with them on specific game skills such as defense, dribbling and passing. The game format used will be identical to that of the school-based league. We will keep score, not standings, and participants will play full-court basketball with substitutions. Purpose: We want every child that participates in our classes to feel safe, excited, and eager to have fun learning and playing the sport of basketball!
Class structure: Each class will start with warm-up activities facilitated by the coaches, followed by fun and engaging skill building activities. The last half of the class will consist of participants playing a game. We will create new teams each week, as we ve found this allows players to learn how to play with different types of players. In some classes, the coach may be the 5 th player. Please note: Each group of participants creates a different dynamic and atmosphere in the gym. Because of this, some of the class plans and schedules may be modified depending on abilities and participation levels. (Example: some leagues may play only half court games, some leagues may play all full court games, and some leagues may play a mix of both). Officiating the Games: Officiating will change depending on which grade level the coaches are coaching. In each class, our goal is to use situations to coach the players; to correct the behavior and encourage their understanding of the game. Our K-1 st graders will be guided instead of refereed as they are just learning the sport. Coaches will help them understand what calls referees may make by explaining the violation and directing them on how to avoid the call. Because the players are just learning the sport and developing their skills; our coaches/referees will not make as many calls one might see in a traditional game of basketball. In the 2-3 rd grade league, you will see more calls made by the coaches, but if we blew our whistle every time there was an infraction, there would not be much time for the players to play. Players in this league will see the calls made more consistently, but again coaches will attempt to instruct rather than call out violations. Here is a list of calls that WILL be made during our basketball games: Going out of bounds Excessive traveling Excessive double dribbling ALL fouls
ALL full court press infractions Inappropriate language / behavior Unsportsmanlike conduct Discussing (or bragging about) the score Free throws will NOT be shot at any time during the games for the K-1 and 2-3 rd grade classes. For all fouls, the teams will have to inbound the ball from out of bounds. Shooting fouls are always awarded the 2 points for the made basket. Officiating for the 4-6 th grade league will follow the league rules for the Recreation Department s school-based league that runs January-March. The league rules are outlined below. LEAGUE RULES Playing Rules: Illinois High School Associations/National Federation rules will be followed with the following exceptions or clarifications: The game will consist of four quarters, nine minutes per quarter running time except the final one minute of the game, when the clock will stop on each dead ball, except for an accidental steal (see rule for accidental steal below). There will be a 30 second break between quarters. Half time will be four minutes long. The clock will stop on all shooting fouls. The clock will be stopped for one minute on all time outs. Each team will receive two timeouts per game. Any player on the court may call a time out. Coaches may ask a referee for a time out. All games will use a free throw line at a distance of twelve and one-half feet. Players shooting free throws may go over this line after they release the ball on a shot attempt: They will not be allowed to have initial touch of the ball after their shot attempt. Lane violations will be five seconds instead of three seconds and will include the
space between the standard fifteen-foot free throw line and the twelve and one half-foot line used in the 4 th grade league. There is no full-court pressure in the boys and girls league. This is to encourage basic skill and situational development. Allowing full-court pressure becomes confusing for the children and may lead to compromises in safety. The defense will be allowed to begin guarding the offensive players at the half-court line. If the defense presses, there will be one warning per team, per game, and then a technical foul will be called on each subsequent infraction. If a team is fast breaking, then the defensive team may attempt to steal the ball once the offensive team is past the half-court line. Accidental Steal: When a change of possession causes the players to change ends without a dead ball (defensive rebound, steal), then the offense accidentally turns the ball over to the defense before crossing the defense line, and the defense is NOT pressing, the referee will sound the whistle and give the ball back to the offense (from out-of-bounds) without an infraction against the defense. The clock will NOT stop for this, even in the last minute of the game. The officials must whistle substitute players in. Players entering the game without checking in at the scorers table and/or do not wait for the officials whistle to signal them in will receive a technical foul. Teams will defend the basket nearest to their bench for the first half, and then the one furthest from their bench for the final half. The bonus free throw situation will start on the seventh team foul (including technical) of each half. Bonus free throws are always two shots. Any combination of five personal fouls or technical fouls on one player will result in a game disqualification (foul-out). There will be no overtime periods. Games that are tied at the end of regulation will remain that way. There will be no standings or playoffs.
If a team is winning by 12 or more points, they will be required to make 5 passes, during which at least 3 different players are passed the ball, before they shoot each time. No fast breaks will be permitted. This only applies to the winning team. If the lead is 11 or less, this rule does not apply. We also strongly recommend that when a team is leading by a large margin, they pull their defense back or change to a defense they are less strong with. All players on the bench must remain seated during play. When a player receives a technical for unsportsmanlike conduct, that player will be removed from the game until the league director (or his/her representative) decides that the player is ready to return to the game, even if it makes their team short of players. Teams may not borrow players from the other team in this instance. All technical fouls will entitle the non-offending team an automatic two shot foul with the ball going to the shooting team after the free throws have been attempted. As with all technical fouls, any player on the team awarded the shots may shoot them, regardless if they re on the court at the time or not. We hope you and your child enjoy the Basketball Training classes at Chandler- Newberger. If you have any questions or comments regarding the league, please see Coach Scott Horne (available at shorne@cityofevanston.org or 847-448-8685) or Michelle Tompkins (available at mtompkins@cityofevanston.org or 847-448- 8681).