Welcome to Tiffin Junior Basketball(Tiffin Thunder), a non-profit volunteer group put
together to support and encourage youth basketball for boys within the Tiffin City School
system. This group is independent from the schools and currently coordinates the 4th-6th
grade Tiffin Thunder travel basketball teams.
Purpose – Our primary goal is to develop as many good prospects to the TCS school
teams as possible, with winning games being secondary. All our guidelines should
support this basic purpose.
Basic Guidelines:
Participation – Every effort will be made to include all interested players in the
program. However, this will be limited by factors such as availability of gym time, and
willing/capable coaches. As a result, it may be necessary to limit the number of players
in some cases. If required, “cuts” will use the following procedure:
A. All interested players take part in a week of practice/scrimmage format at the
end Oct/early Nov.
B. During that time an neutral basketball observer (preferably TMS or HS coach)
will complete the Tiffin Thunder Try-out Evaluation Form(see Appendix A).
C. Cuts will be made according to the scores earned on the Evaluation form
D. Players and parents will be notified of cuts during the final day of practice via
an individual meeting.
If a grade level has more than 1 team, the 2 teams will be evenly distributed in talent via
the Evaluation Form. Ideal team size would be 10 players.
The Tiffin Thunder 4th grade team will be part of the league run by this Tiffin Thunder
Organization. The Tiffin Thunder 5th & 6th grade teams will participate primarily in the
Upper Sandusky league.
To encourage all players, it is determined that significant playing time is crucial to player
development. All players will play a minimum of 4 minutes per half, and the coach is
obligated to follow this guideline. Lack of effort or missed practices will result in a
decrease of playing time and in those cases minimum playing time is not guaranteed.
Coaches will mix players together, to not have lower skill level players on the court at the
same time.
Travel Requirements: All participants(coaches, players, parents) should be aware that
practices are typically 2 days per week with games on the weekends during January and
February with tournaments possible in March. Coaches will make best efforts to
minimize practices over the Christmas holidays. Any player missing practices or games
is subject to limited playing time, unless excused. Any participants not able to meet these
time or travel commitments should seriously consider not taking part in this activity.
Fees: The Organization’s goal is to not charge fees to the participants. Due to this both
parents and players are expected to participate in fundraising activities including taking
game admission fees and run the concession stand. The Organization will supply
uniforms, equipment and pay/referee league fees as required. Each team will also be
allotted fees to play in a local tournament in addition to the regular season. Players are
expected to provide basketball shoes and any personalized equipment as needed.
Participants: All coaches, players and parents are expected to support the Purpose and
Guidelines of Tiffin Thunder. These participants are also expected to act and conduct
themselves in a manner that is appropriate for youth activities(courteous of others, no
cursing, outbursts during games, etc). All participants will be asked to sign a liability
waiver and code of conduct form. A “zero tolerance” will be enforced and any conduct
that is detrimental to the Tiffin Thunder will be handled by the Board and may result in
the participant’s removal from the team or ability to be a spectator.
Coaches: Coaches are expected to utilize the coaching manual as provided by the Board.
The coaches will be expected to implement the sets and plays from the manual. It is
important the coach sets a good example for players/parents on how to act both in
practice and games. All coaches are expected to support the Purpose of the organization
and are appointed by the Board. The Board can make coaching changes at their
discretion at any time during the year. Coaches are responsible for the team practices,
games, concession stand, admission table and referees. They will be furnished a list of
available qualified referees.