I.         BACKGROUND:

The Wallan Basketball Association has three core basketball Philosophies:

• Enjoyment;
• Improvement; and’
• Team First.

The Vision of the Wallan Basketball Association Inc. (WBI) is to be admired and recognised for being a strong and competitive Victorian basketball club.   A healthy junior domestic basketball competition comprising players and teams from the surrounding regions in a number of age-gender groups is essential to achieving this vision.  The primary Aim of the WBI Domestic Competitions is therefore:

• To encourage and develop Wallan basketball players with aspirations to achieve representative honours within the Wallan Panthers basketball teams; and
• To provide opportunities for fun through basketball in a safe environment by ensuring all kids registered with the Wallan Basketball Club enjoy the experience of playing basketball.

II.         TEAM SELECTION - CRITERIA and PROCESS:

Domestic teams are selected by WBI Domestic sub-committee each season by ranking the skills and abilities of pre-registered players - based on their form (skills and abilities shown) from previous seasons and taking into account how their team has previously performed.   Players are then pre-listed in teams aimed at striking a balance of overall skills and abilities in each team, such as ball-handling, rebounding, shooting, etc.  

Final team selections and adjustments made by WBI are based, first and foremost, upon ensuring that the teams are balanced and competitions are as even as possible.  Subject to team balance and competition evenness, WBI may use other selection criteria, such as keeping players in the same ‘club’ (e.g. “Miners”, “Trailblazers”, etc.) and regional travel (e.g. “Broadford Bushrangers”).   A player wishing to play with friends or family is not considered as a valid WBI domestic team selection criteria.

Teams are evaluated (graded) in the first 3-5 weeks of each season and changes are made wherever necessary to try to equalise the competitions, as much as possible.   Further changes are also made during the first 3-5 weeks of each season to accommodate new player registrations and to fully assess new player impact in selected teams.   The aim is to have reasonably competitive and evenly-balanced age-gender group competitions settled and locked-in by as early as Round 3 and as late as Round 5.

Due to the spike in walk up registrations at the start of the year it is sometimes necessary for quick decision to be made on player team selection. In all instances it is important that a minimum of 3 of the Domestic Sub-Committee ratify the selection prior to informing a player or parent. At no time should players or parents be consulted prior to the Domestic Sub-Committee having consider any proposed changes.

III.         CONSIDERATION FOR MULTIPLE AGE-GENDER GROUP COMPETITION

Where player registrations are too few to warrant a desired ‘two-birth-year’ age-gender competition (e.g. girls born in 2001, 2002), multiple-birth-year competitions will be considered for certain age-gender groups if consistent with WBI’s philosophies, vision and aims stated above.

IV.         PLAYER AGE-GROUP and TEAM CHANGES:

The following considerations apply in guiding WBI in determining the relative merits for considering and consenting to player and parent/guardian requests to play in a lower or higher age-group.

1)      Consistency with WBI’s philosophies, vision and aims (stated above);

2)      Players with a disability;

3)      Likely net benefits of the player’s basketball development by playing in a lower or higher age-group relative to the impact on the selected team and the competition; and

4)      Players judged by WBI to be at risk of injury based on the stage of their physical development.

Wallan Basketball Association

(2013)