Binaya Manandhar

Basketball is one of the main sports in Middle School. Middle School Basketball is for 7^th and 8^th Grade kids. It is considered to be cool to play Basketball in the Middle School. Basketball is under athletics program. So, your kid needs to be signed up for athletics to be able to play the Basketball.

The Season:

Basketball tryouts start right after the football season in November. The Season runs from November to the middle of February. Basketball season runs in parallel with the Track and Field season. So, if your kid is doing both Basketball and Track and Field, he/she might have some conflicts.

Tryouts:

Basketball has 7^th Grade teams and 8^th Grade teams. The kids play in the Grade they are in. 7^th Grade kid will not play in 8^th Grade team even if he is future Kobe Bryant.

In boy’s basketball, in average around 80 kids try out for the team in each grade. Usually there are three teams (A, B and C) with 10-11 kids in each team. So, around 30 kids make the team out of around 80 kids.

Girl’s teams might be little bit different. There might be only A and B teams for the Girls.

How difficult is it to make to the Middle School Basketball Team?

The main factors if your kid will make to the Basketball teams are

1. Height of your kid: If the kid is tall for his or her age, then even if the skill is not very good he/she will make the team. Coaches can use a tall kid in many different ways.
2. Hard working attitude and athletic abilities. If the kid works hard and isn’t lazy to run up and down and keep the hand up that counts a lot in the try outs.
3. Basketball skills: In most school districts if the kid wants to make to “A” team then the skill level should be quite high. Most of the kids in the “A” team play Basketball as their 1^st sport and play with some competitive team outside the school. However, for “B” and “C” teams the skill level requirements are not very high. If the kid can dribble with left and right hand, do left side and right side lay-ups and shoot reasonably then he/she should be good to play. The “B” and “C” team players should have played at least few seasons of Basketball in recreational leagues outside. If the kid has never played Basketball before, then he/she will not make to the Basketball team in the School.

How can you help your kid to get in the School Basketball team?

1. Let the kid practice Basketball in his/her free time. Nothing fancy needed. Right hand dribble, Left hand dribble, right hand and left hand lay-ups, simple shooting drills.
2. Let the kid join local recreational league (e.g. Y League, City League).
3. Local High School and College run Basketball camps during the summer break and in holidays. It is a good way to jump start.
4. If your kid wants to play Basketball as first sports and wants to make to the “A” team and play Basketball in High School and College then you will need to put him/her in competitive team.

The Practice:

Practice is usually for two school periods. Either they run it in the morning one period before the school start and the first period or they run it in the afternoon, the last period and one period after the school. They practice every day of the week during the season.

The Games:

There are around 10 games in the season. Kids play within the School District and against the nearby school districts.  Half of the games are home game and half of the games are away games. For away game kids travel in the school bus.

Usually there is a small entrance fee (around 3$) for getting into the game. You can watch all 3 games (A, B and C teams) for same entrance fee.

There is usually a end of season tournament for “A” team.

The Coaches:

The Coaches are the teachers with double hat as the Coaches. So, please do not expect the coaches to be the former professional Basketball players. If you get a coach who has played Basketball in High School or in College then your kid is very lucky. Do not expect your kid will be a professional Basketball player just by playing for the School. If your kid wants to play Basketball seriously then he/she would need to join competitive team outside beside the school. As there are lot of kids in Basketball team who play competitive Basketball, my observation is that the kids learn from other kids rather than from the coach. School Basketball is more for playing and having fun rather than learning Basketball itself. However, your kid will definitely will be a better Basketball player with school Basketball.

Jersey and Shoes:

The school gives the jerseys. However you need to return it after the season. School doesn’t give the shoes. Good shoes are extremely important for preventing injury. So, please invest in a really good pair or Basketball shoes. 50$ investment should be good enough.

Conclusion:

Basketball is one of the most popular American sports. Middle School Basketball is a very good school experience for the kids. Middle School Basketball alone is not enough to prepare your kid for NBA/WNBA, however 100% NBA/WNBA players have played the Middle School Basketball.