Kids rec league

[Mark Padgett]

Just thought I'd post the address of the outstanding kids rec league in my area that I was associated with for about 20 years. You might want to check out the page for officials on this site. In any case, usually about 1200 kids play in this program. It's a non-profit run by volunteers.

If you have trouble with the address, just search for Tigard Basketball Association with your browser.

http://www.tigardbasketball.org/home.php

[RefsNCoaches]

That's a HUGE league Mark!

I help our local HS girls program out with our youth teams...it's a "travel" league and the teams are made up of kids from within the central Indiana area HS districts. The kids that play usually end up feeding the HS teams. I think I read it's the largest girls school based travel league in the country for grades 3-8.

INDY GIRLS HOOPS LEAGUE Home Page

I've coached in the league with my daughters/step-daughters over the past few years but they have all stopped playing so now I'm just calling games for them on Sunday's.

[Mark Padgett]

This is purely a rec, not a competitive, program. However, before a competitive program was established in this area, our program was competitive. We even had some Portland Trailblazers coaching their kids, including Rick Adelman and Kevin Kunnert.

One time when I was reffing a Kunnert game (he had two daughters that played) he couldn't believe his team didn't get to inbound the ball at mid-court following a time out. When I told him that was an NBA rule, and that we used HS rules, he apologized and said, "I should have known that. You're never wrong about a rule."

Adelman coached his son David's team. He practiced very good sportsmanship. I guess he knew we weren't the NBA.

BTW - teams are limited to 8 players so everyone gets good playing time. The league gives the kids jerseys each year in green and white which are the colors of our local HS.

[RefsNCoaches]

That's pretty cool. Years ago...when Isaiah Thomas was the coach of the Pacers, I worked a local rec league with a friend....we had one of Thomas' daughters on a team...I was hoping he would pop off so I could say I ran him but he was pretty cool...

[Mark Padgett]

Maurice Lucas had his two sons - Maurice Jr. - called "Reece" and his younger son David play in our league. My son went through school with Reece. Maurice didn't coach, but came to a lot of games to watch his sons. He displayed excellent sportsmanship and never said anything negative to any of the refs. Frankly, I wish all the fans had behaved like him.

There was one game where the other team was going to shoot free throws. Reece was in the bottom lane space. The player shot the ball, it missed and Reece jumped up, grabbed the rebound and kind of growled loudly while swinging the ball back and forth. Then he realized the shooter had one more shot coming. Maurice yelled at him from the bleachers, "REECE - GET YOUR HEAD IN THE GAME!!!" He then said in a normal tone of voice, "Nice board, though."

I was working the game and, like most of the fans there, cracked up.

[BillyMac]

Originally Posted by Mark Padgett

... teams are limited to 8 players so everyone gets good playing time.

Wouldn't this create problems during influenza season?

[Mark Padgett]

Originally Posted by BillyMac

Wouldn't this create problems during influenza season?

No.

[Pantherdreams]

Originally Posted by BillyMac

Wouldn't this create problems during influenza season?

Nope then everyone gets great playing time . . .

[BillyMac]

Originally Posted by Pantherdreams

Nope then everyone gets great playing time .

One kid has the flu. Another has a dentist appointment. Another misses the game because he has to go to his grandfather's sixtieth birthday party. Another sprains his ankle during warmups. I know that kids think that they can play thirty-two minutes (I know that I did at that age), but can they really play a quality thirty-two minutes? Also, it's difficult to practice five on five with only eight players. I coached a middle school team with fourteen players and there were a few five on five practices where I was the tenth "player".

In terms of lots of available quality playing time, I don't know that the best roster number is, but I have trouble believing it's eight.

[Mark Padgett]

Originally Posted by BillyMac

One kid has the flu. Another has a dentist appointment. Another misses the game because he has to go to his grandfather's sixtieth birthday party. Another sprains his ankle during warmups. I know that kids think that they can play thirty-two minutes (I know that I did at that age), but can they really play a quality thirty-two minutes? Also, it's difficult to practice five on five with only eight players. I coached a middle school team with fourteen players and there were a few five on five practices where I was the tenth "player".

In terms of lots of available quality playing time, I don't know that the best roster number is, but I have trouble believing it's eight.

If a team winds up with fewer than five players they can select a player of their level or below from in the stands to play on their team. This has never been a problem since it is absolutely a rec program. Of course, I think I remember being told that this happened only about 2 times a season.

BTW - as to players playing "quality" time, games are shorter than regular HS games.