Girls                                           Boys
5B, 5B                                        5A, 5B, 5C
6B, 6C                                        6A, 6B, 6C, 6C
7A, 7B, 7C                                  7A, 7B, 7B, 7C, 7C
8A, 8B                                        8A, 8B, 8B, 8C, 8C

CAA BASKETBALL PARTICIPANT BOUNDARIES POLICY

Chanhassen Athletic Association (CAA) Basketball is offered for the youth of Eastern Carver County School District 112 who reside within the Chanhassen High School attendance area. Exceptions will be made under the following circumstances, in accordance with Minnesota Youth Athletic Services (MYAS) guidelines.

CAA Basketball and CAYBBA strictly prohibit any attempt to utilize waivers for the creation of all-star teams.

Waiver request deadline for the 2009-2010 season is September 15, 2009.
Waiver Request Form

Program Structure & Philosophy

Traveling basketball is offered for those individuals who are interested in competing at a higher level. It requires a greater commitment, in that each participant is expected to attend all practices and weekend tournaments. Teams will typically have two practices per week, and play in 30 or more games during the season.

 

In grades 5 through 8 we offer a traveling program where we bring more focus on competition and developing skills. Traveling teams are formed of our best players to compete with the best players from other communities in the metro area. Our goals are improvement in team and individual skills, emphasizing teamwork, equitable participation required, and exemplary sportsmanship. If number of participants dictates, we form multiple teams per grade, with an A-B-C or similar format and 8-10 players per team.

Tryouts

Tryouts for Traveling Teams are held in late September/early October. Specific tryout dates and locations are listed later in this section. Chanhassen High School basketball coaches will conduct tryouts. Each tryout group will be evaluated in two sessions – please plan to attend both sessions for your group. Tryouts are mandatory. Not attending all of the scheduled tryouts could affect your placement. Failure to attend any of the tryouts will eliminate you from taking part in the Traveling Program. Any traveling player who does not show up for the first tryout session without first informing us will be restricted from the top team in their grade, and CAA Basketball reserves the right to turn such players away from tryouts altogether.

 

All teams are final once they are posted. Players are assigned to a team based on the skill and performance level determined by the tryout staff, as well as evaluations from previous seasons. All decisions by the tryout staff are final. All players who try out may not be selected to a traveling team. We may need to cut players to obtain the proper roster size. Players cut will have the opportunity to play in-house programs within District 112.

 

Players who have registered for tryouts and cannot participate due to injury or illness will be excused upon delivery of a doctor's note describing the player's limitations. Players excused due to injury or illness must present a signed doctor's release indicating that the player is medically fit before they will be allowed to participate in any CAA activities. Players who miss the scheduled tryout sessions due to illness or injury will be assigned to a team based on the player's past playing experience. The tryout staff and the CAA Basketball board will determine this, with input from past coaches.

Teams

Each team will play approximately 11 tournaments. Recognizing that individuals will have different skills and needs, a positive environment will be created to foster contribution, accomplishment, confidence and a feeling of self-worth in all players. Each participant will be treated fairly and know they are an important part of the team. All contributions are valued. In turn, players must make the CAA team they are placed on their sports priority for the season. Emphasis is on skill development, teamwork, cooperation, sportsmanship and respect for others.

CAA Storm Traveling Tournament

We are thrilled to announce that the inaugural CAA Storm Traveling Basketball Tournament will be held December 18-20, 2009! Our tournament will host boys and girls teams from throughout the extended Twin Cities metro area, and take place at Chanhassen High School and Chaska High School. This will be a FUN and exciting fundraising event for our program. All CAA Basketball traveling families will be required to volunteer time to make our tournament a big success. Save the dates, and get ready to represent our association and communities with class!

Gym Space

Gym space is prioritized by the age and level of the team. Older age groups get the larger facilities and traveling teams are allotted more practice time than in-house teams. Space allocations are determined by Community Education and are subject to change.

Traveling Association Policy

In order to remain a traveling basketball association in good standing in the state of Minnesota, CAA Basketball adheres to Minnesota Youth Athletic Services (MYAS) Traveling Basketball Guidelines. These guidelines can be found by visiting www.myas.org.

Renegade Teams Policy

CAA Basketball will not support Renegade Teams with equipment or gym space, nor approve or support Renegade Teams in any State Tournament. A Renegade Team as defined by CAA as a person or team that did not initially try out for a CAA Traveling Team, or is not playing on an In-House team. This policy pertains to participants in grades 5 through 8.

CAA Basketball will support or acknowledge a team if all of its individuals have tried out for a CAA Traveling Team and were not placed on a team, or if they are playing on an In-House team.

Program Goals

·        Provide effective, high quality training for players and coaches at all levels.

·        Provide programs that are cooperative with, and respected by, other community programs.

·        Strive to create a fun and entertaining environment for the players, families, coaches and community.

·        Seek to maximize the potential of every player in the program.

·        Develop players and teams that are able to compete at a top level.

·        Encourage and foster player participation for the full length of a player's youth sports career.

·        Foster the importance of teamwork and the understanding that all team members play an integral part in the success of the team.

·        Promote skill development and create a positive self-esteem for every player.

·        Display exemplary sportsmanship always.

Equal Playing Time

CAA Basketball believes that winning is an outcome, but should not be a primary objective. If we stress team and individual skills development with all players, winning will naturally occur. Coaches should structure their game lineups to create equal opportunity for all team members, not to ensure victory at all costs. Many youth sports programs have proven that winning in grades 5-8 does not correlate to winning in high school. We want to develop as many high quality, life-long basketball players as possible.

 

By nature, we assume all CAA Basketball traveling team players are dedicated to their team. We expect that their CAA team will be their winter sports priority, that all season they will work hard, demonstrate consistent attendance and timeliness for all team activities, and always display exemplary sportsmanship and respectful attitudes.

 

Players will excel and improve if they want to. Coaches can not make them excel by giving them more game time. Players will make the best of the court time that they are given. Players will excel by working hard on their own time to improve all aspects of their game. Coaches must be willing to accept and develop the team assigned to them. Favoritism and exclusion in the treatment of players and the division of playing time will not be tolerated.

 

Spring, summer and fall basketball opportunities exist outside of CAA governance that allow coaches to create all-star teams and feature players by giving them increased court time.

 

The CAA Basketball winter program expects and requires that coaches adhere to these equal playing time guidelines:

·        Every game, every player should be on the court as close as humanly possible to the formula of “Total Game Minutes divided by Number of Players Available to Play”.

·        Every player deserves to start and finish games as often as their teammates, regardless of the score or opponent.

·        Parents, players CAA Basketball leadership should measure the coaches’ application of these guidelines over the course of each tournament, and over the course of the entire season, rather than taking each game into account individually.

·        Equal playing time is required and enforced, however CAA coaches are afforded a degree of latitude to temporarily reduce court time for players who display a distinct lack of commitment to the team. Coaches are required to communicate the specific reasons for court time reduction to the player and parents in a respectful manner, and to work with the player to help rectify the situation quickly. Coaches must keep the appropriate CAA Basketball Traveling Program Director informed of any reduced court time situations.

·        CAA Basketball does our best to observe and evaluate coaches’ adherence to the Equal Playing Time policy. We encourage and expect parents and players to respectfully report extended policy variances to a board member in a timely fashion – do not wait until the end of the season.

·        In the event of policy violations, CAA Basketball will make every effort to help rectify the situation as quickly as possible. Under certain circumstances, we reserve the right to place coaches on notice, and to eventually dismiss coaches, during the season.

Extra Player

If a team needs an extra player due to a schedule conflict, sickness or injury, the player must come from within CAA. The head coach has the option to select the player, pending the approval of the Traveling Director. The coach will select from the next level down in the same age group. If no one is available, they are then allowed to proceed to the next age group down, or to CAA In-House.

Fees & Expenses

The registration fee is $395 for traveling. It must be paid in full before trying out for a team. A refund will be made if you do not make a team. Additional expenses may include extra tournament fees, and travel costs to and from games.

Registration

Registration for youth basketball is held between August and September. The preferred registration method is online at www.chanhassenathleticassociation.com. Flyers are available through the schools, libraries, Victoria Fieldhouse, and the ChanhassenRecCenter.

Refunds

Refunds, if necessary, can be obtained by contacting the program coordinator.

·        Full refund prior to first tryout.

·        If you attend any or all of the tryouts and then decide not to participate, you will be charged a $30 administrative fee.

·        No refunds if program has started (once tryouts are completed and teams are posted), due to uniform and administration costs.

Traveling Coach Selection Process

Anyone interested in coaching a team must check the appropriate area on the registration form. In the event that there are multiple people interested in being the head coach, the CAA Basketball board will evaluate the candidates on their commitment to coaching, previous coaching experience, knowledge of the game, and coaching philosophy to select the head coach. Head coach candidates will be asked to complete a Head Coach Application, and participate in an interview with the board. Interviews will be completed prior to tryouts. Once teams are formed, head coaches will be named. The head coach and CAA Basketball board will select assistant coaches based on the same criteria. Selection Criteria includes at a minimum the following items:

 

·        Previous youth coaching experience, including feedback from prior seasons.

·        Knowledge of the game of basketball.

·        Ability to teach players of all skill levels.

·        Attendance and active participation in coach and player clinics.

·        Ability to represent CAA with the utmost respect and sportsmanship.

·        Ability to provide positive reinforcement to players in both practices and game situations.

·        Commitment to CAA Basketball program values and objectives.

·       This must be the coaches’ top priority and only traveling team head coaching position.

Important Dates for 2009-2010 Traveling Season

	Girls Grades 5-8	Boys Grades 5-8
Registration Starts	August 15	August 15
Registration Ends	September 22	September 19
Player Tryouts - Please Attend	Late September/Early October – See below	Late September/Early October – See below
Both Sessions
Rosters Published	October 4	October 2
Pre Season Coaches Meeting	October 12	October 12
Practice Starts	October 19	October 19
Traveling Team Pep Rally	November 5	November 5
Tournaments Start	November 6	November 13
CAA Storm Traveling Tournament – ALL TRAVELING FAMILIES volunteer – save the dates	December 18 - 20	December 18 – 20
Tournaments End	March 7	March 14
Post Season Coaches Meeting	March 16, 7:00PM @ Chan Rec Center	March 16, 7:00PM @ Chan Rec Center