Los Gatos NJB Divisional Play
NJB has two levels of play: Divisional and All-Net. The majority of children play at the Divisional Level, where players attend Evaluations, in order to form balanced teams. All children who participate at the Divisional Level receive guaranteed playing time throughout the season. Divisional play is at three levels according to the following grades. (These are NOT co-ed):
•Division 1: Boys and Girls – 7th and 8th grade
•Division 2: Boys and Girls – 5th and 6th grade
•Division 3: Boys and Girls – 3rd and 4th grade
Los Gatos NJB All-Net Program
The All-Net level is for advanced players who qualify in All-Net Tryout sessions. All-Net teams play teams from other Silicon Valley Chapters.
We’ve also had a great deal of success having non-parent coaches as our All-Net coaches for some of the age groups. There is an additional fee for All-Net players of ~$125 per player to cover added costs (non-parent coach, full-court practices, more games than Divisional).
It is our intention to have boys and girls All-Net teams for 4th, 5th, 6th, 7th, and 8th grades. However, that is based on having enough All-Net caliber players tryout for the teams. In the past, we have had some girls grades without an All-Net team.
Divisional and All-Net teams practice twice a week: one weekday evening and once on Saturday. Each practice is usually 90 minutes long. Practices are held in local gyms. This season’s environment for finding gym time has been especially challenging due to Fisher's on-going renovation and the fire at CT English/Loma Prieta. Gyms include Los Gatos, Leigh and Westmont High Schools and Union and Dartmouth Middle Schools. Teams may also use the JCC, Courtside, local Community Centers and even West Valley Community College.
Since we use school gyms, we cannot access them until school activities are complete for the day. This means weekday practice times begin at approximately 6 p.m. (usually the younger age groups) or 7:30 p.m. (7th & 8th graders and some 5th-6th), and as early as 9 a.m. on Saturdays. In a season of acute gym shortages, some teams will have practices on Friday nights or late Saturday afternoons.
Games are played on Sundays (with the exception of Super Bowl weekend when there will be Saturday games.) Our home games are played at either Los Gatos, Leigh and Westmont High Schools, West Valley College or Union Middle School. Road games could be as far south as Hollister or as far north as Redwood City. Most teams will have approximately six games in Los Gatos and three-to-four outside of Los Gatos.
Teams have nine (9) regular season games, and there is also a single-elimination post-season tournament that includes teams from Hollister up to Redwood City.
Attendance at practices and games is critical for both player and team development. We encourage you to carefully review the practice and game commitments before enrolling your child. We really can't stress this enough. The coaches absolutely need all of their players to attend practices. There is a limited amount of practice time, and most coaches have several offensive plays and defensive schemes. If a player misses a practice where plays are introduced it is very difficult for them to catch up and it takes time away from fundamentals.
We understand that most kids have many commitments to juggle and it is our sincere hope that NJB ranks high when families decide which activity to attend. This is especially important as we always have a wait list and we would rather have kids who are in attendance than kids frequently missing due to other conflicts. Families should be thoughtful of this prior to registration. Absent players impact the team chemistry & skill progression of the team. We want to be respectful of the time of our volunteer coaches and when kids are frequently absent this negatively impacts everyone involved.
In our divisional program, the player advantage rule penalizes teams who show up to a game without a full 10 players. When your child does not participate in the game, their absence hurts the team. Please be thoughtful of this when making family plans or scheduling vacations.
All Net players are expected to have an even higher level of commitment and will likely have reduced playing time in game if they are not attending the vast majority of practices.
All other questions about level of commitment should be directed to your coach, or divisional coordinators.
There are other leagues to play in if you feel that NJB is too competitive, two practices a week are too much, the cost is too high or if your child is on the wait list. Los Gatos-Saratoga Recreation Dept. has a basketball league. Calvary Church has had them in the past, and the JCC will also most likely have children's leagues this season.