Our goals for this year are for the girls to have safe fun and to get some basic skills in basketball and sportsmanship. There will be no official score keeping and no winners or losers. The girls always seem to know the score, however. If they ask you, tell them you think it's a tie. It is the MLGBA's rule that all girls get equal playing time and play all positions every game. (Even if they are better at one specific position. This will help them to get a better overall understanding of the game.) Enclosed is a rotation blank that has been helpful in the past, to keep track of who was in and in what position.

All refereeing will be done by the coaches/asst. coaches/parent volunteer at each game (One from each team is expected. If there is only one ref at a game, that ref must provide coaching and teaching points to both teams, not just their team. The refs should briefly discuss how tightly they would call this game and any specific teaching points that they want to emphasize that day. If there is only one ref volunteering, that refÌs calls stand and there should be no arguments, comments etc. from the other team's coaches.)

The rest of the coaching staff must stay off the court, on the sidelines.

The teams will play a zone defense. The girls should stay in their zone and allow the offensive team to work the ball in.

No pressing.

All the girls fall back when the ball changes hands under a basket.

We will stop the game for teaching points, but for the first half of the season, not penalize the girls for minor violations (traveling, backcourt, out of bounds, double dribble, dribbling with two hands, etc.)

We will call fouls when they occur, explaining the violation, but they will lose the ball. Later in the season we will try foul shots. To be decided at the individual games, by the two coaches involved.

We will alternate taking the ball out instead of jump balls. Later in the season, some teams may be up to jump balls, at least at the beginning of the halves. But usually they waste so much playing time lining up its not worthwhile during the game. At that point the coaches can work out the specific details regarding jump balls at individual games.

We have only one hour for each game with third grade playing six consecutive hours at Cynwyd Elementary School 9-3 every Saturday.

Please have a 10 minute warm-up and be ready to begin promptly at 10 past the hour.

We will play two 20 minute halves with a 5 minute half time.

There will be substitutions every five minutes, the coach must have the subs
ready to go in. The clock will not stop for subs.

The coach needs to assign a time keeper, who will call out substitution time,

The floor must be cleared on the hour for the next game.

1. No fast breaks
2. Players take four passes before shooting the ball
3. No stealing or double teaming
4. Have the stronger players feed the ball to the weaker players
5. Pull the defense back into the lane.
6. Have the whole team work toward having someone score who hasn't scored yet this year
7. If you have less than 10 for a game, play the less strong players more than the stronger ones.
8. Use this time to try new combinations of players
9. No tears in the MLGBA!!!

Each coach needs to have a first aid kit with ice at games and practices
(see attachment)

It is imperative that the coaches enforce the following rules from a safety and
legal standpoint and to be sure we do not lose any gyms;

1. No jewelry, no pierced earrings
2. No long finger nails
3. No eating or drinking in the gym by children or parents (or coaches,) players may bring closed water bottles, if no fountain is available. Last coaches out, clean up
4. Coaches and the team sit on one side of the gym and parents/spectators on the other.
5. No parental sideline coaching, as it is very confusing for the girls. Feel free to speak to offenders and invite them to be part of the coaching staff next year.
6. The girls must be in uniform to play, with non-skid white soled sneakers.
7. Encourage ponytails, hair out of the face, etc for safety. No metal clips
8. Coaches & Parents must control other siblings in the gym, they may not go to other parts of the school.
9. It is strictly forbidden for a parent to drop a playerís sibling off at the gym and leave. Our coaching teams are not babysitters.
10. Please notify one of the coaches if a player is going to miss a game or a practice, beforehand.
11. A coach must present as long as any player is present at both the practices and the games. If none of the coaching staff can make a game or a practice, and no other parent volunteers to help out, that game or practice will have to be cancelled.