Frequently Asked Questions

Do you have to be a Fox Chapel Area School District resident to play Winter League?

No, but if numbers are tight, 1st preference would go to residents. To date this has not been an issue.

How long are the practices, and how often do they practice? 

Teams normally practice for 1 hour (2nd-4th grades, and up to 1.5 hours, once a week, on a weeknight for older groups)  Adult leagues do not practice.  Boys 9th to 12th have open gym practices with a gym monitor.

Where do teams practice?

At either an elementary, middle school, or High School  gym in the district. We use every single gym, every single night, of the entire season in the district and even rent additional space.

What time are the practices?

Younger teams (2nd to 4th) normally practice 6:00-7:00 or 7:30, and older teams (5th to 8th) practice from 7:30-9:00.  High School teams do not practice, but instead have open gyms to scrimmage.  They can play until at times 10:00pm during the week.  Travel practices are handled by the travel commissioner.

2011-2012 HS Open GYM 

proposed schedule

Girls 9th-12th

• Wednesday nights 7:30 to 9:00pm (O'Hara)

Boys 9th-10th

• Thursday 7:30 to 9:00pm (O'Hara)  ~ Teams No.
• Fridays 7:30pm to 9:00pm (O'Hara) ~ Teams No. 

Boys 11th-12th

•  Tuesday 8:45pm to 10:00pm (O'Hara) ~ Teams No. 
•  Wednesday 8:45pm to 10:00pm (O'Hara) ~ Teams No. 
  

When are the games? 

Each team plays a game on Saturday's between 8am and 5pm at gyms in the district.  

Adults play evening games during the week Monday to Friday.  

How many players are on a team?

Teams usually consist of 7 or maximum 8 players divided by grades and separated by gender. 2nd grade will roster 6 players for 3 on 3. This is all based on numbers of coaches, and available gym space, and playing format.  We try to keep it smaller to allow more playing time.

How are the age groups divided up?

Generally, we group grades in pairs, 3rd-4th etc.

Girls 2nd, 3rd-4th, 5th-6th, 7th-8th, and 9th-12th.  

Boys 2nd, 3rd-4th, 5th-6th, 7th-8th, 9th-10th,11th-12th

Men's league - Out of High School, 40 and over.

Ladies league

Movement in age groups may occur if numbers are low, we apologize for this in advance.

Do you lower the hoops for the younger grades, K-3rd?

Yes, for 2nd grade we lower the hoops to 8' and they play side to side at Kerr.  3rd-4th graders move to full 10' hoops and play full court.  See rules section for more on our league playing time rules, etc.

My child is in 1st grade, can they play up in the 2nd grade age group. 

Yes, this is a parents decision and play at their own risk.

My child is playing travel.  Can they also play Winter League. Do the games conflict?

Most travel players play both travel and Winter League.  All travel home games are during the week which may conflict with some practices, but not games.  Only if they have an away Saturday game is there a potential conflict.

How are teams made up?

Twins, Triplets etc. are always automatically put onto the same team, unless otherwise directed by the parent.  All teams are decided by draft, with the exception of 2nd grade.  This decision was made to keep coaches from stacking their teams and leaving the league unbalanced.

How does the draft work?

All players are rated.  After your 1st year, a players rating stays with them hidden in our system from public viewing. Coaches receive rating information prior to the draft and this information is held in the strictest confidence.   As players improve, commissioners and coaches dialogue to update those ratings each year.  Each round of the draft, the coaches select available players in reverse order of strength.  In other words, the weaker team drafts 1st, each round and the stronger teams last each and every round of the draft.

What is the rating scale?

We rate players 0-5, 1 being the best and 5 the weakest.   We do use 1/2's as well.  The rating system, while not perfect is at least consistent, allowing us to have some way of making sure that a 2 is 2 to all the coaches.

What do the numbers mean?

0- Rare player

1 - Absolute stud, can score at will and defend well

2 - May be very good on defense, but doesn't score a whole lot.  Can cover and keep a #1 player at bay most of the time

3 - Avg. Winter League player.  Scores here of there, 2 point per game or so. Generally understands the plays, etc and is a good part of the team.

4 - Below avg.  Wanders on D etc, confused often on the plays.

5 - ..............

How do you rate a 1st year player?

This is our most difficult year to balance.  It gets easier every year there after.  We use any information we can find and are always working on solutions to this problem.

Why can't little Susie play with my little Sally?  I requested her on the registration form, why ask if you are not going to fulfill it?

We could not ask for your choices, but thought it better to please some, than intentionally not please anyone.  We make every attempt humanly possible to fulfill requests, but not at the expense of team balance.  The" friend request" is one of the greatest tools used to destroy team parity in youth sports.  Telling Sally, that you don't always get what you want in life, and that she will make new friends, will teach her more than basketball could ever teach.

What size ball should we buy?

Girls 2nd:  27- 27.75

Girls 3rd to 12th:  27.75-28.5 (regulation ball)

Ladies Adult:  28.5-29

Boys 2nd:  27- 27.75

Boys 3rd to 12th:  29.5

Men's:  29.5 - 30

But we're neighbors, and need to carpool.  So that is why we need the 2 best players in the league on the same team?

You may be able to carpool with this player to practice.  We will attempt, if possible, to put these players in the same practice gym during the week, at the same time, just on opposite teams, if needed.  This is a known stacking trick.

Can head coaches pick their assistant's?

Yes, you can pick your own assistant.   Of course we would not assign one to you, this is your choice.  However, you can't pick your assistant prior to the draft.  In other words, you must draft your assistant coaches child, if they are available, when you have an opportunity to draft during your time on the clock.  This prevents stacking by coaches of very strong players joining up before the draft to effectively render the draft useless.  This is another classic stacking technique rendered ineffective.

But, my assistant's child is only average, he's not that good?  Why can't I choose them before the draft? 

This is a league rule, and we have to be consistent.  If their child is truly not that strong a player, then you have nothing to worry about, as you should have the chance to draft them in the appropriate round.  The question is will you take them early or wait and risk not getting them.  That is your choice.

Where and when do the adult leagues play?

We are always looking for more space, but currently Shady Side Academy's HS Mellon Gym is under contract. 

Do You Provide Referees for the Games?

Yes, we provide a uniformed referee for each game.  They are paid by our league.  The older the age group, the older the referee, and the larger the number of ref's.  Boys 9th to 12th begins 2 PIAA, & or Adult referees.  Mens League uses 2 PIAA ref's.  Our younger refs do the youngest games, so please be patient with them.  They are learning also.  In 2012 we are beginning a mentor system for all new referees. 

Do we have buy a T-shirt to play or is one provided?

No, nothing is needed, all players receive a Winter League T-shirt with a number with their paid registration and may keep it afterward.

Why don't we choose which size shirt we want to wear?

The teams are not assigned until the final week not leaving enough time to order shirts.  Also, we have developed a formula that while not perfect, works pretty well to meet the needs of the vast, vast, majority.   We rarely have to replace a jersey with a different size.  If yours doesn't fit let our uniform coordinator know and she will work to rectify the situation for you.

When Does everything Start?

When is the Mandatory Coaches meeting?

Saturday - December 3rd, 2011

9:00am to 9:45am in the High School Cafeteria.

Coach attendance is mandatory!  Coaches who cannot make it, must send a substitute.

When will we find out what team we are on?

By 5:00pm, Sunday December 4th each player will be contacted by their coach.  If not, please contact your AGC, not the president.  Coaches are told them must communicate this to the parents by that time and date.

When do practices begin?

On your assigned day of the week, beginning the week of  Monday, December 5th, team practices begin.

When do games begin?

Mens & Ladies league begin the week of Monday December 5th.  

All others begin Saturday December 10th.

How many games do they play?

The season consists of between 9-11 games without snow cancellations.  

What dates does the season run?

Begins: Saturday December 10th & Dec 17th

Jan 7, 14, 21, 28

Feb 4, 11, 18, and Ends:  Saturday February 25th 

(Excludes December 24th & December 31st to celebrate the birth of Christ and New Year)

What times & what locations does my child play?  We have another activity, and wondered if we could 

do both?

We are working on the configuration for the upcoming 2011-2012 season.  This is not a guarantee, and things can change, based on the overall league demands based on registration numbers.  All 2nd to 12th grade games are Saturdays. Adult league games are on weeknights.

BOYS PROPOSED GAMES SLOTS

GIRLS PROPOSED GAME SLOTS

ADULT OUT OF HIGH SCHOOL GAME SLOTS

MENS

MONDAY, WEDNESDAY, THURSDAY & FRIDAY 6:30PM & 7:45PM, and 9:00PM (SHADY SIDE MELLON GYM)

TUESDAY 9:00PM

LADIES

6:15PM TO 8:30PM TUESDAY (SHADY SIDE MELLON GYM)

Does everyone make the year end March Madness Tournament?

Yes, all teams make it!  The season determines the seeds.

When is the tournament?

Begins: Monday February 27th in most gyms

Ends:  Saturday March 3rd - FINALS DAY FOR ALL AGE GROUPS

GAMES:  Played every night in every gym that week.

GYMS:  Every gym in the district and a few more.

Can I request not to play a certain day during March Madness week?

No, we do not have the flexibility in the schedule to accommodate requests.  

My advice is, don't schedule anything.

When will the tournament schedule be posted?

It will be out the 1st week of December or by the 1st game of the season.  You can only guess what you will be seeded though and therefore only project what days and times you will play.

Why are some March Madness games so late into the evening?

Because of the strain on the schedule, and the huge numbers of games needed especially in the early rounds, we are forced to play a little later this one week.  If the games are too late for your child, please tell your coach, so that they may call in the forfeit in advance if necessary.