Seeking a better basketball experience

[Anonymous]

This is my son's third year playing rec basketball in a large rec league where most kids from his school play. The last two years were enjoyable, but this year has been pretty awful. My son's team was not the problem. Nice kids and coaches, somewhere in the middle of the pack in terms of standings. The problem has been poor sportsmanship by the best few teams in the league. Some really egregious behavior out of the coaches, players (usually the coach's kid), parents, even extended family members of the opposing team. The refereeing has been terrible and is probably leading to some of these teams feeling emboldened to act this way.

Is this just how rec basketball is as the kids get older? Is travel any better? I don't think my son could make a first team but maybe a second or third team for county basketball. I don't think AAU is an option due to his travel sport schedule in the spring. Or does anyone have a rec league in central/western/northern Fairfax County that they would recommend for next year? I don't want to pull my son from basketball if he enjoys it, but I don't think we can take another year in this league.

[Anonymous]

CYA?

[Anonymous]

The parents and coaches are so awful to the teenaged referees in our league that they keep quitting.

[Anonymous]

Winter season is the worst for basketball. Year round players typically play in their own separate leagues. Winter rolls around and all the kids at school are now playing and kids crossover from club to rec ball to play with their buddies. The team with the best club players inevitably wins the rec league and the rec parents are (rightly) upset.

Dads who are used to pushing hard in club ball show up and bring the same attitude with them.

The reff’ing is tough because disparate skill levels make reff’ing hard. The best reff’ed games require evenly matched teams.

The answer is this: play spring or fall rec ball. The club players are off in their own leagues and it runs much more smoothly due to the segregation of skill sets.

[Anonymous]

You must be in VYI. It’s so awful at every grade level.

[Anonymous]

Have you complained to the basketball commissioner?

[Anonymous]

I hear that in VYI

[Anonymous]

VYI rec has terrible parents

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:VYI rec has terrible parents

Particularly some coaches, who teach their kids to play unsafely just to win a game in fourth grade. Headbutting and shoving is not supposed to be a part of basketball.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:You must be in VYI. It’s so awful at every grade level.

Vienna isn’t really Western. Sounds more like CYA.
The board is the problem over at CYA. Rein, JP, and Skyrocket are awful.

[Anonymous]

Burke Rec League has been a nice experience.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:CYA?

I was going to ask this, too. We are in CYA and have run into the same issues on girls teams.

[Anonymous]

Vienna parents are terrible on both sides-girls and boys! Rec or Select. It's uncalled for in youth sports to be that loud and obnoxious.

[Anonymous]

Sounds like CYA. Awful

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:This is my son's third year playing rec basketball in a large rec league where most kids from his school play. The last two years were enjoyable, but this year has been pretty awful. My son's team was not the problem. Nice kids and coaches, somewhere in the middle of the pack in terms of standings. The problem has been poor sportsmanship by the best few teams in the league. Some really egregious behavior out of the coaches, players (usually the coach's kid), parents, even extended family members of the opposing team. The refereeing has been terrible and is probably leading to some of these teams feeling emboldened to act this way.

Is this just how rec basketball is as the kids get older? Is travel any better? I don't think my son could make a first team but maybe a second or third team for county basketball. I don't think AAU is an option due to his travel sport schedule in the spring. Or does anyone have a rec league in central/western/northern Fairfax County that they would recommend for next year? I don't want to pull my son from basketball if he enjoys it, but I don't think we can take another year in this league.

It is ALWAYS the coach's kid. Some coaches are just awful (not all of them, but some of them let their kids get away with horrible things - like injuring other children).