I.       RULES INTERPRETATION.
 
A.     Interpretation of Rules.  Interpretation of McLean Youth Basketball (“MYB”) Rules Governing the Selection of Coaches and the Allocation of Players shall be the responsibility of the Program Chairman or the Chief Commissioner supervising the League involved (i.e., House League, Select, Developmental).  Coaches or players who have questions regarding MYB rules or regulations should contact their League Commissioner who will talk with the Chairman or the appropriate Chief Commissioner.
 
B.     Agreement to Change the Rules.  During the season, no participant in MYB, referee, coach, player or League Official, has the authority to change any of the rules as they apply to any league, division within a league, or for a specific game.  The Rules are modified only at the suggestion of the Rules Committee and after review and approval by the McLean Youth Basketball Board.
 
II.      PLAYER QUALIFICATIONS.  
 
A.     Player Age.  Players must be between the ages of 6 and 18 as of October 1^st of the current basketball season and enrolled in a state certified school in order to be eligible.
 
B.     Select Players.  Participants in the Select (“Travel”) Leagues are not eligible to play in the House Leagues.
 
C.     High School Players.  High school players on Varsity school teams, whose season is in direct conflict with part or all of the MYB season, are not eligible to play for MYB.  All JV and Freshman high school team players are eligible for MYB play if:

1.   their League Commissioner has been informed of their school team participation   and authorizes their play;
2.   the Chief Commissioner and Program Chairman approve; 
3.   the player has attended a MYB evaluation, been rated with his peer group, and   included in his age group’s draft; and,
4.   If playing for a JV team, the player is eligible only for the highest league in HS Boys.

III.        SELECTION OF COACHES.  
 
Selection of Coaches and Coach Responsibilities.  Volunteering to Coach, having a child or sibling playing in a certain League, or prior experience Coaching in MYB or elsewhere does not guarantee any individual the right to be either a Coach or an Assistant Coach.  The selection of Coaches and Assistant Coaches in each League will be made at the sole discretion of the League Commissioner.  All coaches must register with MYB as a Coach, read the Code of Conduct and sign an agreement to abide by the Code of Conduct prior to participating in the League.
 
All volunteers accepting a position as Coach or Assistant Coach are expected have committed, whenever possible, to attend all scheduled games and practices prior to and during the regular season and playoffs.  All Coaches and Assistant Coaches also must commit to making a significant contribution to development of all of the players on the team.  League Commissioners are responsible for monitoring the participation and commitment of all Coaches and Assistant Coaches and will report violations to the Code of Conduct and Grievance Committee.   Disciplinary action will include, but not be limited to, suspension of the individual and forfeiture of the team’s next game.

 
IV.    PLAYER ASSIGMENT – HOUSE LEAGUE vs. DEVELOPMENTAL LEAGUE.  
 
MYB encourages all players in a House League to play within their designated League and Division.  Players of exceptional ability might be better suited for the Select League rather than “moving up a League” within the House League.
 
Starting with the 2002/2003 basketball season, participants in MYB will be assigned to Leagues based on the grade they are attending and no longer will be assigned based on their age.  The Developmental League has practice/skill development sessions on Saturdays and Sundays and focuses primarily on skill development with scrimmages included in the practice sessions.  There are no weekday practices for the Developmental League. 

The House League plays full-court basketball games on Saturday or Sunday and has a scheduled practice after school during the week.  Games for the House League are conducted by the rules of basketball as modified by MYB and are refereed.

A.     Assignment to League by Grade.  All players will be assigned to a League within the Developmental Program or the House League based on their grade in school as of October 1^st of the current basketball season.
 
B.     Requests for Playing in a Different League.  A player may request to change his/her assigned League but only after:  (1) attending an evaluation in the appropriate grade designated League, (2) receiving the approval of the League Commissioner in whose League the player was originally assigned, and (3) then receiving approval of the League Commissioner in whose League the player wants to play in.  All such requests must be made and approved prior to player drafts, and the player must participate in the evaluations and be rated for the League in which he/she will ultimately play.  Finally, any such request must be approved by the Chairman or the Chief Commissioner for the league(s) involved.
 
C.     Playing Up From Developmental.  Players in First, Second or Third Grade are assigned to the Developmental Program and, with one exception, do not participate in the House League.  Players in the Third Grade may attend an evaluation for the House League based on the conditions set forth by the MYB Board as indicated in the Newsletter or on the League’s website, myathletics.org.
 
D.     Assignment of Players.  In order to be assigned to an MYB basketball team, all players must attend a League evaluation session at which time they will be rated relative to other players in their grade group.  Prior to the draft all players must register and pay their registration fees online.  Players will be assigned to teams based on the following criteria:

 
1.   Mandatory Evaluations.  Each League will have a minimum of two regular evaluation sessions.  All players who want to be assigned to a team in the House League must attend one of the evaluation sessions for their League (check MYB mailings or the website, myathletics.org, for date, time and location of tryout sessions).If attendance at the scheduled evaluation sessions is not possible, parents can contact the Age Group Commissioner to inquire about options, which will be offered at the Age Group Commissioner’s discretion. The AGC has the sole discretion to use other information to replace mandatory evaluation data to rate the player, including in the case where a player is sick or injured and cannot be evaluated.

2.   Player Ratings at Tryouts.  The League Commissioners will organize evaluation sessions for each League.  The purpose of the evaluations is to rate each player relative to other players in their League and to provide useful information to Coaches to assist them in drafting a team.  A player’s position in the draft is determined by their performance in the Evaluations.  Any attempt by the player to intentionally manipulate the draft is subject to review by the Grievance Committee and possible expulsion from the league.  Any coach found to have encouraged players to “tank” the evaluation will also be subject to permanent expulsion from the league.

Evaluations should include measurement of basic physical attributes (weight, height, speed, vertical jump) as well as test specific basketball skills such as passing, dribbling, and shooting (free throws and lay-ups).  In addition to skill tests, tryouts should include a scrimmage (three-on-three up to five-on-five) involving other players in the grade group in which the same basic basketball skills are evaluated as well as an evaluation of the player’s defensive and offensive skills within a team setting.
 
3.   Designated Head Coach.  Each team must have a single designated Head Coach.  It is this person that will be responsible for communication with the League Commissioner and communicating to the players on the team.  The assignment of an Assistant Coach to a team prior to the draft is at the sole discretion of the League Commissioner.
 
4.   House League Draft Meeting.  The League Commissioner for each League will convene a draft meeting of all Coaches within the League as soon as practical after the evaluation sessions are complete and MYB has received weeknight gym allocations (for team practices) from Fairfax County.  Draft meetings are typically held around the first week of November for Grades 4-8 Leagues and the first week of December for Grades 9-12 Leagues (to accommodate players that are trying out for their high school teams).
 
5.   Assignment of Players Prior to the Draft.  The child or sibling of the Head Coach (adult or student Coach) will be assigned to that team in the round of the draft determined by the evaluation rating score or as assigned by the League Commissioner but not lower than the player’s rating would imply.  Children or siblings of assistant coaches are no longer automatically assigned to a team. 
 
6.   Player Draft.  League Commissioners have the discretion to choose one of the following two methods for conducting the draft (unless they have prior approval from the Chief Commissioner).  The sole goal of the draft is a fair distribution of the talent among all the teams.  The first round drafting order should be a random draw determined by lot, or may be set in advance by the League Coordinator taking into account players already assigned to teams with the goal of maintaining a fair distribution of the remaining players.  The recommend way to conduct a draft is:
 
Draft Method.  The drafting order for the second round will be reversed from that of the first round (e.g., the team that picked last in the first round picks first in the second round) and is then reversed again for each succeeding round until all players are selected.  
 
Equity and Parity.  In any method utilized, the League Commissioner should make allowances for potential inequities, including those involving assigned players.  The intent is a fair and even distribution of talent to achieve balanced and competitive Divisions in each League.

7.   Player Conflicts.  When drafting players, Coaches will give consideration to player conflicts involving practice day or time.  Players must be available to practice with the team if they are going to play with the team. To be included in the draft, players must indicate they are have conflicts on no more than two days during the week.  Any changes to the conflict information provided must be communicated via email by the players or parents of the players directly to the League Commissioner no less than 48 hours prior to the league draft.  No changes in player conflict information will be accepted from coaches in the league, except those related to their own child.  Preferences for car-pooling and other desires of the players will not be given any consideration.  Brothers/sisters are not guaranteed to play on the same team, unless their parent or sibling is coaching the team, and they are assigned to it.  League Commissioners, if they choose, may accommodate siblings if they believe it will not adversely impact the fair distribution of players in the draft.  
 
8.   Trading of Players.  Coaches are strictly prohibited from trading players between teams.  If a player has a conflict with the team’s practice schedule that cannot otherwise be resolved, the Coach should contact the League Commissioner and ask for assistance in resolving the conflict. Any trades will be at the sole discretion of the League Commissioner.
 
9.      Late Registration.  The League Commissioner may at their discretion, but is not obligated to, assign players that register late for the league and were not otherwise included in the draft.  The league does not guarantee to place these players on a team, however, the League Commissioner may place these players on a team, provided:
 
A.   registration forms have been completed and payment is made,
B.   team rosters are not full (if full, late registrants will be placed on a “waiting” list),
C.   the player is rated by the League Commissioner or Division Coordinator, and most importantly,
D.   the assignment of the player will not alter the fair distribution of players in the League or Division.
 
G.     Player Recruitment by Coaches.  Any attempt at recruitment of players by Coaches, before or after the draft, is absolutely prohibited.  This recruitment prohibition includes influencing a player’s identification of conflict days in an attempt to be more likely to be drafted by a particular coach.  Any player wishing to play must make himself/herself available to the draft for selection by any team or, after the draft, register for the wait list.

H. Pulling players off of the Wait List.  The League Commissioner may, at their sole discretion, pull players off the wait list in an effort to fill vacancies caused by the loss of drafted players.  The fit of the wait list player to any openings on teams, and not the timing of wait list signup, will determine who the League Commissioner allows into their league.
 
I.     Penalty for Violations.  Use of unassigned or unregistered players on a team will result in a forfeit of any game in which the player participated as well as the next regularly scheduled game, including tournament games, following such a violation.

 
V.       PRACTICES.  
 
A.     Regularly Scheduled Practices.  Each team is permitted to practice once a week at a regularly scheduled time and place assigned by the League Commissioner.  Each team may practice only once a week and only in its assigned gym space.  Coaches may not make arrangements to practice at other facilities (i.e., private school gyms).  

B.     Make-up Practices.  If a practice time is cancelled due to weather, holiday or other use of the assigned gym space (i.e., band practice), Coaches should contact their League Commissioner and ask for assignment of an alternative practice time.  The League Commissioner will either arrange for an alternative practice time, or give the Coach a name of the individual responsible for making such arrangements.
 
A team may practice twice in one week if the only alternative is to schedule the make-up practice other than in the week in which the original practice was cancelled.  Coaches should anticipate possible practice cancellations (i.e., if practice day is a holiday) and arrange for make-ups as soon as possible.  Check the MYA and Fairfax County web sites frequently for building closings and gym cancellations.
 
C.     Penalty.  The penalty for violation of the rules governing practice times will be the forfeit of the next regularly scheduled game, including tournament games, following such unapproved practices and suspension of the Head Coach.