I have coached Under 10's previously and find this a particularly difficult age group to manage. On one hand, you're right in that a lot of the kids are new to the game and getting thumped every week is disheartening. However, changing the district rules to social (particularly in relation to limited defense) inhibits the teams that are skilled and limits the amount you can teach them if they have the potential. It is unfortunate that there weren't enough teams for a Div 2, but what I've told other parents is that districts is the superior basketball comp in SA. If there are no lower grades, kids that are new to the game may be better off learning in social conditions rather than diving straight into districts. In rec centres the rules are altered so that new kids can learn the skills they need before going to districts.

I coach 10's and would agree that this is a problem.
In the case of the girls competition obviously this is a nomination issue.
We must remember that this is the div 1 comp, and it is unfair in my view to restrict the better teams development. Whenever you attempt a mercy rule condition in this age group it will lead to a game not worth playing by anyone.
As a coach you need to stay focused on the development, yes get the strong team to play left hand improve skills but do not back off the intensity, mercy rules will always lead to bad and lazy habbits.It is also my experiance that pulling the strong team back to half court will only slow the slaughter down by the time it takes to get the ball to the 1/2 way line.
Regardless of your view on Pro/rel for the whole competition, under 10's is the perfect enviroment for it.
My suggestion is to use the summer season as a true grading season, then in winter break them all up into small groups in similar skill levels maybe 4 or 5 per group, during the season after each round move one up and one down in each group.

Why hasn't Basketball SA regraded the U/10 Girls after the first few weeks. Im sure the bottom few teams would appreciate to play in a smaller, even competition, has the association even spoke to the clubs involved.
I also think its a good idea to enforce the mercy rule for U/10 level only, we definitly dont want to discourage the new players to district Basketball away to other sports.
Maybe the new Basketball SA committee needs to address grading in general throughout all grades. Adapted a new grading poilicy such as other sports eg: bottom 2 teams in each grade gets religated and top 2 teams in the lower grade get promoted.
What do you think?

The 10 Girls will be re-graded for winter, obviously subject to team nominations.
The real problem is finding 12 teams of equal standard to fit our competition structure. Even then it is difficult for a club to nominate in the right division as the team has no history. Smaller rounds that can be re-graded faster has to be a winner.
Get away from Div 1 and 2 and create 4 or 5 smaller divisions, p/r through these groups over the season.
I cannot see why something like this would not work.

The real question is why the number of U10 girls' teams has fallen, so that there's no longer a Div 2. Apparently very few U10 girls turned up at some clubs' recent trials. Do we need better recruiting,or do parents need to get their little potatoes off the couches?

Apparently 1 club has chosen to put their div 2 team into a local competition.

Sounds like a smart decision to me.

clubs should be recuiting - i coached u10s and went to miniball / school comp for a few weeks and had no problems bolstering up our squad - just need to approach and invite the right people.

these kids are now burning up the comp

Can people please remember this is under 10's. In primary schools today, kids can not compete as us ( supposed adults) competed. Understanding our game is unique, other sports can not have ladders, scores, best players etc. Where do we get off in saying this is an open season! The whole idea, especially with the cost in playing our game, is to encourage. I agree in that the better teams may be disadvantaged, however it should be all about the children. Who knows, the next Gaze/Sporn may not want to play, if to start with, they can't compete, it may be they think, this game is not for me. We all should understand it is tough to get not only the children to play, but the parents to pay. Get a Div 2 competition happening even if there are only 4 teams in each division, we are all better off playing each team 3 or 4 times and being competitive than getting thumped by 4 teams and being disenheartened with the risk of kids losing interest.

I'm from perth, but it is interesting to see the debate- is like junior rep ball- or in w.a known as wabl?>

hi sandgroper

yes junior rep ball - normally has 2 divisions

WHAT NEXT WhERE SO good we tie both hands behind our backs - get it right get 2 divisions happening i mean you nominate for div 2 and get put in div and then takes hammering - and div 1 teams are meant to feel sorry and play dumbdown
nominate div 2 play 2 simple

anon #159006,

How does past success relate to U10 recruitment?

I am sure that all new players starting the game have minimal understanding of what a club has too offer in terms of success.

But, as you have stated, the same clubs seem to have the same level of success in recruitment. Perhaps this has something to do with those clubs putting their resources into junior development and recruiting rather than seniors.

Boundries are unequitable and unmanagable! Who is going to be able to divide the city and country area's up so that each club has an equal share of the number of junior players?

And how is BSA going to make sure that this level of equity changes as the demographics change over time?

And what happens when somebody wants to move clubs, isn't allowed and then quits the sport?

Or people who have been alligned with a club for 2 generations live outside the boundry?

Or somebody challenges it in court becasue they are not allowed to play where they want, because they want what is best for their kid?

All that boundries will do is decrease the number of participants in basketball, decrease the need for clubs to get out and recruit players because any player in their area will have to play for them, and therefore decrease the overall standard of basketball in this state.

The better clubs are against boundries because it is bad for basketball and its overall development in regards to developing international and national players which is exactly what district basketball is about.

If any club gets out and recruits at U10 level, develops a local competition to recruit from and produces a good team, why would these players leave? If they are winning each weak and beating other clubs, players would move to those teams?

If all cluibs opperated under this philosophy, and accepted that div 1 is not a right but a privelidge, basketball would be able to move forward.

anon #159006

I agree with some of your comments about super clubs and the problems this creates in building national success, but I am puzzled as to how this relates to the current U10 girls problem. Forestville are 3rd & 9th, Sturt are 6th on the ladder & hardly dominating the competition.

Zoning gets a run again. The usual reason it gets opposed is that it won't work. The stronger clubs will be better at getting higher participation rates from their zones, and a higher standard. At a guess, probably 60% of the major clubs' players live within 5km of their home stadium. Imposing a zone isn't going to affect them. Zoning also doesn't explain the reason why some families have children playing for different clubs. The experience an individual player has within a club can be more important than the track record of the club as a whole.

The easy solution for the current problem would be to split the ladder into two groups of six providing North & Woodville were happy. At least that would give a Div 2 competition for entry level teams, and the top teams could resume playing with two hands.

I can see the point of many of you, and agree with some of the veiws put forward, but as a parent of an under 10, a coach and a referee, I can see that there is not one simple solution.

One thing that I have noticed in my travels as a parent is that at port adelaide, if one team is dominating, then the referee will get the kids to play a half court defence. This is extreamly painful and frustraing to watch as the dominating team has to wait to do something and the lesser team doesn't get it much further than the half way.

Why not allow the kids to play a zone defence???

I did when I was an under 10.

It allows the ball to travel all the way down the court, the kids still have to play a close defence and they can learn more about what the seniors and older kids are doing when they see everybody run back and stand around the key.

Apart from that option I think that DaddyO summed it all up nicely.

To (#158884 | Grrr!)......take a hard look at yourself first (I can supply the mirror if necessary), you are a hero no one's eyes. You have options other than bagging people........use them.

How many U10 G games of Southern & Forestville have you seen this season. None i'm guessing.

What tatics are these teams currently using?

If you had seen any of these games you would know how far of the mark you are.

Uninformed uneducated tools should stay in the shed.

not you,

zone sucks, teaches kids how to stand around and inhibits individual offence development.

best thing a flogging team can do is run back to the baseline and then out to their OWN player; helps keep the court open, gives the losing team some space but doesn't cut-off fast break opportunities like staying back behind a given point does.

U10's need div 2,

I saw the Southern U10 girls team last week, and they were pressing all game. Even in the last quarter when they were 90+ points up. It wasn't until the last 2 minutes that they let the other team score.

Absolutley disgusting behaviour by a coach to humiliate U10 opponents.

(#158884) you have a few "issues" to deal with.

I cant comment on Southern; however I have seen a few u10 girls eagles matches and one of the teams you have critisised must be sitting near or in the general vicinity of bottom & have been on the recieving end of a thrashing themselves.

This is a sport. There are winners & loosers.

Get over it.

Win or lose. What ever happened to sportsmanship.

Interesting to see the southern coach smashes their own team by 70 points, looks like woodville gold had a good game, Sturt obviously coach with different principles

#159278, you cant win by 70 pts and still show good sportsmanship?

Is that what you are saying? Because I think you are wrong.

(#159559) So who are you blaming for that, the under 10 kids?

BSA for not having a competition which is graded after 3 rounds. Cut the comp into top 6 and bottom 6.

But that would mean Paul Arnott would need to do some extra work, and isn't therefore likely to happen.

Just like we aren't going to get a hot weather policy that looks after players, rather one that means Paul Arnott won't need to reschedule games.