2015/2016 Season Begins Monday November 30th Freshman and JV will go Nov. 30th – February 12th Varsity will plan to go Nov. 30th THROUGH February vacation regardless of our record SHARON HIGH SCHOOL GIRLS' BASKETBALL TEAM RULES: Your priorities should be (in order): 1. FAMILY 2. SCHOOL 3. BASKETBALL DEFINITION OF ABSENCES: UNEXCUSED ABSENCES: An unexcused absence is missing a practice, game or team meeting without notifying your coach first and without a note from a parent or doctor upon return. Examples are going skiing, hanging out with friends, going on family vacations). An unexcused absence from a practice will result in not starting and/or decreased playing time or possibly sitting a game. An unexcused absence from a game will result in sitting for 1 additional game. If you miss multiple games, players could be removed from the team. EXCUSED ABSENCES: Excused absences occur when you are sick from school, need to stay after to makeup school work or if you need extra help, if there is a death in the family or other family commitments such as religious beliefs. Excused absences still require a note from a parent or doctor and the player must contact their coach first. If a player has an excused absence from a practice the night before a game they may have decreased playing time because they may have missed important game plans for that opponent. Excused absences from a game will not result in missing any additional games. Practices: Be on time for practices (at least 15 minutes early) Dress in Sharon basketball gear for every practice Notify your coach if you are going to be late to practice All practices are mandatory, be upfront and honest about why you have to miss a practice, we would much rather know the truth than find out you lied later on Games: Be on time for bus (15 minutes early) Bus rides to and from all away games are mandatory, Coaches will not accept notes, please see Mr. Martin if you have an issue that prevents you from taking a bus ride Bus rides are silent to away games, if we win you may talk quietly on the way home, if we lose you must continue a quiet bus ride home You may listen to music by yourself on the bus Cell Phones must be turned off 60 minutes prior to your game unless you are using it to listen to music quietly JV must be on time to watch all freshman home games (3:30) Varsity must be on time for all home games (4:15) so you can watch the second half of the freshman game and watch the first half of the JV game JV players are expected to help keep track of stats during Varsity game The Freshman team is not expected to stay for the Varsity game If you are injured you must still be at all games or you miss the next game when you are healthy enough to return (unless you have a doctor’s note that requires you to stay home and rest) You must provide the coach and trainer with a doctor’s note stating you are able to return after an injury – you are not allowed to self-diagnose yourself with an injury and decide to return whenever you feel better Dress up for all away games on game days (no jeans, school appropriate dress/skirt or dress pants - must meet school dress code) Captains can decide on a team coordinated outfit for home games. IF a player receives a technical, all players will run extra conditioning at practice IF a coach receives a technical, all coaches run extra conditioning at practice Respect all opponents and all coaches - the more respect your have for your opponents capabilities, the better prepared you are to defeat them Off the Court: Varsity must help out with team community service. This year we are running the K-2 Instructional Basketball Program for Sharon Recreation You must be aware of how you act in and out of school, you represent Sharon Basketball, Sharon High School and most importantly, you represent yourself Violation of chemical health rule will be enforced with no exceptions, do not be at a party where smoking, alcohol or drugs are present even if you are not involved If a parent is upset with a coach we suggest you wait until the next day and call or email the coach to setup an appointment to meet with them All issues regarding playing time are between the player and coach If a player has an issue we encourage them to initiate a discussion with their coach directly and advocate for themselves If a player doesn't feel comfortable talking to their coach, they should speak to either the Varsity coach or the Athletic Director If that doesn't solve the issue they should setup a meeting with Mr. Martin and their coach (as a last resort). Parents are more than welcome to attend these meetings but must sit back and let their child and the coaches/athletic director talk FRESHMAN PROGRAM: Transitioning to the High School program we start with the Sharon High School Girls’ Freshman Basketball team. This is an intricate part of the development of our student athletes. At the freshman level our coaching staff focuses on a few major areas for us to work on, they include (but are not limited to): 1) Basketball fundamental skills are taught 2) Each athlete is taught how to compete at the high school level 3) The idea of sportsmanship is brought to the forefront of each student athlete 4) Each Student Athlete is taught how to be an active member of a team Each freshman will be given the opportunity to try out for the Varsity, Junior Varsity, and Freshman Team during the first few days of tryouts. The first day of tryouts will be held on the Monday after Thanksgiving starting in the high school/middle school gym. The coaching staff philosophy is that if any freshman student athlete is looking to be an active working member of our program we will make every attempt to have a place for them to play in our program. The freshman team will practice or have games 5 days per week Monday through Friday and we give them as much time off during December vacation as we can (see practice schedule). ALL players will get playing time every game. While we want to win, giving every girl an opportunity to contribute to the team is more valuable to them in order to develop as a basketball player. JUNIOR VARSITY PROGRAM: Sharon High School Girls’ Junior Varsity Basketball is a strong part of our program as they will continue in of the development of our student athletes and prepare them for the Varsity level. At the Junior Varsity level our coaching staff focuses on a few major areas for us to work on, they include (but are not limited to): 1) Basketball fundamental skills are strengthened 2) Each athlete is taught how to prepare for the high school varsity level 3) The idea of sportsmanship is brought to the forefront of each student athlete 4) Each Student Athlete is taught how to be an active member of a team Each player will be given the opportunity to try out for the Varsity and Junior Varsity team during the first few days of tryouts. The first day of tryouts will be held on the Monday after Thanksgiving starting in the high school gym. The coaching staff philosophy is that we will attempt to find a place in our program for any student athlete that is looking to be an active working member of our basketball family. The Junior Varsity team will practice or have games 5-6 days week Sunday through Friday. The JV players will have some of December Vacation off (see practice schedule). Unlike the freshman team the JV team’s goal is to prepare the girls to compete at a Varsity level. The coach is teaching them how to win, and while their goal is to get everyone playing time, it is not guaranteed to be equal. VARSITY PROGRAM: The Sharon High School Girls Varsity Basketball team is looking to provide the student athlete the channel to represent their school, their community, and themselves in interscholastic athletics. Our Varsity team is built off of a family environment that welcomes any member of our program into all situations. Our goal is to put a team out on the floor that meets our high standards that we have set for our program. These include, yet are not limited to, the following characteristics: 1) Displays good sportsmanship at all times 2) Willingness to work together towards the common goal of the team 3) Hard working team dedicated to defense and team play 4) Student athletes that are dedicated to academics, their teammates, themselves, and their community 5) Never quitting 6) Always giving your best in every competition and practice Each player will be given the opportunity to try out for the Varsity team during the first few days of tryouts. The first day of tryouts will be held on the Monday after Thanksgiving starting in the high school gym. The Varsity team will practice or have games 6 days week. The Varsity team will practice and have games during December and February Vacation. Each student athlete is expected to participate throughout December and February vacations (see practice schedule). The Varsity team’s focus and goal is to teach life lessons through the game of basketball, working together as a team, with the expectation of making the state tournament each year. Players who earn their playing time at practice and who meet our high expectations (above) will play. Each game will call for different strategies and it is up to the coaching staff to decide which players will give us the best chance to win. Our goal is to get as many girls to contribute on the court every game but playing time for everyone is not guaranteed. We look forward to having you join our basketball family and please let any of our coaches know if you need anything.