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Frequently Asked Questions

VDBL (Grades 5, 6, 7, 8)

How many divisions are there?   

When are the tryouts/evaluations? 

How many tryout/evaluations do I need to attend?

Do I need to register or pay a minimum balance at or before attending a tryout/evaluation?  

If I attend an evaluation, am I committing to playing in the VDBL?        

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?                                                                   

For girls, are there Gold and a Silver leagues?                      

Is everyone who attends a tryout/evaluation guaranteed to be placed on a team?

Will I be placed on a team according to where I would go to high school?   

What criteria will be used in the evaluation process? 

After the evaluations, when will I find out which team I am on?              

When do practices begin? When are practices held? 

When is the first game? When are games held?  

How long does the season run?

 

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, tryouts/evaluations will be taking place in September to early October. All of these evaluation sessions take place at various area facilities. Please see evaluation dates/times/locations on the league pages of our website. 

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. You must register at or prior to the evaluation date with a deposit to hold your spot. 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 at or before attending a tryout/evaluation?
Yes. Some attendees may choose to pay beforehand in order to complete the paperwork early. All tryout/evaluation attendees must complete a registration form at the tryout (including a liability waiver) prior to participating in the evaluation session (or have completed a registration online). 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?
This is the expectation. Any exceptions to this policy would be made through the Executive Director.

For VDBL 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) - and girls teams are pre-formed by coaches. 

Is everyone who attends a tryout/evaluation guaranteed to be placed on a team? 
If you are registered and have paid your fee, then you will be placed on a team. If you were on a waitlist, our Team is working very hard to try and get enough space and coaches to get as many kids off of the waitlist as 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?
Team placements will be emailed at the end of October/beginning of November.  

When do practices begin? When are practices held?
Practices begin the week before Thanksgiving. Practices are held in the evenings, Mondays through Fridays.

When is the first game? When are games held?
The first game is on the first weekend of December. Games are held on Saturday or 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?

Are there tryouts for the JBL?

How many times do teams practice each week?

Could practices conflict with after-school activities?

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?

How are teams formed? Can I request a coach or my son/daughter's teammates?

Who will be coaching the JBL teams?

 

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. There are only 40 individuals accepted per grade division, per mascot team. 

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 a minimum of one game per week on Saturday mornings/afternoons.  The first game will be on the first weekend of December, and each team will play a minimum of 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 register (40 / age-group / mascot) will take part in an "Evaluation 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, but 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.