At both the 5th-6th and the 7th-8th grade level there are two levels of competition in CYO Basketball: a league for teams at the more advanced skill level, and a league for slightly lesser skilled players with average to moderate skills.

 

The CYO rules state that if a parish registers a single team for a particular grade level, that team must play in the higher competitive league. The parish can attempt to ask for an exemption if it feels the competition level of the higher division will put the particular team at a severe disadvantage based on the skill sets of the children on the team. If the parish registers two teams in a particular grade level then one team must play in the league for teams at the more advanced skill level.

 

For teams in 5th-8th grade leagues at SJB the following process will be followed to form teams.

 

Teams will consist of nominally 10 players. Many factors necessitate increasing or decreasing this number. When there are more than 10 potential players registered, including when there are enough to form Two teams, evaluations will be held to determine the highest skilled players. Independent evaluators who do not have a child on the team will lead the evaluations (the team coach will participate).  Players will be evaluated on various skills and drills to include passing, dribbling, shooting and general basketball ability. The evaluators will submit their evaluation list to the Commissioner. The highest skilled players will be placed on the team to participate in the league for the more advanced skill level.  If there is a second team, the next group of players will be placed on the second team to play in the league for slightly lesser skilled players with average to moderate skills.

 

When there are only enough children registered for one team. The Commissioner in consultation with the Athletic director will make the decision based on the skill level of the players if the parish should seek an exemption for the particular team.   

 

In the 5th-8th grade, while the players are still learning the game, the competition level shifts to a higher level. Players need to understand the rules and how to play the game. Parents also need to understand that having a large number of players on one team is not a workable option. In most leagues, players are required to play one full quarter and to sit one full quarter. A large roster of players on a team makes complying with this rule very difficult. The playing time resulting from a large roster results in near unanimous discontent.

 

In the 5th-6th grade, when there are more than 10 potential players registered, evaluations will be held.  If there are not enough players for two teams, the highest skilled players will be placed on the single team. The remaining players will be placed in the Intramural league at SJB.  If there are two teams, and too many players registered, the next highest skilled players will be placed on the second team, and the remaining players will be placed in the Intramural league at SJB.

 

For the the 7th-8th grade players there is no Intramural option. Every effort will be made to find a team for all children who want to play. In some cases SJB may solicit other parishes that do not have enough players to form a team at their parish to consider merging together to form a team so that all children who want to play have a team to play for.

 

At this age level, parents are also asked to take into consideration that participation at practices is important. While every effort is made to avoid conflicts, parents must understand that the gym is used for numerous parish functions and that the basketball teams take the days and times available. Practices will be held during the week and games are on the weekends.  Generally, we will not know until about a week before the first game if a particular team will play on Saturday or Sunday.  If parents anticipate a conflict based on other activities, they should take that into consideration when registering their child.

 

For the 3rd-4th graders, every attempt will be made to place all children who register on a CYO team. 

 

We ask that all parents respect the process and we wanted to ensure that this information was communicated prior to basketball registration.