Youth Basketball Handbook

Youth Basketball Handbook Policies, Procedures and Rules 2016 Updated Nov 2016 Fuquay-Varina Parks, Recreation & Cultural Resources 820 S Main St. Fuquay-Varina, NC 27526 919.552.1430 www.fvparks.org

I. ORGANIZATION 1. Coaches and Assistant Coaches 1.01 No team shall have more than three (3) coaches. They are designated as Head Coach and Assistant Coach(es). 1.02 Head Coach appointments are to be made by the Athletic Program Administrator or designated staff for one (1) season. All coaches will be evaluated following each season. This evaluation will be used to determine whether or not he/she will be invited back to represent a team in our program in the future. 1.03 All coaches are required to submit a formal application and background check. The background checks are subject to approval of the Parks, Recreation & Cultural Resources Department. Background checks are serviced by a 3 rd party. All information must be submitted online via the portal on the town s webpage. All personal information and results are kept confidential. Coaches must submit their application and receive the approval email prior to their first team activity. 1.04 All Assistant Coaches may be selected by the Head Coach after the skills assessments and draft, pending approval of the Athletic Program Administrator or designated staff member. Assistant Coaches must submit a formal application and background check as listed in Rule 1.03. 1.05 All coaches must understand and agree to carry out the duties, responsibilities, policies, and philosophies as established by the Town of Fuquay-Varina Parks, Recreation & Cultural Resources Department. All coaches must be approved by the Athletic Program Administrator or designated staff member. Any coach not carrying out these duties and responsibilities will be subject to dismissal by the department. 1.06 Head Coaches are required to hold a preseason parents meeting to discuss rules, conduct, responsibilities, etc. 1.07 Coaches should always keep in mind they are setting examples in sportsmanship and fair play and should conduct themselves accordingly at all times. 1.08 Only the Head Coach and their Assistant will be allowed to sit on the bench with the team during the playing of an official game. 1.09 Only the Head Coach will be allowed to stand during the game. The Assistant Coach must remain seated on the bench during the game. 1.10 No Head Coach or Assistant Coach may leave the bench area for the purpose of discussion with an official. 2. Communication 24 HOUR RULE: Parents sometimes disagree with a coach s decision, coaching style, officials decisions or game rules. Parents have to understand that the coach does not represent a player, but the entire team and must make decisions from the team perspective first and foremost. For parents, it is important to separate their child s sports development from game emotions. For this reason, we have adopted the 24 HOUR RULE, which simply states that the coach/staff will not discuss game situations until 24 hours after the game have passed. This rule helps to move the discussion away from the presence of the players and allows all parties to have time to put things in perspective and cool down if necessary. Line of communications should follow the chain of command:

Parents/Players Coaches/Asst. Coaches Recreation Dept Contact Info: Caleb Mangum, Athletic Program Administrator Office: 919-753-1032 Emergencies: 919-422-4616 cmangum@fuquay-varina.org Adam Hairr, Athletic Program Specialist Office: 919-753-1033 ahairr@fuquay-varina.org Trey Baggett, Athletic Program Specialist Office: 919-753-1866 tbaggett@fuquay-varina.org Fuquay-Varina Community Center 820 S Main St Fuquay-Varina, NC 27526 919-552-1430 info@fvparks.org II. RULES AND REGULATIONS Rule 1: League Divisions 1.01 Players must sign up and play in their respective league age division. Division are as follows: Age 6 Coed Ages 7-8 Coed Ages 9-10 Boys Ages 9-10 Girls Ages 11-12 Boys Ages 11-13 Girls Ages 13-15 Boys 1.02 The age cutoff date is January 1, 2017. Participants must be 6 years old and cannot turn 16 prior to January 1 st. 1.03 All players must attend a skills assessment in order to be drafted. Those who are absent from the skills assessment will be placed on teams by names being drawn randomly. 1.04 Player assessments will be held for ages seven (7) and above and will be supervised by the Parks, Recreation & Cultural Resources Department. All other division teams will be assigned. Rule 2: Player Draft

The vision of the Town of Fuquay-Varina s Sports division is to provide fair programming where fun, safety, sportsmanship and team work are emphasized. In an effort to provide balanced teams, the Recreation Department has established the draft rules. Using the following format, the Sports Division strives to balance teams as fairly as possible. All coaches agree to follow the listed draft format and agree to be honest, fair and act in good faith to provide the best experience for all players and families. Coaches may not collude, conspire or attempt to manipulate the draft in order to benefit themselves or a small group of individuals. CONFIDENTIAL: The Draft is kept completely confidential, including Skills Evaluation results, player draft order and trades. Each individual attending the draft is responsible for maintaining confidentiality of the draft and draft materials. ADMINISTRATION: The player draft shall take place following the player assessments. The Athletic Program Administrator, or designated staff, will supervise the placement. NON-GRADED PLAYERS: Players who do not have skills evaluation grades will not be drafted and will be selected by draw after all eligible players have been drafted. These players will be placed on a team by the Athletic Program Administrator or designated staff. Draft will continue until all rosters are full. DRAFT ORDER: Draft order shall be determined by draw. Draft format will be a snake draft. Draft picks will be selected by grade range. Coaches must select a player from the designated grade range if available. Once all players have been selected from that grade range the draft will continue to follow the snake moving on to the next grade range of players. (Example, all A players must be selected before moving on to draft B players, etc...) COACH/CHILD SELECTIONS: Head Coaches with children will select their child(ren) as their first pick of their child s qualifying round. Coaches with multiple children in the same division will select the first child as listed above. The second child and subsequent children will be selected first in their qualifying round. If the children are listed in the same qualifying round, they will be consecutive picks. See selecting siblings below. SIBLINGS: Brothers and sisters in the same age group will be placed on the same team. Coaches who select siblings will select the first sibling in their qualifying round and the second sibling with the first pick of the second child s qualifying round. If both siblings are listed in the same qualifying round, they will be consecutive picks. (Example sibling 1 is rated an A and sibling 2 is rated a B. The coach will select the first sibling 1 in the A round and sibling 2 will be the coach s first pick in the B round. If siblings 1 and 2 are both A players; when the coach selects sibling 1, sibling 2 will be the coach s automatic next pick.) AVAILABILITY: Coaches shall not pass up a player selection choice as long as selections are available to fill vacant positions. PLAYER REQUESTS: All player requests will not be considered in the draft unless there is a special circumstance that has been submitted to the Athletic Program Administrator prior to the draft. Any children that must be paired together for transportation purposes will be drafted in the same manor siblings (see selecting siblings in rule #6). PROTECTED PLAYERS: Only the head coach s child(ren) are considered protected players. Coaches children must attend evaluations and have a grade. If the player does not attend evaluations and has no grade then the player will be the coach s first overall pick in the draft. If the child has a grade then he/she will be the first pick in their qualifying round. For example if a child grades at a B then the coach must select their child with the first pick of the B round. No assistant coaches children may be protected. TIME: Coaches have 1 minute to make their selection. Once 1 minute has past and a selection has not been made, the Athletic Program Administrator or designated staff member will assign a player from the current round to the coach s team.

TRADES: At the conclusion of the draft, the Athletic Program Administrator will open the floor to player trades. All trades must be finalized before coaches leave the draft room. Once the coaches leave the draft room, rosters are final. All trades must be approved by the Athletic Program Administrator or designated staff member. A player must be traded for another player with the same skill level grade (example; an A player cannot be traded for a C player). Coaches may make no more than 2 trades. Any further changes made after the draft must requested in writing and receive special approval from the Athletic Program Administrator. Rule 3: Teams 3.01 Each team shall consist of a maximum of ten (10) players. This number is depending on the number of registrants and may be adjusted by the Parks and Recreation Department. 3.02 The Athletic Program Administrator or designated staff must determine the number of registrants the program can accommodate. The Athletic Program Administrator or designated staff must develop the selection to accommodate the needs of all teams, including possible modifications of draft order depending on returning players and other factors. 3.03 No active Fuquay-Varina Parks and Recreation Coach shall recruit players to play in or on programs and/or teams outside the Fuquay-Varina Youth Program that directly affects the current attendance to leagues. Violation of this rule will result in expulsion from the program. Rule 4: League Awards 4.01 The Parks and Recreation Department provides individual awards for participants of teams that finish in first and second place in post season tournaments. Participation awards are provided to participants in leagues that do not have post season tournaments. Rule 5: Dual Participation 5.01 Players may participate on only one (1) team in the Fuquay-Varina Parks and Recreation Youth Basketball Program. That team will be within the geographic boundaries of residence established by the Town of Fuquay- Varina. Players found participating on two (2) teams may be removed from the program. Games in question may be forfeited. This includes school teams. (Does not apply to 11-13 Girls Division) Rule 6: Uniforms and Equipment 6.01 Uniforms A. Shirts will be provided by the Fuquay-Varina Parks and Recreation Department. Parents will be required to purchase black shorts/pants and shoes. Teams shall NOT alter the uniforms that are distributed to players in any manner. B. No jewelry, including earrings, shall be worn by any player, except for medical identification. Rule 7: Season Schedule 7.01 Practices and games will be scheduled on a rotating basis. Practices will be held during the week and on weekends until games begin. After the start of the game season, practices will be scheduled during the week with games being held on Saturdays. Fridays may be utilized as an additional game day if needed. 7.02 During all scheduled league practices or games, only participants and Parks and Recreation Department approved coaches will be permitted on the playing surface. All parents, siblings, and other spectators should remain in the bleachers. 7.03 All leagues will play at least eight (8) regular season games. Number of regular season games will be determined by the number of teams in each division. 7.04 All game schedules are final. Coaches are not allowed to reschedule league games or schedule games/scrimmages against teams outside of our league. The Parks & Recreation department may reschedule

games for reasons that affect the whole league such as weather cancelations and school make up days. Coaches are allowed to switch practice times with another coach. The Recreation Facility Coordinator must be notified of the switch to change the master schedule. 7.05 If registration numbers warrants play with neighboring organizations, our leagues will follow the playing rules of said organization. Rule 8: Tournaments 8.01 End of Season Tournaments A. 6 year old coed division: There will be no end of season tournaments for this age. B. All Other Leagues: There will be a single elimination end of season tournament. Seeding for these tournaments will be based on regular season standings. Rule 9: Youth Basketball Game Rules All Divisions 9.01 All games will be governed by the official rules of the National Federation of State High School Athletic Associations, with the following exceptions: 9.02 All age divisions will play four (4) eight (8) minute quarters. 9.03 The clock will run continuously until the last two (2) minutes of the game and overtime periods. During the final two (2) minutes and overtime periods, the clock will stop on all dead ball situations. 9.04 The clock will stop at the whistle/dead ball closest to the 4:00 minute mark each quarter for substitutions 9.05 The clock will stop on all free throw attempts. 9.06 Half time will last five (5) minutes. Overtime periods will last two (2) minutes. 9.07 Goal Heights, Free Throw Distances & Ball Sizes: Goal Height Free Throw Distance Ball Size 6 Coed 8 12 Jr. - 27.5 7-8 Coed 8 12 Jr. - 27.5 9-10 Girls 9 12 Girls - Int. 28.5 9-10 Boys 10 15 Boys Int. 28.5 11-12 Boys 10 15 Boys Reg. 29.5 11-14 Girls 10 15 Girls Int. 28.5 13-15 Boys 10 15 Boys Reg. 29.5 9.08 All teams will receive four (4) time outs per game. Time outs can be used any time during the game. Time outs will be carried over to overtime periods. Teams will receive one (1) additional time out per overtime period. Time outs will last one (1) minute. Coed Ages 6 and Coed Ages 7-8 Divisions Only 9.09 The home team will receive the ball to start the game. The visiting team will get the ball to start the second half, alternating after each opening possession. (First team listed on the schedule is considered the home team) 9.10 Back court defense is not allowed. 9.11 Every player must play twelve (12) minutes of each game.

9.12 Defense must be played inside the three (3) point arc. Players cannot step outside the arc to steal the ball. Players can reach across the arc as long as their feet remain inside the arc. All violations will result in a stoppage of play and correction. If the violation persists, the official may award a one (1) shot technical foul. 9.13 The offensive team cannot hold the ball outside the arc, they must penetrate the arc. At the referee s discretion, if the offensive team is not penetrating, the official may award the ball to the defensive team. 9.14 Three point baskets are not allowed. 9.15 6 Year old division only: All fouls will be considered floor fouls. Once the whistle is blown for a foul, play will stop and the offensive team will in bound the ball. 9.16 The score will be displayed on the scoreboard but no standing shall be kept. 9.17 No Lane Violations. Ages 9 and up Divisions Only 9.18 Every player must play twelve (12) minutes of each game. If a player does not meet their minimum playing time for reason other than injury or ejection, the game will be forfeited. 9.19 Backcourt pressure is not allowed, except for the last two (2) minutes of the game and overtime periods. All violations will result in a stoppage of play and correction. If the violation persists, the official may award a one (1) shot technical foul. 9.20 When a team is ahead by fifteen (15) points or more they must play defense inside the three point arc on their defensive end of the court. Only if the lead is cut to 10 or fewer points may the defense move outside of the three point arc. Teams ahead by 15 or more points may not play a full or half court press. 9.21 A jump ball will start the game. There will be alternating possessions after each held ball. 9.22 A lane violation will be called on any offensive player that remains in the lane for more than three (3) seconds. Officials will be more lenient with the 9-10 divisions. Officials for the 11 and up divisions will strictly enforce the rule. Rule 10: Forfeits 10.01 There will be a five (5) minute grace period for the first game of the day. Teams may start and play with four (4) players. 10.02 All other games will start at the regular scheduled game time or immediately following the previous game. Rule 11: Protests 11.01 The only legal protest is one involving the use of an ineligible player. 11.02 Player eligibility protests must be submitted in writing by the head coach and must be filed within twenty four (24) hours of the game in question. All decisions about protests will be determined by the Parks and Recreation staff. 11.03 No head coach or assistant coach may leave the bench during a game to protest a call made by an official. Rule 12: Officials 12.01 Only officials and scorekeepers approved by the Parks and Recreation Department will be assigned to league games.

12.02 Only Parks and Recreation staff are permitted to sit at the scorer s table. 12.03 A game may be played with one (1) trained official. If both scheduled officials are absent, the game will be cancelled. III. All Star Selection Process All Star teams are selected to represent FVPRCRD in Statewide Athletic competitions. Any player who is invited to participate will do so voluntarily. Participants who accept an All Star invitation will be responsible for paying uniform, gate and travel expenses. FVPRCRD will pay for all tournament team entry fees, sanctioning fees and provide equipment and gym space for teams to practice. FVPRCRD participates in SWAC sanctioned events through the North Carolina Recreation and Parks Association. Age groups offered in baseball: 10u Boys & Girls 12u Boys & Girls 14u Boys & Girls 16u Boys *one team per division All Star Player Selection Process Coaches will submit up to 5 players (may be less depending on # of teams in a division) from their team to be placed on the ballot. FVPRCRD will develop a ballot based upon the players whose names were submitted by their respective coach Each coach will vote for 12 players on the ballot (from any team). Ballots will be submitted to FVPRCRD. The top 12 players who receive the most votes will be invited to participate on the All Star team. If a player declines the invitation, the next top vote getter will be invited to join the team. If the next top vote getter is tied with other players (in number of votes) it will be the All Star team s head coach s discretion which player is invited next. All Star Head Coach Selection Process Coaches will indicate whether they would like to be included on the ballot for All Star team head coach. All regular season head coaches are eligible to be All Star team head coach. The ballot for the head coach will be included in the player ballot. When coaches submit their ballot for player selection, they will place one vote for All Star team head coach. Coaches may vote for themselves. The Coach receiving the most votes and approval from FVPRCRD will be invited to be the All Star team head coach. Once the head coach has accepted the invitation, he/she will be able to choose their assistant coaches. All assistant coaches must have coached during the regular season (either head or assistant). Up to 2 assistant coaches are permitted. (3 total including the head coach)

IV. Code of Conduct 1.01 The Town of Fuquay-Varina Parks & Recreation Department has a zero tolerance for unsportsmanlike conduct or behavior by an individual (players, coaches, officials, spectators, or parents) at any town function or event and said behavior will be subject to partial or permanent suspension. 1.02 Unsportsmanlike conduct is defined as but not limited to the following: harassment of officials or participants, use of profane language or gestures, and public threat or physical violence. 1.03 The length of the suspension will be determined by the Parks and Recreation Department Director. 1.04 Any player, coach, spectator or parent that enters the field of play and confronts and/or makes contact (i.e. cursing, shoving, pushing, etc.) with another an official or participant is suspended from the program and any Parks and Recreation related facilities for any practice, game, or activity for one calendar year from the date of the incident. 1.05 No player, coach or spectator shall refuse to abide by an official s decision. 1.06 No player, coach or spectator shall be guilty of objectionable demonstration of dissent at an official s decision. 1.07 No player or coach, other than the Head Coach, should discuss with an official in any manner the decision reached by an official. 1.08 No player or coach shall be guilty of using unnecessary rough tactics in the play of the game against an opposing player. 1.09 No player, coach or spectator shall be guilty of personal verbal abuse upon any official for any reason. 1.10 No player, coach or spectator shall be guilty of physical attack as an aggressor upon any players, official or spectator. 1.11 No alcoholic beverages are allowed on any Town of Fuquay-Varina property. Anyone violating this rule is subject to arrest and expulsion from the League. 1.12 No player, coach or spectator shall use profanity. Offending players/coaches may be subject to ejection, possible suspension/expulsion from the league. 1.13 If ejected, a player or coach must vacate the premises. Failure to abide by this will result in forfeiture of the game. 1.14 Any player, coach or spectator ejected by an official or a supervisor will be suspended for the team s next scheduled game. Any ejection due to fighting will result in expulsion for one (1) year. A suspension from the game is also a suspension from the playing site. A second ejection in the same season results in a suspension from all remaining games for that season. If circumstances warrant, the suspension may include all competitive programs offered by the Town of Fuquay-Varina Parks and Recreation Department. Seasonal suspensions may be appealed to the Parks and Recreation Director. 1.15 Game suspensions may apply to regular season games and/or tournament play and may, at the discretion of Fuquay-Varina Parks and Recreation Department, be carried over to future seasons.