I have a 5th grader and 1st grader-boys. I've coached both their MOCO rec bball teams.

K-2 is developmental so its parent "ref'd" and mainly helping kids understand the game. in 3rd grade they switch over to actual games with referee's and scores.

its really amazing to coach kids from K to 5th and see how they improve each year.

I will say that the experience has been good and my oldest is playing AAU now almost exclusively. but he really got his love for the game in the MOCO rec league.

its definitely a great place to start. In fact one of the main complaints from parents is that they only offer it once a year.

Anonymous wrote:My daughter is seven (second grade) and I think she might like trying some other sports beyond what she's already done (soccer and tennis). I got an email about the Montgomery County Recreation Department winter basketball program and I was wondering what people's experiences are like for a total beginner. The second grade program says "instructional" so I assume it's fine for a kid who doesn't know how to play, but I figured I'd ask and see if what people thought about the instruction component.

if your daughter likes it you may want to look into doing some private training by late elementary. It makes a huge difference.

She'll be fine. My son was in second grade last year and it was his first time playing basketball. We did it through MoCo rec and there was a wide variety of skill levels. I believe the coaches did the refereeing so they were on the floor with the kids helping them out.

We tried it in 2cd and 3rd grade and it went well. True rec team, practice once weekly and a game. Nice refs, really helped all the kids out with the rules of the game.

My daughter is seven (second grade) and I think she might like trying some other sports beyond what she's already done (soccer and tennis). I got an email about the Montgomery County Recreation Department winter basketball program and I was wondering what people's experiences are like for a total beginner. The second grade program says "instructional" so I assume it's fine for a kid who doesn't know how to play, but I figured I'd ask and see if what people thought about the instruction component.