House League Overview

• The session starts at the end of September with a “sorting” weekend to create balanced teams.
• The season runs from mid-October to early March.
• Each week, there is a 1 hour practice (week night to be determined by coach availability) and a one and 1.5 game time on Saturdays.
• Gyms are located in the east end of Ottawa (east of Blair Road and into Orleans).

FAQs

• What is the GCBA House League Program?

  The House League program concentrates on teaching fundamental basketball skills to players who are new to the sport or players who are interested in playing recreationally.

• Can anyone try out?

  The House League program does not have try outs instead they have a series of skills evaluation sessions in the pre-season (two weeks before Thanksgiving). League games begin the week after Thanksgiving.

• What is the time commitment for a House League player?

  Practices take place on weekdays (Mondays to Fridays) and games take place every Saturday from October to mid March. Practices are 1 hour and games are 1.5 hr. Total House League Commitment 2.5 hr/week.

• When are the HL practices?

  The specific practice day/time/gym cannot be confirmed until AFTER the House League Draft held in early OCT prior to the Thanksgiving weekend. This is when the players will be assigned to their individual teams.

Once assigned to a team, the team practice will be held on the same day, at the same gym, and at the same time every week for the duration of the season. However, the one exception to this, is notification of unforecast, often last minute, gym cancellations by the school boards that may necessitate the re-assignment of an occasional practice to a similar day/time slot in an alternate location.

The GCBA books practice slots for each day of the week for most divisions,and therefore, we have some flexibility to accommodate the occasional team switch if an unavoidable conflict with a player’s schedule arises. However, due to our commitment to balance HL teams within divisions as much as possible, we cannot guarantee that requests for specific practice nights will be honoured in all cases.

However, in order to avoid possible conflicts…we ask that if you know the night(s) the player is NOT available, to please note this on the Registration form Questionnaire that you fill out during the Registration process. This will appear as a roster note on our database and we will take this into consideration when assigning a player to a team.

We take all steps possible to avoid conflict with other commitments.

NOTE: HL Games are on Saturdays at Game Gym assigned to the division. Game times vary from week to week depending on the assigned team’s schedule. Practices are during the week. Same day/time/gym each week.

• How are special requests handled?

The purpose of holding evaluations (and the subsequent draft) is the GCBA’s attempt to evenly distribute the skill/size fairly amongst the teams.

True, it is not an exact science and is not without it faults, however, it has been proven to be the best option available to the league and has been relatively successful in the past.

At the evaluations, it is explained to the parents that we will do what we can to accommodate their requests.

During the draft, coaches make every attempt to accommodate carpools, practise night restrictions, etc in their selections. Unfailingly, of course, a week later, every coach is getting requests to move teams, practice nights, etc.

• All requests to move players are denied for the initial two weeks.

Sorry, but players/parents just have to tough it out for a bit. The parents are more than welcome to complain to the convenor and/or the league…but the answer will still be the same….NO.

If the player can’t make it to practice, so be it. There is just too much to get done, during start up, to be making all these special arrangements. We need a little bedding-down period at this point.

Our next step is to have some balancing games in order to really determine which teams are lacking and which teams are top heavy.

Coaches will then get together as a collective (after the first two games) and make the necessary adjustments through a fair and transparent process.

It will be at this time that we will address any other move requests. Coaches are asked to document and keep these requests handy.

• How long is the season?

  House League season runs from OCT-MAR for a maximum of 19 weeks (this includes the pre-season of 1-2 weekends and 15-18  regular season games).

• What is the commitment required from the players?

  House League players must commit to attending all weekday practices [1 hr] and Saturday games [1.5 hr].

• What is the commitment from parents?

  The GCBA is a volunteer organization and every parent of every House League player is expected to commit to a volunteer effort to help the teams run. This commitment need not be more than a few hours on an occasional basis, but it is essential. Volunteer duties include timing, scoring and team assistance.

• How do you evaluate House League players?

  Players are evaluated in the skills session that takes place in the pre-season. An exhibition game is part of the evaluation process.

• Is there a guarantee of playing time in House League?

  YES! All House League players are guaranteed equal playing time during games.

• Do I have to have basketball experience?

  NO. House League players do not need experience playing basketball just a desire to learn, participate and have fun.