FAQs
VDBL (Grades 5, 6, 7, 8)
How many divisions are there?
For the boys, there are four divisions separated by grade (5th, 6th, 7th, 8th). For the girls there are two divisions separated by grade (5-6th, 7-8th). Players may play "up" if they do not knock another athlete in the appropriate grade out of a roster spot. Players may not play "down."
When are the tryouts/evaluations?
For boys and girls, grades 5 - 8, attending any Albemarle County public school or any private school student, tryouts/evaluations will be taking place on September 11, 17 & 18. All of these evaluation session take place at Albemarle HS from 7:00 - 9:00 pm. For Charlottesville City School students, tryouts are September 27 (boys) and September 29 (girls) at Walker Upper Elementary from 6:00 - 8:00 pm.
How many tryout/evaluations do I need to attend?
In order for our staff to place you on a team, we must see you at least once. Therefore, you must attend a minimum of one tryout/evaluation. If you feel you would like to attend more than one, this is fine as well.
Do I need to register or pay a minimum balance before attending a tryout/evaluation?
No. Some attendees may choose to pay beforehand in order to complete the paperwork early. However, this is not required. All tryout/evaluation attendees must complete a registration form at the tryout (including a liability waiver) prior to participating in the evaluation session. These forms will allow our staff to have all proper insurance information as well as your contact information so we can communicate with you after the final tryout/evaluation has been completed.
If I attend an evaluation, am I committing to playing in the VDBL?
Not necessarily. You can make that determination after evaluations are completed and you have been placed on a team.
For boys there are two leagues, the Gold and the Silver. What is the difference? Do the teams in these two leagues ever play one another?
The VDBL-Gold is made up of those individuals who are evaluated to take the first 10 roster spots for a given team (all teams have a maximum 10 roster spots). There is only one team per team mascot for the VDBL-Gold. Those who are not evaluated onto a VDBL-Gold team will participate in the VDBL-Silver League. The quality and offerings of both leagues are the same, but teams within each will never play any official games against one another.
For girls, are there Gold and a Silver leagues.
No. For girls, there is only one league (two divisions), so "cuts" are possible.
Is everyone who attends a tryout/evaluation guaranteed to be placed on a team?
For boys, all Albemarle County and private school students have been secured enough facility space to field enough teams for those that attend an evaluation (provided we have enough coaches these students will be guaranteed a team). This is not true for Charlottesville City residents simply because there is less facility space available in the city schools to accommodate multiple teams.
For girls, there is only one league (two divisions), so "cuts" are possible.
Will I be placed on a team according to where I would go to high school?
More than likely, yes. Much depends on the number of individuals who attend the tryout, but most, if not all, evaluation participants will be placed on a team according to where they would attend high school. Individuals who are not placed on a VDBL-Gold roster and attend private schools will have less of a chance of participating on a team according to their private school affiliation based on numbers and facility space available to accommodate an additional team, but we will find a team for them.
What criteria will be used in the evaluation process?
Athletes will be evaluated by impartial evaluators using the following criteria: Listening/Direction, Work Ethic/Hustle, Dexterity, Athleticism, Ball-handling, Lay-ups, Shooting, Passing/Vision, Offensive Understanding, On-ball Defense, Off-ball Defense, Defensive Understanding. Using all of these criteria, athletes will receive an overall rating (confidential only to the evaluators) which will then be compared to all those being evaluated for the same team (school district). Past and present coaches are present during the evaluations to make observations and recommendations, but the final rating is made by the impartial evaluators and the final determination is made by Executive Director, Ben D'Alessandro. Coach D'Alessandro will be present at all tryouts and will personally evaluate each, individual athlete in attendance.
After the evaluations, when will I find out which team I am on?
The final day of evaluations is September 18 (County & private schools) and September 27/29 (City schools). Usually it will take an additional 3-5 days after the final evaluation day to make final rosters.
When do practices begin? When are practices held?
Practices begin the week of November 14. Practices are held in the evenings, usually on Mondays and Wednesdays (although not always the case and always subject to change).
When is the first game? When are games held?
The first game is on Sunday, December 4. Games are held on Sunday afternoons/evenings (there are no games on the weekends of Christmas and New Year's).
How long does the season run?
The regular season spans 10 total weekends, with a single-elimination tournament to follow.
How many divisions are there?
For the boys, there are four divisions separated by grade (5th, 6th, 7th, 8th). For the girls there are two divisions separated by grade (5-6th, 7-8th). Players may play "up" if they do not knock another athlete in the appropriate grade out of a roster spot. Players may not play "down."
When are the tryouts/evaluations?
For boys and girls, grades 5 - 8, attending any Albemarle County public school or any private school student, tryouts/evaluations will be taking place on September 11, 17 & 18. All of these evaluation session take place at Albemarle HS from 7:00 - 9:00 pm. For Charlottesville City School students, tryouts are September 27 (boys) and September 29 (girls) at Walker Upper Elementary from 6:00 - 8:00 pm.
How many tryout/evaluations do I need to attend?
In order for our staff to place you on a team, we must see you at least once. Therefore, you must attend a minimum of one tryout/evaluation. If you feel you would like to attend more than one, this is fine as well.
Do I need to register or pay a minimum balance before attending a tryout/evaluation?
No. Some attendees may choose to pay beforehand in order to complete the paperwork early. However, this is not required. All tryout/evaluation attendees must complete a registration form at the tryout (including a liability waiver) prior to participating in the evaluation session. These forms will allow our staff to have all proper insurance information as well as your contact information so we can communicate with you after the final tryout/evaluation has been completed.
If I attend an evaluation, am I committing to playing in the VDBL?
Not necessarily. You can make that determination after evaluations are completed and you have been placed on a team.
For boys there are two leagues, the Gold and the Silver. What is the difference? Do the teams in these two leagues ever play one another?
The VDBL-Gold is made up of those individuals who are evaluated to take the first 10 roster spots for a given team (all teams have a maximum 10 roster spots). There is only one team per team mascot for the VDBL-Gold. Those who are not evaluated onto a VDBL-Gold team will participate in the VDBL-Silver League. The quality and offerings of both leagues are the same, but teams within each will never play any official games against one another.
For girls, are there Gold and a Silver leagues.
No. For girls, there is only one league (two divisions), so "cuts" are possible.
Is everyone who attends a tryout/evaluation guaranteed to be placed on a team?
For boys, all Albemarle County and private school students have been secured enough facility space to field enough teams for those that attend an evaluation (provided we have enough coaches these students will be guaranteed a team). This is not true for Charlottesville City residents simply because there is less facility space available in the city schools to accommodate multiple teams.
For girls, there is only one league (two divisions), so "cuts" are possible.
Will I be placed on a team according to where I would go to high school?
More than likely, yes. Much depends on the number of individuals who attend the tryout, but most, if not all, evaluation participants will be placed on a team according to where they would attend high school. Individuals who are not placed on a VDBL-Gold roster and attend private schools will have less of a chance of participating on a team according to their private school affiliation based on numbers and facility space available to accommodate an additional team, but we will find a team for them.
What criteria will be used in the evaluation process?
Athletes will be evaluated by impartial evaluators using the following criteria: Listening/Direction, Work Ethic/Hustle, Dexterity, Athleticism, Ball-handling, Lay-ups, Shooting, Passing/Vision, Offensive Understanding, On-ball Defense, Off-ball Defense, Defensive Understanding. Using all of these criteria, athletes will receive an overall rating (confidential only to the evaluators) which will then be compared to all those being evaluated for the same team (school district). Past and present coaches are present during the evaluations to make observations and recommendations, but the final rating is made by the impartial evaluators and the final determination is made by Executive Director, Ben D'Alessandro. Coach D'Alessandro will be present at all tryouts and will personally evaluate each, individual athlete in attendance.
After the evaluations, when will I find out which team I am on?
The final day of evaluations is September 18 (County & private schools) and September 27/29 (City schools). Usually it will take an additional 3-5 days after the final evaluation day to make final rosters.
When do practices begin? When are practices held?
Practices begin the week of November 14. Practices are held in the evenings, usually on Mondays and Wednesdays (although not always the case and always subject to change).
When is the first game? When are games held?
The first game is on Sunday, December 4. Games are held on Sunday afternoons/evenings (there are no games on the weekends of Christmas and New Year's).
How long does the season run?
The regular season spans 10 total weekends, with a single-elimination tournament to follow.
JBL (Grades 1-2, 3-4)
What is the deadline for sign-ups for the Junior Basketball League?
The deadline is October 1, but we will accept late registrations if there is still space available. Registrations are accepted first-come, first-serve, accepting the first 40 registrants (per age-group, per mascot).
Are there tryouts for the JBL?
No, there are not tryouts for this age-group. There is a limit to how many teams we can field and how many total athletes we can put on each team, so participants are taken on a first-come, first-serve basis.
How many times do teams practice each week?
Teams practice once a week, during a weekday in the evenings.
Could practices conflict with after-school activities?
No. Practices will take place after after-school activities, usually starting no earlier than 5:30 pm and starting no later than 7:00 pm.
How many games do teams play each week? When do the games take place? When is the first game? How long does the season run?
Teams play one game per week on Saturday mornings/afternoons. The first game will be on Saturday, December 3, and each team will play 10 total regular season games (there will be no games on the weekends of Christmas and New Year's).
How are teams formed? Can I request a coach or my son/daughter's teammates?
All athletes who sign up (40 / age-group / mascot) will take part in an "Evalutation Day" in the fall in order to create balanced teams. Coaches & assistant coaches will have input to team selection along with a draft process, and parents may also make requests. These requests will be considered by VABA staff as our main goal will be to make "even/balanced" teams based on the evaluations.
Who will be coaching the JBL teams?
All coaches will be volunteers from the local community. All coaches are required to attend 10 hours of training from professional, career-coaches covering the following subjects: Coaching Ethics, Defensive fundamentals and Offensive fundamentals.
What is the deadline for sign-ups for the Junior Basketball League?
The deadline is October 1, but we will accept late registrations if there is still space available. Registrations are accepted first-come, first-serve, accepting the first 40 registrants (per age-group, per mascot).
Are there tryouts for the JBL?
No, there are not tryouts for this age-group. There is a limit to how many teams we can field and how many total athletes we can put on each team, so participants are taken on a first-come, first-serve basis.
How many times do teams practice each week?
Teams practice once a week, during a weekday in the evenings.
Could practices conflict with after-school activities?
No. Practices will take place after after-school activities, usually starting no earlier than 5:30 pm and starting no later than 7:00 pm.
How many games do teams play each week? When do the games take place? When is the first game? How long does the season run?
Teams play one game per week on Saturday mornings/afternoons. The first game will be on Saturday, December 3, and each team will play 10 total regular season games (there will be no games on the weekends of Christmas and New Year's).
How are teams formed? Can I request a coach or my son/daughter's teammates?
All athletes who sign up (40 / age-group / mascot) will take part in an "Evalutation Day" in the fall in order to create balanced teams. Coaches & assistant coaches will have input to team selection along with a draft process, and parents may also make requests. These requests will be considered by VABA staff as our main goal will be to make "even/balanced" teams based on the evaluations.
Who will be coaching the JBL teams?
All coaches will be volunteers from the local community. All coaches are required to attend 10 hours of training from professional, career-coaches covering the following subjects: Coaching Ethics, Defensive fundamentals and Offensive fundamentals.