It s time to join the Hastings Tiger Hoops youth basketball program! Our first practice and parent meeting is Sunday, October 19 at 2pm at the new Hastings Middle School. Tiger Hoops is open to all girls in the third through eighth grades in the Hastings Public Schools (or who plan to attend HMS or HHS in the future). Last year we had over 60 girls from every elementary school and the middle school forming six different teams. This year we expect to more than double that number plus add teams at the 3 rd grade level. Tiger Hoops will practice once or twice a week at Hastings High or Hastings Middle School from October through the end of the basketball season. The program is organized and run by the Hastings High girls basketball coaching staff. Our goal is to promote hard work, teamwork and fun on the basketball court while developing the individual and team skills needed for these girls to be successful when they get to the high school level. Tiger Hoops is designed to be a great basketball environment for girls at all levels of experience. Practices are organized and run by the Hastings High basketball staff, ensuring that the fundamentals are covered for everyone. Basketball novices will learn the basics of the game and get a chance to use them in several competitive sessions. Girls with more basketball background will find the challenges they need while still building their basic skills. We ve designed a program that is flexible to fit the needs of different players. What does the program cost? We ve tried to combine flexibility to fit busy schedules and affordability to fit family budgets: Basic Tiger Hoops Fee: $25 to cover practice time, instruction and a reversible game/practice jersey. (Players who already have a jersey from last year, pay just $15.) League and tournament fees are divided among the players who choose to participate. Playing in these is NOT REQUIRED, but it does give the girls something to work towards. Check out the schedules for each grade for an idea of the league and tournament possibilities and costs for each. Girls can compete is some instead of all to keep costs down. The fees listed for tournaments are the upper limit; last year most tournaments were less than $14 per player.
Does my daughter have to attend every practice? We understand the reality of the modern family schedule. We know there will be times when players have to miss practice. That s fine; we just ask the girls to make it to every practice they can. The more practices the girls get to, the more they ll learn and the more prepared they ll be in games. Is this a traveling team? It is for those who want to travel. There is the basic program that involves getting together once or twice a week to practice basketball skills and have fun. Most girls will want to be involved in the games. Many of those will be right in Hastings. There will be chances to travel to GI, Kearney, and maybe other places for those who want that. Again, I hope the program has flexibility to fit all players who want to be better basketball players. Is this a select team? I think it s better than that. I think it s a program that is going to teach basketball and help match the girls with the competition they need to be successful. For the more experienced and skilled girls that s going to be a higher level of competition; for the others, almost every tournament offers different brackets with less experienced teams. I think the best thing about Tiger Hoops is that it has challenges for all kinds of players. How are tournament and league teams divided? We will divide teams according to where they are competing. In recreational leagues like the YMCA, we will try to divide our teams roughly evenly, perhaps even using school boundaries. For tournaments, we will reorganize teams to fit into competitive brackets based on ability. I hope we will see it as a positive that the girls get to play with different groups throughout the season; it gives them a chance to make new friends. It worked very well with the grades in which we had multiple teams last year. How is the tournament schedule determined? Both the league and tournament schedules will be determined by interest. We will send home a form asking each family to mark tournaments that work into their schedule and give us an idea of how many tournaments in which their daughter would like to be involved.. We ll use that information to form the best teams we can for as many tournaments as possible. Again, that was pretty successful last year in getting the girls into several tournaments. We try to limit traveling as much as possible. Last year the farthest we went was Kearney; this year we may not have to travel farther than Grand Island. Will each girl get even playing time? We will work hard to give every girl an equal opportunity to contribute to the team. In leagues like the YMCA, usually the games are organized in such a manner that each girl can play roughly the same amount. In tournaments we tell our coaches to make sure everyone who has prepared herself by being at practice plays at least a quarter. It s not a perfect world, but we will always try to organize so that everyone gets an ample opportunity to play.
Does my daughter need to be a star to play in this program? No way. This program is designed for beginners and girls who have played a lot of basketball and everyone in between. I think Tiger Hoops can be the best of both worlds: a place for everyone to play and a place for girls who are ready for select teams and competition. Are there cuts and try-outs for Tiger Hoops teams? No. We ll work to find everyone a place to play. Everything is dependant on how many girls want to play, but we anticipate levels of participation that will give us great flexibility in finding teams for every girl. How will practices work? We try to design 90-minute practices. The first section of practice (45-60 minutes) is run by the high school coaches and dedicated to fundamental basketball skills. After that we will divide by grade level and teams for the volunteer coaches to work on team skills, like offenses and defenses. We think it gives us the best of both kinds of youth basketball. Last year all grade levels practiced together. This is possible because of our great facilities. Often we have both gyms available to spread out when it is needed. If numbers get extremely large this year, we ll look at dividing by grades. Will girls of different grades ever be combined? Possibly. We will do it if we need to because of numbers or if a player is ready for a new challenge. Can sixth graders also participate in HMS intramurals while in Tiger Hoops? Absolutely. We hope that every 6 th grade basketball player at HMS will participate in both programs. The HHS coaching staff has designed the goals of each program so that they work well together. Do you need volunteer coaches? Yes. Yes. Yes. I think our coaches last year liked the set-up of the program. The burden of organizing practice, getting gym time, filling out tournament paperwork is done for you. We just need people who will work with individual teams and serve as bench coaches on game days. We think we re going to have multiple teams at all grade levels, so we re going to need coaches for each. It will be important for the coaches to work together with others at their grade levels as team rosters change and numbers of girls available for practices change. We think our system provides great flexibility so that basketball learning can go on every night. Because we all practice together, if a coach has to miss a practice night, it is easy for us to work around. How else can we help the program? If coaching isn t your thing, we will also need help taking tickets and working the concession stand at our mini-tournaments (Jamborees). You can also help by offering to drive other players to tournaments if their folks aren t available that weekend. Finally, we are seeking sponsorships this year to help with player scholarships and equipment purchases. If you have a business or are part of a service organization that would be interested in sponsoring a Tiger Hoops team, contact Coach Mays.
Hastings Tiger Hoops Practice schedule: (all practices at HHS North Gym unless otherwise noted) (all practices last approximately 90 minutes) Grades 3, 4, 5 and 6 begin in October Sunday October 19 2pm (Hastings Middle School) (Quick parent meeting first) Sunday October 26 2pm (Hastings Middle School) Sunday November 2 2pm (Hastings Middle School) Sunday November 9 2pm (Hastings Middle School) Sunday November 16 1pm Hastings Hoops Jamboree (Hastings Middle School) Tuesday November 18 6:30pm Sunday November 23 2pm (Hastings Middle School) Monday November 24 6:30pm Tuesday December 2 6:30pm Sunday December 7 2pm Monday December 8 6:30pm Sunday December 14 1pm Hastings Hoops Jamboree Grades 7 and 8 begin after their HMS seasons conclude; 3-6 continue Sunday January 4 2pm Tuesday January 6 6:30pm Sunday January 11 1pm Hastings Hoops Jamboree Monday January 12 6:30pm Sunday January 18 2pm Tuesday January 20 6:30pm Sunday January 25 2pm Monday January 26 6:30pm (Hastings Middle School) Sunday February 1 2pm Monday February 2 6:30pm Sunday February 8 1pm Hastings Hoops Jamboree Tuesday February 10 6:30pm Sunday February 15 2pm Tuesday February 17 6:30pm Sunday February 22 2pm Monday February 23 6:30pm Sunday March 1 2pm Tuesday March 3 6:30pm Tuesday March 10 6:30pm Sunday March 15 2pm Tuesday March 24 6:30pm Contact Information: Greg Mays, Hastings High Head Girls Basketball Coach, Tiger Hoops Co-Director Home 402-463-9851, School 402-461-7550, email hastingsbasketball@gmail.com Tate Mays, Hastings High Assistant Coach, Tiger Hoops Co-Director Home 402-461-6064, email tatemays@gmail.com Tiger Basketball Homepage http://hhs.hastings.esu9.k12.ne.us/athletics/gbball/index.html
3 rd grade teams Possible Game Schedule Girls are given a chance to indicate how many games/leagues/tournaments in which they wish to play in order to fit family schedules and keep costs down. Team rosters are shifted to make this work. The fees listed for tournaments are the upper limit; last year most tournaments were less than $14 per player. League Play: January 17, 24, 31 Hastings YMCA League Hastings Hoops Sunday Jamborees: November 16, December 14, January 11, February 8 (at least 2 games per day) $7 for each day, $28 for all Other possible tournaments for interested players: Most tournaments start at the 4 th or 5 th grade divisions, but it s possible, if we have an interested set of girls, that we could find a third grade bracket or play in an older bracket at a tournament or two.
4 th grade teams Possible Game Schedule Girls are given a chance to indicate how many games/leagues/tournaments in which they wish to play in order to fit family schedules and keep costs down. Team rosters are shifted to make this work. The fees listed for tournaments are the upper limit; last year most tournaments were less than $14 per player. League Play: January 17, 24, 31 Hastings YMCA League Hastings Hoops Sunday Jamborees: November 16, December 14, January 11, February 8 (at least 2 games per day) $7 for each day, $28 for all Two tournaments: March 7-8 Grand Island Hoops Mania $14 per player March 28-29 Hastings Plains Classic $14 per player Other possible tournaments if there is interest: January 3-4 Doniphan Booster Tourney January 24-25 Grand Island Lightning Challenge February 21-22 Kearney Snow Jam Feb 27- March 1 Sandy Creek Booster Tourney March 21-22 Kearney Blowout
5 th grade teams Possible Game Schedule Girls are given a chance to indicate how many games/leagues/tournaments in which they wish to play in order to fit family schedules and keep costs down. Team rosters are shifted to make this work. The fees listed for tournaments are the upper limit; last year most tournaments were less than $14 per player. Hastings Hoops Sunday Jamborees: November 16, December 14, January 11, February 8 (at least 2 games per day) $7 for each day, $28 for all Three tournaments: Feb 27- March 1 Sandy Creek Booster Tourney $14 per player March 7-8 Grand Island Hoops Mania $14 per player March 28-29 Hastings Plains Classic $14 per player Other possible tournaments if there is interest: January 3-4 Doniphan Booster Tourney January 24-25 Grand Island Lightning Challenge February 21-22 Kearney Snow Jam March 21-22 Kearney Blowout Possible League Play (if there is interest): January 10, 17, 24, 31 Hastings YMCA League
6 th grade teams Possible Game Schedule Girls are given a chance to indicate how many games/leagues/tournaments in which they wish to play in order to fit family schedules and keep costs down. Team rosters are shifted to make this work. The fees listed for tournaments are the upper limit; last year most tournaments were less than $14 per player. Hastings Hoops Sunday Jamborees: January 10, 17, 24, 31 Hastings YMCA League Three tournaments: Feb 27- March 1 Sandy Creek Booster Tourney $14 per player March 7-8 Grand Island Hoops Mania $14 per player March 28-29 Hastings Plains Classic $14 per player Other possible tournaments if there is interest: January 3-4 Doniphan Booster Tourney January 24-25 Grand Island Lightning Challenge February 21-22 Kearney Snow Jam March 21-22 Kearney Blowout Possible League Play (if there is interest): January 17, 24, 31 Hastings YMCA League
7 th grade teams Possible Game Schedule Girls are given a chance to indicate how many games/leagues/tournaments in which they wish to play in order to fit family schedules and keep costs down. Team rosters are shifted to make this work. The fees listed for tournaments are the upper limit; last year most tournaments were less than $14 per player. We ll schedule an organizational meeting at HMS in December after the school season is complete. Hastings Hoops Sunday Jamborees: January 11, February 8 (at least 2 games per day) $7 for each day, $14 for both Four tournaments: January 3-4 Doniphan Booster Tourney $14 per player January 24-25 Grand Island Lightning Challenge $14 per player March 7-8 Grand Island Hoops Mania $14 per player March 28-29 Hastings Plains Classic $14 per player Other possible tournaments if there is interest: Feb 27- March 1 Sandy Creek Booster Tourney February 21-22 Kearney Snow Jam March 14-15 Lincoln M.I.T. March 21-22 Kearney Blowout Possible League Play (if there is interest): January 17, 24, 31 Hastings YMCA League
8 th grade teams Possible Game Schedule Girls are given a chance to indicate how many games/leagues/tournaments in which they wish to play in order to fit family schedules and keep costs down. Team rosters are shifted to make this work. The fees listed for tournaments are the upper limit; last year most tournaments were less than $14 per player. We ll schedule an organizational meeting at HMS in December after the school season is complete. Hastings Hoops Sunday Jamborees: January 11, February 8 (at least 2 games per day) $7 for each day, $14 for both Four tournaments: January 3-4 Doniphan Booster Tourney $14 per player January 24-25 Grand Island Lightning Challenge $14 per player March 7-8 Grand Island Hoops Mania $14 per player March 28-29 Hastings Plains Classic $14 per player Other possible tournaments if there is interest: Feb 27- March 1 Sandy Creek Booster Tourney February 21-22 Kearney Snow Jam March 14-15 Lincoln M.I.T. March 21-22 Kearney Blowout Possible League Play (if there is interest): January 17, 24, 31 Hastings YMCA League