Our mission at Orchard Hills Basketball League is simple. We want to teach girls the skills needed to play basketball and we want them to have fun doing it!
Our primary focus is on skills development. Once kids learn the skills they then can apply them as they grow into more competitive scenarios.
Practices are built around drills which include but are not limited to Warm Ups & Athletic Development, Teaching Drills, and, of course, Games. Games are a time for the players to put into practice what they have learned; emphasis is not put on winning, but on playing the game competitively and correctly. Drills will be a build up of particular skills that will not only be fun but also focused. As the players build upon basic basketball concepts, they will begin to gain a better understanding of the game. There will be lots of 3 on 3 work which allows for players to gain experience with maximum touches of the basketball during scrimmages.
How better to learn the game of basketball than by playing by regulation rules? The league rules are enforced in order for the players to learn how the game really unfolds at the higher level. Man to man defense is taught and enforced during games. Because we are encouraging and building players at a young age, we do not allow full court press. This encourages players of all levels to learn how to handle the ball and not be afraid to dribble up the court. Other regulation rules will be in effect (see below RULES).
During our 2017-18 Season, our league was open to 3rd-5th Grade girls and we played on a 9' goal. We hope to build upon the players' development and keep growing and learning. For the 2018-19 Season, we had a girl's league for 4th-6th Grade girls. The girls played on a regulation 10' height goal and typically games were 4 v 4 full court. There is an emphasis on encouraging young players to shoot with good shooting form. We want our players to be successful and to love the game!
For the 2019-2020 Season, we plan to offer a league for young players called Biddy Ball (1st - 3rd grade) as well as a Junior League for 4th-7th grade girls. 3rd and 4th Grade girls will be evaluated to determine if they will play in the Biddy Ball league or the Junior league. Both divisions will be on the same day and will be back-to-back.
The Biddy Ball division will play on a 9' goal and will play their games on smaller courts. They will have 40 minutes of practice time and then a 20 minute game. The Biddy Ball division will also play with a smaller basketball.
The Junior girl's division will be on a regulation 10' height basketball goal and they will play full court (4 v 4 or 5 v 5, depending on the size of teams). Their weekly schedule will be 50 minutes of practice time/drills and then 40 minutes for a game. The Junior division will play with a 28.5" ball.
RULES of the Game at OHBL:
1. Man to Man defense will be taught and enforced during games.
2. Full court press will not be allowed.
3. Regular basketball rules will be enforced including travel, double dribble, fouls, etc. Shooting fouls will result in free throw attempts (although the free throw line distance may be shortened depending on abilities).
4. Goal height will be 10' for all practices and games for the Junior Division. Biddy Ball will be 9' Goals.
5. Games will be a determined length of time. This will be determined on the league size, but will probably be 6:00 quarters with a running clock for the Junior League. Biddy Ball will most likely have 4 minutes quarters with a running clock.