House Basketball 2024-2025 (Grades 2-12)
The OBGC House Basketball program provides a forum for boys and girls to play organized basketball with the aim of teaching sound basketball fundamentals and good sportsmanship and, above all else, having a good time. The program, which is open to youngsters from grades two through twelve, consists of a boys’ league and a girls’ league. OBGC basketball is extremely popular and for certain age groups we have had to turn players away because of a lack of coaches/space. Please register early!!!
League Set Up
As we did last season, we will attempt to separate boys into individual grades i.e separating 4th and 5th and 6th and 7th. If the numbers do not work we will combine 4th and 5th in a group and 6th and 7th in a group.
Boys Leagues
Boys Instructional – Grades 2-3
Boys grade 4
Boys grade 5
Boys grade 6
Boys grade 7
Boys grade 8
Boys grade 9-10
Boys grade11-12
The girls’ league offers a total of five divisions, although the 8th through 12th girls’ divisions are usually combined if registration numbers require it:
Girls Leagues
Girls Instructional – Grades 2-3
Girls grade 4 & 5
Girls grade 6 & 7
Girls grade 8 & 9
Seniors- Grades 10-12
Registration Dates & Pricing
Registration OPENS Sept. 1st with Early Bird Pricing until October 15th (see listed early pricing below) then all leagues will increase to Regular Pricing.
Instructional grades 2-3 = $210
Grades 4-7 = $230
Boys grades 8 = $240
Boys grades 9-12 = $260
Girls grades 8-12 = $220
Registration will CLOSE Nov. 1st at which time NO SPECIAL REQUESTS will be considered. If there are still spaces available for the league you seek after this date you will be permitted to register with an additional $25 admin fee. You must first contact obgcadm@obgc.com to determine if there is space and to open the site for you.
Financial Aid
OBGC will continue to offer scholarships to families that qualify for the MCPS Free/Reduced Lunch program or equivalent in private schools. OBGC does require that a copy of the yearly approval letter be provided to the OBGC office at obgcadm@obgc.com and will be considered sufficient for the upcoming school year only. A copy of a SNAP or Medicaid car will also serve as proof of eligibility for aid. If you are registering a child as a scholarship player please send an email to obgcadm@obgc.com letting us know so the scholarship can be approved. Once approved you are notified to then pay your portion of the remaining balance due before your child is placed on a team.
Financial aid requests must be submitted, approved and paid in full NO LATER THAN October 25th or your registration will be canceled for the season. Payment plan options will also close on this date though payments being made automatically can continue into the season.
Grading
At the beginning of each season (early to mid November) we schedule nights per age group for grading. This process examines each player’s dribbling, shooting, layup, rebounding and basic 3-on-3 abilities, and is held for all players in both boys & girls leagues (except Instructional division). This process is used to build balanced and fair teams. Usually teams consist of ten players, although to accommodate as many children as possible, a few teams may have eleven players. . *Note- Not all divisions hold grading, it will be determined after registration is closed.
Season Duration
The season typically runs from late-November (after Thanksgiving holiday) to early March, with the instructional leagues, Juniors and Seniors seasons running from December through March. Since this is a winter sport, inclement weather sometimes forces the cancellation of practices or games. Basically, when Montgomery County Public Schools close, all basketball activities are cancelled for that day. These cancelled practices or games are made-up as gym time availability allows.
Practices generally start two weeks before the first game.
Practice and Game Formats
All teams have one hour-long practice during the week and one game on Saturday. The exceptions to this are the High School Boys, who play one game per week on Sundays without any additional practices and Instructional, who have one practice during the week and a scrimmage on Saturday.
Practices generally start two weeks before the first game. The program follows a set of rules that codify, among many other items, the minimum and maximum game playing times for all players.
Game and Practice Locations & Times
Teams practice and play all games at the local Olney gyms of Brooke Grove Elementary School, Farquhar Middle School, Rosa Parks Middle School, Sherwood Elementary School, Greenwood
Elementary School, Cashell Elementary, Belmont Elementary School and Sherwood High School. Practice times are entirely dependent on volunteer coach schedules and the gym location and day/time they choose. Once your child is placed on a team the coach will reach out with practice and game details within a couple of weeks of the season starting.
Coaches
All of our coaches are involved in the program because of their devotion to the children and the game. Our coaches are selected based on their ability to further the goals of the basketball program through their even-handed and relaxed approach with their players, parents and other coaches. All head and assistant coaches are required to register & pass a mandatory background check. Our Head Coaches will receive free registration for one child in their family who plays on the team they coach. Once a background check is completed and a team assigned this refund will be made. Two Assistant Coaches from each team will be confirmed by the Head Coach and refunded their Volunteer Opt Out Fee for the season, along with the Head Coach. These will be processed before the end of the calendar year.
Playoffs
All teams in both leagues make their respective division’s playoffs (except Instructional). The playoffs format is single elimination and seeding is based on the final regular season standings. Trophies are awarded to the playoff Champions and Runners-up.
Equipment
OBGC provides every player with a numbered tee shirt. The player must supply his or her own basketball shoes, socks and shorts. Players in both leagues may not wear any jewelry such as earrings, necklaces, bracelets, etc. during official games.
Additional Info
The basketball Commissioner, with the assistance of the division Coordinators, manages the program. Registration fees are used to pay for player shirts, game referees, gym time, scoreboards, scorebooks, game clocks, basketballs and trophies. Due to the desire for league parity, reciprocal carpool requests will be honored if team parity will not be skewed. The Instructional division is the exception to many aspects of the program because the emphasis is placed on teaching the youngsters the fundamentals of basketball. All Instructional players receive participation trophies.
Contact Information
If you have any additional questions about the SPORT itself, please contact Brad Scott at director@obgc.com. If you have a question concerning REGISTRATION, please contact obgcadm@obgc.com.
