Olivet Youth Basketball

Over the years many athletes have benefited from the selfless support members of our community have given to help Olivet Youth Basketball (OYB).  This support has allowed us to provide an effective program that has benefited both the Men’s and Women’s programs at OHS.  This year we plan to build on our past successes and to implement some new activities that build on what we know about how young children grow and develop.  These new activities will provide more opportunities for students to develop developmentally appropriate skills as well as basketball knowledge.  These skills should allow them to enjoy the sport of basketball for a long time.

           Other schools have chosen a different path for their youth basketball programs and a trend of elitism has emerged.  These schools have chosen to develop youth programs that focus primarily on working with players who mature early.  Within these programs, the most mature 2^nd or 3^rd graders tend to handle the ball and take the most shots because they may be the only ones that have the physical ability to do so.  This type of system does not value the normal developmental stages of children.  In a system like this, coaches tend to hand pick the most mature players and pool them together to participate on “travel” squads.  In effect, the early maturity of some players gives them the benefit of additional repetitions and increased coaching.  These mature players represent only about 10% of all the children participating in OYB.  In this type of system, the majority of young athletes do not get sufficient coaching and encouragement – some don’t participate at all.

           It is my belief that this type of philosophy seriously undermines the integrity of a community’s basketball program.  A program that focuses only on mature players in the very early grades will suffer from decreased participation and underdeveloped and burned-out players.  By the time these young players reach middle and early high school, many aren’t interested in the sport – and neither are their parents.

           The goal of OYB, grades K-3, is to nurture and support all athletes and encourage them to become well-rounded and active. Our program will strive to increase opportunities for all participants, no matter the maturity level or ability.

           This year’s plan is to utilize the expertise of our volunteer coaches and create situations where all athletes will have a greater opportunity for success.  The adjustments for our K through 3^rd  grade include:

§  Continuing to add resources for coaches to be more effective.

§  Continue with co-ed K/1^st grade and keep the 3 on 3 format

§  Add 3 weeks to 2^nd and 3^rd graders.

§  Moving the 2^nd and 3^rd grade form co-ed to gender based.

§  Also allowing 2^nd and 3^rd graders to compete full court in a 4 on 4 environment.

           The above changes will create a transition from the less competitive learning environment of the K/1^st grade part of our program to the more competitive travel league that our 4^th through 6^th graders compete in.

           The goal of our basketball program is to help children become active and well-rounded, both athletically and socially.  We hope a balanced approach to teaching basketball skills as well as recognizing other activities will help us do this.  By making these changes we intend to increase the instruction level and student’s opportunities so they will be able to develop skills appropriately, which will lead to increased enjoyment of the sport of basketball.

           We can always use more input and guidance at the board level for OYB.  If you are interested let us know. Any comments, suggestions or questions are welcome at darttb@olivetschools.org.