Eligibility
All participants must be registered members of St. Michael, St. Peter, or St. Joan of Arc Parish, or a student at St. Michael school, and in 4th through 8th grade. Players will not be moved up due to skill level and will play with their grade level.
Teams
Everyone who registers, plays! Ideal roster size is 8 players (minimum roster size is 6-7 kids), which allows for proper substitutions and adequate playing time for all kids. For 4th-6th grades, we split the talent evenly among teams. All 4th-6th grade teams practice 1-2 times per week and play a standard 10-game diocesan schedule plus at least one post-season game. The main focus is skills development and to give players a fun experience in a competitive basketball environment.
For 7th and 8th grade boys and girls, players are split between "Competitive" and "Recreational" teams, with the more advanced players on the Competitive team and all others on the Recreational team(s). Recreational teams practice 1-2 times per week and play a standard 10-game diocesan schedule, plus at least one post-season tournament game. Recreational teams continue to focus on skills development, having fun, and playing against challenging competition. Competitive teams will practice more frequently and potentially play additional non-league games in and around the greater Columbus area. Competitive teams will also play against higher level competition.
For all teams, practices are usually on weekday afternoons / evenings, with occasional weekend practices (especially before games start). League games are usually played on Saturday or Sunday. All rules and schedules can be found on the Columbus Diocese Recreation website http://www.cdeducation.org/DiocesanRecreation.aspx
Tryouts / Assessments
Assessments and tryouts will be held for all grades where there is a potential for multiple teams, and will take place in early November. Evaluations / Tryouts are directed by the basketball coordinator and players are evaluated by non-parent individuals (including coaches for other grades, the non-parent coaches, and others outside of the program). Players are placed on one of several teams for their grade. No player is cut regardless of grade or skill level. Teams are announced within 1-2 days after assessments/tryouts are complete.
For all 7th and 8th grade boys and girls, tryouts are mandatory for all players desiring to play on the Competitive team. Players electing not to tryout will be placed on the Recreational team. The basketball coordinator reserves the right to appropriately place injured players that are unable to tryout based on past experience. Only under extreme circumstances will additional tryouts be held for injured or ill players. A parent's desire to coach will have no bearing on the placement of any player unless the player elects to participate on a Recreational team. All players make a team; no one is cut. The determination of who will be on which team will be made by the basketball coordinator at the completion of tryouts after consulting with the evaluators. Once your child enters the tryout, no refund will be given if they do not make a Competitive team, as they will be placed on a Recreational team. (In limited circumstances will refunds be provided for injuries and other hardships.)
Boys 7th and 8th grade tryouts for 2017-18 will be held at the Worthington Rec Center (345 E Wilson Bridge Rd, Worthington, OH 43085). There are two sessions; it is required that any boy wanting to be considered for the Competitive team attend both sessions:
- Saturday, Nov 4, 2:00 - 3:15 pm
- Sunday, Nov 5, 3:30 - 5:00 pm
Girls 7th and 8th grade tryouts for 2017-18 will be at the Worthington Rec Center (345 E Wilson Bridge Rd, Worthington, OH 43085), on Monday, Nov 6, 6:00 - 7:00 pm.
Concessions
All parents of basketball players are required to volunteer at least one weekend during the season to be Gym Host at St. Michael and run the concessions / admissions. Parents of 5th grade boys will be required to run the concession stand and work the St. Michael 5th grade boys Christmas tournament.
Contact
If you have questions regarding the St. Michael Warrior Basketball Program, please contact our Basketball Coordinators: Dan Driscoll (Boys) and Kate Banker (Girls) at: smswarriorsbasketball@gmail.com