[williebfree]

The original posting does not give enough information. What was the setting? 5th grade Rec league or Varsity hoops?

A situation to illustrate my point: I officiated a 7th Grade boys tourney last weekend. One team was from an area that is economically-depressed; has been since the major employer pulled out several years ago. The players had t-shirts with “permanent marker” numbers scribbled on them. None of the shorts matched and nearly all the kids had shoes that looked like it was the only pair they owned. The team was less organized and less skilled than the other teams, mostly due to a lack of practice time. However, the team was full of cheerful participants, “Yes, Sir!”, “Thank you, Sir!”, etc… INCLUDING the coaching staff and parents.

Unless the uniform situation is a safety concern, I am not prohibiting a player from participating in this scenario.

BTW: IMO, the above-mentioned team was the true winners in that tourney even though they lost all their games by double digit margins.