4-8 GRADE BASKETBALL (Girls and Boys)
Registration Form
Roster Form
Registration Deadline:
Friday, October 4, 2024
Drop Deadline:
Friday, October 18, 2024
Coaches Meetings:
Monday, November 4, 2024 @ 6:30pm via Zoom
Roster Due Date:
Monday, November 11, 2024
League Games (7 game season):
November: 9/10, 16/17, 23/24
December: 7/8, 14/15
January: 4/5, 11/12
Tournament Games (6-8th grade Varsity):
January 15 - 25
Playoff Eligibility – Top 4 teams each division (north & south) or top 8 single division
Team Fees:
4th Grade $750
5th Grade $800
6th-8th Grades $850
*A $5.00 CYO Administration fee will be charged per player.
3RD GRADE Boys & GIRLS BASKETBALL
Registration Deadline:
Friday, March 7, 2025
Drop Deadline:
Friday, March 21, 2025
Coaches Meeting:
Wednesday, April 9, 2025
Roster Due Date:
Monday, April 11, 2025
League Games:
April: 11/12/13
May: 2/3/4, 9/10/11, 16/17/18, 30
June: 6/7/8
Team Fees:
3rd Grade $400
*A $5.00 CYO Administration fee will be charged per player.
Pre-Game Prayer and Pre-Event Statement
DIVISIONS
• 3rd – 5th grade teams will be divided into divisions as regionally as possible. There is no Varsity/JV distinction in 3rd-5th grade.
• The 6th grade will be divided into one varsity group, and one JV group. Both varsity and JV will be divided into divisions as regionally as possible.
• The 7th and 8th Grade Boys and Girls Varsity will be split JV/Varsity, with the top 8 teams from the year before competing at the Varsity level. Teams may request to play “up” to Varsity but cannot request to play “down” to JV.
• If a parish/school has two teams in the same division (i.e. 6th grade Varsity), talent should be split equally across the teams, and they will be placed in different divisions. For the sake of travel, teams may request to play in the same division (i.e. both teams in 6th Grade Varsity North).
• In 6th-8th grade, the Varsity/JV split must be based on individual skill levels, with the varsity league being the more competitive league.
EQUIPMENT
• All 3rd, 4th, 5th, and 6th grade boys divisions will use an intermediate size ball (28.5). All girls’ teams will use an intermediate or women’s regulation size basketball (28.5). 7th and 8th grade boys will use a regulation ball (29.5).
• Each team shall furnish a regulation ball of good quality and condition for each game. In the 6th-8th grade leagues, a leather ball will be used for tournament games.
• No jewelry, barrettes, or bandanas may be worn while playing. This includes posts for pierced ears. All headwear should be soft, pliable, and functional. Unadorned, flat clips 2 inches or smaller will be allowed. If a player has beads in their hair, that cannot easily be removed, the hair should be tied back and up, as safe as possible. If the hair is too short to be tied back and up, the player will be allowed to play, as the length of the hair should not pose any unnecessary safety risk to the player or others.
• To preclude the tracking of dirt on the gym floors, game shoes must be carried, not worn, to games.
• Numbers on each uniform must be 4-inch numbers on the front and 6-inch numbers on the back, and any shirt under a tank top jersey should match the jersey color.
• The designated visiting team must furnish a scorebook and a competent scorekeeper who will maintain the official scorebook for that contest. The home team must furnish a game clock and competent timekeeper who will maintain the official game time. At the game site, coaches may mutually agree to switch scorebook and clock responsibilities.
RULES
All basketball teams in CYO Athletics will play according to the current National Federation of State High School Association rules unless otherwise specified in this manual or the rules herein outlined.
• Every team must have at least one of its coaches attend the mandatory preseason coaches’ meeting. Failure to have coach representation will result in game forfeiture and a game suspension by coach to be determined by CYO Athletics. A coach who is suspended from coaching a team is not eligible to be present as a fan for that CYO Athletics event.
• Basketball rosters are limited to 15 players in all divisions – any team roster larger than 15 is ineligible for playoffs. Please remember the playing time policy when making a decision concerning roster size.
• Players may be placed and participate on only one team roster for the entire season, including the playoffs.
• For playoffs, junior varsity players may move up to the varsity team based on need and/or merit with a written request. All written requests must be received by the Monday following the final regular season game. All players moved up will remain on the team throughout the playoffs and must play according to playing time rules. The team roster cannot exceed 15 players including the additional players.
• 4th and 5th Grade games shall consist of 6-minute (stop clock procedure) quarters and 6th-8th grade games will be 7-minute quarters.
• Overtime shall consist of a 3-minute period (stop clock procedure). There shall be a one-minute break between quarters and a 5-minute break at half-time.
• In the event that a game clock is not available, a running clock of twelve minutes (per quarter) shall be used, and overtime periods shall be assigned a running clock of three minutes. Teams in these games will be limited to two full time-outs per half but may not take a time-out during the last two minutes of the fourth quarter or in an overtime period.
• Each team is allowed three full (1 minute) and two 30 second time-outs. In an overtime period, each team is allowed one full time-out regardless of how many were used in the course of the regular game.
• For the second half of all games, if a team has at least a 20-point lead at any time, the clock will be treated as a running clock (only stops during a timeout). Running clock will return to stop clock procedure if score differential falls to 15 points or less.
• Coaches must remain seated on the bench at all times. Infractions observed at the discretion of the designated officials shall result in a warning first and a technical foul (2 shot) thereafter.
• 3rd grade games will be officiated by two volunteers, one from each team. 4th, 5th grade will be assigned one official, 6th, 7th, and 8th grade games will be assigned one-two officials.
• Players are not allowed to chew gum in the gymnasium.
3RD GRADE 3-ON-3 HALF-COURT GAME DAYS
• Games will be scheduled on the hour. The games will be four, 10-minute quarters running clock. There are no time outs, and the clock in the gym will run for both games, with 1 minute between quarters, and 5 minutes for halftime. There is no overtime. The score may be kept by a scorebook for each half of the court (optional).
• Games will consist of each team playing 3 players vs. an opposing team of 3 players on each half of the court. If a team does not have 6 players, then only one-half of the court will be used. Substitutions can be made during any dead ball.
• If both teams have at least 1 player on their bench, then both teams may add an “outlet” on the sideline of the half court. This outlet can receive a pass and pass the ball back into the game. The outlet player may not dribble, shoot or run with the ball. If both teams have at least 2 players on their bench, then both teams may add an outlet on each sideline of the half court, up to a total of 4 outlet players from each team, 2 on each half of the court.
• All other 4th grade rules will apply, including free throws on shooting fouls.
• An imaginary line that exists at the top of the key and extends from sideline to sideline is where the defending team must cross back across to initiate their offense. When the defending team recovers the ball from the offense (rebound or turnover), they are allowed “free backs” to go back to the top of the key and initiate their offense.
• Each participating team will provide a volunteer referee, with one working each half-court. The referee should be aware of the rules of the format, and help the kids navigate the half-court rules including the rules with the “outlet” teammates and the “free backs” to go from defense to offense.
4TH AND 5TH GRADE SPECIFIC RULES
• No Zone Defense, No Double Teams, No Backcourt Defense.
o Infractions will result in a warning for the first offense, and a team foul for subsequent offenses. The offense will keep possession and will take the ball from out of bounds. The team foul will not result in free throws, even if the team is in the bonus or double bonus.
• 4th and 5th graders are allowed to press in back court during the last 30 seconds of the game.
• In the 4th and 5th grade divisions, free throw shooters must start their shot behind the free throw line but may cross over the line before the ball hits the rim.
• In 4th and 5th grade divisions, technical fouls will be an automatic two points and possession.
• Three-point shots will not be awarded in 4th grade divisions.
6TH, 7TH, AND 8TH GRADE SPECIFIC RULES
• 6th graders are not allowed to press in the backcourt with the exception of the last two minutes of the game and entire periods of any overtime.
• 7th and 8th Grade JV teams may not play any type of backcourt defense until the 4th Quarter plus any overtime. 7th and 8th grade Varsity can press at all times.
• Infractions, as observed by and at the discretion of the designated officials, shall result in a warning first, and a technical foul (2 shot) assessed to the bench thereafter.
• All 3rd- 8th grade basketball are considered single gender sports and coed is not allowed. Athletes may play up one grade if current grade/school does not have a team. All requests must be done so in writing prior to game #1. No athlete is allowed to play up two grades. Exceptions may be made on a case-by-case basis. Please email our office directly if you have such a request. In the event playing up was not requested prior to game #1, all games said player has played in will result in forfeits.
LOPSIDED SCORE POLICY
• Please see the section on “Compassionate Competition” for the reasoning behind this policy. While unfortunate, the occurrence of a lopsided score does not necessarily mean that a lack of sportsmanship took place.
• In the regular season, when 7th and 8th grade teams have a 20-point lead and 4th through 6th grade teams have a 15-point lead, they may not press in the backcourt, they may not employ a 1/2 court trap, and they may not fast break. Infractions observed by the designated officials shall result in a warning first and a change of possession thereafter.
• Any game that is won by 25 points or more in all grade divisions will be investigated and reviewed by the committee. It is expected that the winning coach, in particular, will make themselves available for discussing the game so as to expedite the decision-making process.
• Both the winning coach and the losing coach are asked to submit an online form which describes which measures were utilized to mitigate the talent differential between the teams.
• Lopsided Score Form for Winning Team Coach
• Lopsided Score Form for Losing Team Coach
• Disciplinary action toward the winning coach may result (suspension of the coach for the next game, or in the case of repeat violations, suspension for the remainder of the season).
PLAYING TIME POLICY
• In the 4th-8th grade varsity and junior varsity divisions, each player suited up is expected to play a minimum of 1/4 of the game for both regular season and playoff games (excluding overtime).
• Infractions of the playing time policy will result in a warning for the 1st offense. If witnessed by a designated representative of CYO Athletics, warning will consist of a verbal address to the coach during the contest in question. If the playing time issue is not addressed by the coach within this game, the representative will confer with the Sports Committee and the Director of CYO Athletics and a forfeit of the game and suspension of the coach may result.
• If the first offense is not witnessed by a designated representative of CYO Athletics, warning will consist of a verbal address to the coach via phone call. After the coach has received the warning, any subsequent verifiable offense of the playing time policy will result in a forfeit of the game for the team and suspension of the coach.
• A second verifiable offense of the playing time policy in the same sport season (including playoffs) will result in a forfeit of the game for the team, two game suspension of the coach, and the coach will be required to attend the next available PLACT Sports as Ministry coaches training, to be completed prior to their next season of coaching.
• NOTE: A coach who is suspended from coaching a team by CYO Athletics is not eligible to be present as a fan for that CYO Athletics event.
Videos/Resources
Coach Insider Resource Videos & Articles - Click Here
Rules of Basketball - The Rules of Basketball - EXPLAINED! YouTube
Back Court Violation - NFHS Learn | Interscholastic Education, Made Easy
Charge Violation (Foul) - NFHS Learn | Interscholastic Education, Made Easy
Block Violation (Foul) - NFHS Learn | Interscholastic Education, Made Easy
Hand Checking (Foul) - NFHS Learn | Interscholastic Education, Made Easy
Pivot Foot (Travel) - NFHS Learn | Interscholastic Education, Made Easy
Legal Screen - NFHS Learn | Interscholastic Education, Made Easy
Illegal Screen (Foul) - NFHS Learn | Interscholastic Education, Made Easy
Traveling - NFHS Learn | Interscholastic Education, Made Easy