The Lost League: Developing the Youth Basketball League in Your Community

Reviving Community Spirit: How Our High School Basketball Program Reconnects with Local Elementary Schools

I recall many older adults reminiscing about playing youth basketball for their elementary schools. They would share stories of their glory days, such as defeating "so and so" in 3rd grade, and then mentioning how "so and so" later played at a major university under a legendary coach. Growing up in Cincinnati, Ohio during the 80s and 90s, this type of league wasn't available, but my family and friends in Kentucky had access to these youth basketball opportunities.

While the Parks and Recreation model has long existed and still does, forming travel teams playing "AAU" or "club ball" has become much more prevalent.

At Montgomery County High School (KY), we decided to go back to the future....

Two years ago, our program obtained approval and agreements from our school district and the Parks and Recreation department to initiate Montgomery County Youth Basketball. Here's an overview of our youth basketball league:

1. Enrollment in a school within our county's district is required to register. Our county has five elementary schools and one middle school. We don't share this league with another high school, as we are the only high school in our county (more on this later).

2. Each school offers the following divisions:

   1. K-1 (co-ed)

   2. 2nd - 3rd grade (girls)

   3. 2nd - 3rd grade (boys)

   4. 4th - 5th grade (girls)

   5. 4th - 5th grade (boys)

   6. 6th - 8th grade (girls) | In Kentucky, middle school girls' basketball takes place in the fall, so their season ends before our league begins. Even if they played for one of our middle school teams, they can still participate in our league.

   7. 6th - 8th grades (boys) | This division is for boys who do not play on one of our three middle school teams, as middle school boys' basketball coincides with our league.

3. Most elementary schools have multiple teams per division.

4. Practices and games are held at the elementary schools.

5. We compensate our officials and have an officiating coordinator.

   1. Admission fees are charged at games to cover the cost of officials.

6. The league serves as a fundraiser for our program's booster organization, approved by our school board.

   1. The net profit isn't as large as one might think, as we also cover league-related expenses.

7. Online registration is the primary method for signing up (www.mocotribehoops.com).

8. Each team plays around 12 games, followed by a seeded tournament. Each division crowns a season champion.

I believe this fosters greater pride in our community's athletic programs and encourages students to maintain good attendance at their schools. The alternative youth league model involves forming a league with kids from a community, dividing them to distribute talent evenly. In my opinion, young players enjoy playing with classmates more than with those they don't attend school with.

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Keys to successfully implementing this:

1. A supportive school board and district administration are essential.

2. An insured booster organization is needed to cover liability, with the school district named as an additional insured.

3. Support from school principals is crucial. A safe, district-protocol-based process for accessing the school's gymnasium is required. Our league's facilities director is a school employee authorized to access the premises.

4. School custodians and physical education teachers must be allies. It's important to remember that if games or practices occur on a Tuesday night, physical education classes will take place in the same facility the next morning. This involves:

   1. Adjusting goals to the appropriate heights for each division, then resetting them to the PE teacher's preference.

   2. Having bleachers out for games, then cleaned and retracted for the following school day.

   3. Conducting an end-of-night check on each facility:

      1. Ensuring bathrooms are clean

      2. Ensuring gyms are clean

      3. Ensuring lobby areas are clean

      4. Ensuring doors are locked and not left propped open

   4. Removing and stacking bench chairs accordingly.

   5. Informing parents, players, and coaches that colored sports drinks are prohibited—Gatorade stains floors—if you know, you know (IYKYK).

5. What is your process for ensuring the above when your high school program has an away game?

6. What is your process for handling parental disputes with coaches and officials—it will happen.

7. What is your process for managing admission money?

8. What is your process for paying officials?

9. Scheduling practice and game times around an elementary school's activity calendar requires constant communication.

10. What is your process for keeping score and maintaining records?

11. What is your template for rules and age-appropriate play? We follow USA Basketball and their guidelines for youth basketball.

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• We have averaged 290 kids in our league over the first two years.

• We have averaged 42 coaches in our league over the first two years.

• We have averaged 29 teams in our league over the first two years.

• (This is the first year we are introducing a 6-8th grade division.)

• Our season runs from November to the end of January, with a two-week break at Christmas, coinciding with our school district's schedule.

• If I was looking to do this in a district where more than one high school existed, I would pursue working with the existing league and flexxing it to better reflect the organized school programs in your community.

  
  

Our investment in this league includes:

1. Digital and portable scoreboards

2. Scorebooks

3. Official fees

4. Uniforms

5. Basketballs

6. Coaching shirts (new this year)

7. Website

8. Conducting clinics for league players

9. Post-season awards (which I forgot last year)