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OCONEE COUNTY PARKS AND RECREATION SPRING YOUTH BASKETBALL LEAGUE – FAQ’S 1. Who can participate in the spring league basketball league? Any Oconee County 10 -13 year old (as defined by the age control date) male or female can be pre-registered for the OCPRD Spring Basketball Program. This is a tryout based program, meaning only the top 32 most skilled players are selected to teams in each of the two leagues following the tryout date. 2. Is there an age restriction? Any exceptions? September 1st, 2015 is our age control date. A child should have been 10 or 11 on this date to qualify for the 5th / 6th grade league and a child should have been 12 or 13 on this date to qualify for the 7th / 8th grade league. Exceptions approved by the league coordinator may be made for a child who is either ahead or behind in age compared to his peers in a given grade; however, no one who is more than one year removed from the age control date parameters for a given league will be allowed to participate. 3. Do I have to pay the activity fee to register my child for the try-outs? No. You do not have to pay the activity fee to register your child/children for spring league tryouts. Once a child makes a team, they will be required to pay the $150 activity fee. 4. When are tryouts and how are they conducted? Tryouts will be conducted on Saturday, March 12th. The 5th / 6th grade league tryouts will take place from 1:00pm to 3:00pm and the 7th/8th will be scheduled from 3:30pm to 5:00pm. Each player who is pre-registered for spring basketball will receive a number and be sent through an array of skill based drills. The top 32 players for each league will be selected for each league and split into 4 different teams. 5. How many kids make up each team? Each league will consist of the 32 most skilled Oconee resident players. Each team will have a roster size of 8 players meaning each league will have 4 teams. 6. How will I know if my child made one of the teams? Individuals who tryout and are selected to a team will be contacted by OCPRD on or before Tuesday, March 15th. Payment of the $150.00 fee will then be due before 6:00pm Friday, March 18th. 7. What will the schedule of practices and games be? Those selected to teams will see their first practice on Saturday, March 19th and we will then immediately see games on that Sunday, March 20th. With the exception of Easter Sunday and the spring break weekends for Oconee Schools when no games will be scheduled----the weekend schedule will include Saturday afternoon 1.5 hour practices and games (usually one hour) on Sunday afternoons. In addition--- optional Thursday evening clinics will be held for each league beginning Thursday, March 25th. Those 5th/6th grade League players able to attend on Thursdays can take advantage of extra court time between 6:15pm-7:30pm while the 7th/8th grade league players can get extra workouts between 7:30pm-8:45pm. Our guest coaches for the Thursday clinics are to be announced. 8. Who coaches? Coaches are selected by the league coordinator. All coaches must complete a Criminal History Check form and Volunteer Application each season. All coaches must also be certified through the National Youth Sports Coaches Association (NYSCA). 9. Where will games and practices be held? All activity including tryouts, practices, games, and clinics will be scheduled at the Herman C. Michael Park gymnasium. 10. Are there minimum playing time requirements? There are no minimum playing or sitting time requirements. Players are not guaranteed any specific amount of playing time; however, coaches are urged to play all participants a reasonable amount of time. Rosters per team have been limited to 8 players with this goal in mind. 11. Are the games rules the same as the winter league basketball game rules? NFHS, National Federation of High School, and more specifically---GHSA (Georgia High School Association) rules as they apply to Middle School contests--- govern play except where local rules supersede NFHS/GHSA. Local rules can be found on the OCPRD website. 12. What is the PAYS requirement? PAYS stands for the Parents Association of Youth Sports and is part of the National Association of Youth Sports. At least one parent/guardian of each youth participant is required to complete the online PAYS program: ---PAGE BREAK--- Go to http://www.nays.org/paysonline/how-it-works.cfm and click “Get Started” Step 1 – Contact Information: Complete contact info, then click “Next” Step 2 – Select League/Agency Affiliation: Click “Yes”, select “Oconee County Pks & Rec Dept”and then click “Next” Step 3 – Payment Information: NO PAYMENT OR DONATION REQUIRED, simply click “Confirm” Step 4 – Confirmation: Click “Process” Thank You for Registering page appears, click “Next” Click “Start PAYS Course” Click on video to begin course Answer required course questions to complete 13. Is there post season play or a tournament? Yes. Each league will play in a single elimination tournament on the weekend of May 21 & 22, 2016. This will conclude our spring basketball season. 14. At what height goal and size basketball will my child play? Basketball goals will be at 10-feet. The 5th/6th grade leagues will utilize a 28.5 size ball. The 7th/8th grade leagues will use an official size (29.5) ball.