FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS AND THINGS TO KNOW
When does the basketball season begin?
Player evaluations will be early to mid September. The first of EYBA games will begin early October (late Sept for A teams) going through to Christmas. After the break the regular season continues January and February. Playoffs are held at the start of March, followed by top tier teams from these play-downs will be eligible for Provincial championships late in March. The Provincial
When are practices? When are games?
Practices occur once a week (twice if gym allocations permit) in the evenings at school gyms within St. Albert. Practice times are arranged by the Gym coordinator. Games are scheduled by the EYBA. In the past, Mini teams play games on Saturdays, Bantam A & Midget A teams play on Tuesdays for boys, Wednesday for girls. The remaining Bantam, Midget & Juvenile teams play games Saturday, on occasion Friday. Due to the new GO Centre (July 2011) game days may change.
How are teams formed?
Evaluations are scheduled in September to determine if we enter an A Team, once the A team is selected the remaining players are split into the community teams according to similar ability or specific requests. Players DO NOT have to attend selection if they do not want to be considered for the A team (if we enter one)
Who coaches the teams?
All coaches are volunteers; most would be parents of the players. Teams are greatly benefited when two parents can cocoach
sharing the responsibility and the time commitment. Coaching is a very rewarding, challenging and fun experience for
those who take on this commitment. All coaches are offered coaching courses in line with Basketball Alberta and the NCCP coaching pathway. These are paid for by SLAM
What happens if no one volunteers to coach a team?
SLAM will make every effort to find coaches for all teams. However, if no parent volunteers and an alternate coach cannot be found, the team will be disbanded. If players cannot be transferred to other teams, fees will be refunded (this has never happened yet)
What do my fees pay for?
Fees you pay cover the following expenses: EYBA fees, BA (Alberta Basketball) fees, photographs, coaching clinics, jerseys, equipment, first aid kits, and basic administration costs. For Initiation & Jr. Slam, the fees are less as this is a house league and we do not pay EYBA. The cost includes SNYB, a participation award, size 5 basketball and a t-shirt which the player gets to keep.
What is the EYBA and what does it do for us?
Edmonton Youth Basketball Association (EYBA), provides: gyms, schedules, refereeing and training for referees for all age categories. They maintain a website for information as well as game schedules and results. They provide a disciplinary component to the leagues to enforce fair play and compliance. They work with Alberta Basketball on training, Provincials, referees and player development issues.
In the event that a player has not registered?
Registration is completed thru the online registration or by email and is considered completed upon payment. That player
cannot be placed on a team. That player may not attend practices. Players are placed on teams and registered on a first
come, first served basis. In the event that a player is injured, becomes ill, or has a family member become ill in the
time period between registration and before the season begins? Full refund will be provided.
In the event that a player feels they should be on a higher division team?
Evaluations are done by a group of volunteer coaches who do the best that they can with the tools they are given. We
encourage all players to attend the ID camp, as this will help the player gauge their ability to those of same age. See ID
camp and tryout process in “Player Evaluation”
In the event a player registers late?
The player will only be placed on a team as space permits. It will be up to the discretion of the coaches as to whether or not
they will accept a late registrant onto their team. If there is more than one space open in a category, that player should be
evaluated and placed with players of like ability. As previously stated, all players must be fully registered first before they can
be officially placed on a team. In the event the full registration process has not been completed, ie: proof of birth, or payment is incomplete? That player will not be registered with EYBA, and subsequently, if that player plays they will make their team ineligible by
playing and that team will be forced to forfeit any games in which that player has participated.
What size of basketballs are used?
Initiation, Jr. Slam and Mini (age 5 to 10) play with a size 5 ball.
Bantam boys and girls play with a size 6 ball.
Midget to Juvenile girls play with a size 6 ball.
Midget to Juvenile boys play with a size 7 ball.