Frequently Asked Questions

Most importantly, a parent’s role is to support and encourage their child to become the kind of player he or she wants to be and to ensure an enjoyable basketball experience. Parents should encourage practice of skills at home to help your child gain confidence in their abilities. The key thing is to encourage your child to have FUN while recognizing their limitations. Parents should remember that taking fun out of their child’s sports could lead to the child leaving sports out of resentment of parental pressures and unrealistic expectations.

There are many opportunities for parents to become involved in the Guelph Youth Basketball Association organization itself. For more in-depth information please visit our Get Involved or Volunteer Opportunities pages.

An important aspect of a young player’s development is to be given an equal opportunity to participate in games. At the U10 Novice, U11 Atom and U12 Major Atom levels Ontario Basketball has implemented Equal Participation Rules to ensure every player gets the chance to participate in the game and succeed with their skills development. Parents should speak to their child’s coach about the playing philosophy they will use for their team. If there are any questions or concerns they should be discussed first with the coach and, if necessary with the appropriate board member, i.e. President of the Guelph Youth Basketball Association, Vice President of the Rep Program, or Vice President of the Development Program.

It is recommended that a ratio of one game be played for every 2 to 3 practices. But, that ratio may be higher with young children and may drop with the older children. Your family’s schedule, combined with your child’s other activities must be considered when deciding to play basketball (whether it is the development or rep program). It is frustrating and unfair to everyone concerned when a player cannot make the commitment to the team.

Please Note: Schedules differ each year from team to team. Practice days and times will vary on availability, and tournaments and games will vary on organizers dates. For accurate information please check with your athletes coach and/or convenor.

A player needs only a pair of athletic shoes (most stores sell “basketball” shoes), a water bottle and a simple physical training outfit, that would consist of a pair of shorts and a tee shirt. A player is not allowed to wear any padding other than a soft material for elbows and knees. The Guelph Youth Basketball Association will supply basketballs.

For the GYBA Gryphon Rep Program players will receive a home & away jersey as well as shorts at the beginning of the season, and will be asked to return them at the end of their season.

For the Jr. Gryphons Development Program players will receive a reversible jersey that they are able to keep.

Ontario Basketball has implemented a Fair Play policy to ensure that every player, coach, parent, spectator and volunteer has an enjoyable and rewarding experience. This includes a Parent’s Guideline for Behaviour, which can be viewed under the Resources tab on the Parents page.

The Guelph Youth Basketball Association is committed to providing each player the opportunity to play at a level that is commensurate with his or her abilities. Every effort should be made to attend the scheduled tryout session. However, if a player is unable to attend the scheduled tryout, a written notification must be provided to the Chair of the Tryout Committee prior to the tryout date. The committee will consider players unable to compete in the process due to injury or an unavoidable circumstance for inclusion on a rep team. An injured player must register at the tryout and participate in any skills unaffected by the injury. In addition, the injured player must provide medical documentation of their injury and the expected date at which they can fully participate. To maintain the integrity of the tryout process, the Board will consider injured players only on a case-by-case basis and will consider that player’s history with the GYBA Gryphons Rep Program.

The Tryout Committee will consist of all the coaches working with the age group and the independent evaluators selected by the Tryout Committee.

The program cost is $160.00 for 14 weeks. This fee includes a reversible jersey, one weekly development session from October to February and a basketball. *Refunds are subject to a $35 admin fee and will only be issued up until the first session. If a player received their kit, this will be deducted.

Through the GYBA Jr. Gryphon Development Program, participants are instructed to learn and understand the fundamental skills in the game of basketball.

The game can be divided into the following:

• Footwork
• Ball Handling & Dribbling
• Passing & Receiving
• Shooting
• Rebounding
• Offense & Defense

As well, an important component of the GYBA Jr. Gryphon Development Program is to help young people in their overall development.

Different life skills are taught throughout the program to provide a powerful positive influence on all participants. Some of these topics include:

• Fair Play
• Teamwork
• Education & Career
• Health & Nutrition
• Mental Training
• Offense & Defense

To become a volunteer coach in the GYBA Jr. Gryphon Development Program please visit our Become a Coach page under the Get Involved tab. There you will be able to complete an application form that will be sent to the Vice President of the Development Program.

No basketball experience is required, and all coaches involved with the GYBA Jr. Gryphon Development Program will have the opportunity to partake in an on-court workshop.

We process all registrations online through TeamSnap. Please visit the Jr. Gryphons Development Program or the Gryphons Rep Program individual registration pages for more information on registering.

If you have questions that were not answered here we welcome you to please visit our contact us page, or our Board of Directors page to contact the appropriate member. We encourage all current members of the club and members of the local community to contact any given member of the board to answer their questions.

It is also recommended to review our policies & procedures for additional information.