Master Sports Basketball League What to Expect for Volunteer Coaches
This outline is to help new and prospective volunteer coaches understand the requirements and expectations for youth basketball league coaching. It will also explain the steps required before and during the basketball season. If you have additional questions that are not answered here, please email me directly at Ryan@MasterSports.com. Thank you for volunteering and good luck!
1. Paperwork Required for Volunteer Coaches
a. All coaches must complete a LiveScan fingerprint and background check, Code of Conduct, and Supplemental Questionnaire prior to organized team activities. Please take care of this as soon as possible and before team practices begin.
b. Carlsbad Coach Paperwork:
ii. Carlsbad LiveScan Instructions
iv. Supplemental Questionnaire
v. The Carlsbad Code of Conduct and Supplemental Questionnaire must be printed, filled out, and returned to Ryan@MasterSports.com. Please do not share a copy of your LiveScan form as it contains personal information. We do not need a copy as confirmation of your completion of the LiveScan will be automatically sent to the City of Carlsbad Parks and Rec Department.
c. City of San Diego, Encinitas, and San Marcos Paperwork:
i. Master Sports LiveScan Form
ii. Master Sports Code of Conduct
iii. Supplemental Questionnaire
iv. For the LiveScan, please print and fill out your information and bring the form to a local business that offers the LiveScan service. Most UPS Stores and Postal Annexes offer LiveScans, but please call ahead to be sure they can process your request. Master Sports will pay the Department of Justice fees automatically if you use the form listed above, and coaches will need to cover the service fee which varies by location.
v. The Master Sports Code of Conduct and Supplemental Questionnaire must be printed, filled out, and returned to Ryan@MasterSports.com. Please do not share a copy of your LiveScan form as it contains personal information. We do not need a copy as confirmation of your completion of the LiveScan will be automatically sent to Master Sports.
2. Skills Assessment Attendance
a. The first organized activity of the season will be the mandatory skills assessments for players in the division you will coach. Skills Assessment dates, times, and locations are listed on the division’s homepage of the MasterSports.com website.
b. All property players (children of coaches and assistant coaches) must also attend the assessments to be evaluated by Master Sports staff and the other coaches in the division.
i. Property players will be placed on teams of their parents/coaches prior to the start of the draft in appropriate rounds based on consensus reached by all coaches and Master Sports staff.
ii. Any property players that do not attend the skills assessments will automatically be assigned in the first round/pick for their team unless otherwise discussed with Master Sports staff.
c. Skills Assessment Evaluation Form
i. Please use the Skills Assessment Evaluation Form to take notes on all players in the division that you will be coaching.
ii. The form listed above can be used to take notes on the players. Please print and bring it with you if possible and if not, additional Evaluation Forms will be available at the assessments.
iii. For Kindergarten Coed and 1st-2nd Grade divisions, players will individually take turns dribbling down to one basket, taking two to three shots, dribbling to the other basket and shooting two or three more.
iv. For all divisions 3rd grade and up, we will have scrimmages of either 3v3 or 4v4. Scrimmages will last about five to six minutes per group of six to eight players.
v. The columns are as follows:
1. ID #, the number that each player will be wearing on the front of their shirt or shorts
2. Dribbling ability (beginner, average, good)
3. Shooting ability (beginner, average, good)
4. Hustle (low, medium, good)
5. Speed (Average or fast)
6. Defense (beginner, average, good)
7. Position (which position you could see them playing throughout the season. Point Guard, Guard, Forward, Center)
8. Estimated Round is probably the most important. We typically shoot for eight players per team, but sometimes have nine. Use a 1 through 8 or 1 through 9 to estimate what round that player would be drafted. For example, a really great player that would be the best player on a team is a “1”, a middle of the pack skill player is a “4” or “5”, and a very beginner would be “8” or “9”.
a. Try to take notes on everyone and every category, but Estimated Round is most important.
9. Team # will be used later
10. Notes (any additional notes you want to take to help you remember the player)
3. Draft Preparation
a. After assessments are complete, Master Sports will send out a compiled list to all coaches. That will include each player’s evaluation ID#, Name, Age, Height in feet and inches, Notes/Requests, and Evaluation Grade (the 1 through 9 rank for each player provided by the Master Sports member taking notes at assessments).
i. The draft roster will also include notes and estimations on players that were absent from assessments based on notes from previous seasons or from parent estimations if they have not played with us in the past.
4. Draft Day
a. An in-person draft will be held in the days following the skills assessments. We will typically try to discuss the draft day and time at the assessments to find something that will work for all or most coaches.
b. Coaches should bring their own notes from assessments and the Draft Roster provided by Master Sports to the draft meeting.
c. Draft Format:
i. Draft order will be randomly assigned via “numbers out of a hat”
ii. Before the draft, coaches and the Master Sports rep will go through each team to discuss the property players of those teams and place the players on those teams in appropriate rounds. For example, if it is agreed that a property player is a 2nd round rank/skill level, we will place that player onto the team in the 2nd round and that coach will not have a pick selection in the 2nd round.
iii. The draft selection format is a “snake draft”. For example, in a four-team division, the draft order will be 1, 2, 3, 4, 4, 3, 2, 1, 1 etc. until all players have been selected.
iv. Any proposed trades would need to be resolved immediately after the draft, and once draft day is done, we will not entertain any more trade requests.
5. Roster and League Info Email
a. Following the completion of the draft, rosters will be created for each team and an email will go out to coaches with roster and season information.
i. Roster: will include player information as well as parent names, parent email addresses and phone numbers. Coaches will be asked to contact teams immediately via email to introduce themselves as coach, and to begin discussing practice options.
ii. Practice Schedule: we will have reserved practice times at the rec centers. Coaches will be provided with the schedule of available times and will be given a time to reply requesting their preferred practice days/times. The practice schedule will be first reply, first assign based on how those responses are received no sooner than the specific response time that is listed.
iii. Jerseys are provided by the league, and a timeframe on their availability will be listed in the information email. Coaches will receive the jerseys for their team and hand them out to the individual players.
iv. Playing Rules, substitution requirements and substitution schedules will be explained and provided.
v. Season dates and expected game days/times for each division will be outlined. Game schedules will be provided typically around two weeks prior to the start of the season. Game schedules will be sent to coaches first, and any potential conflicts can be addressed before the final draft is shared with league participants.
6. Communicating with the Team
a. Coaches should plan on relaying league info to their teams to help make sure everyone stays in the loop.
b. Once practices and games begin, communication should be made with the team reminding all families of the days, times, and locations for practices and games each week.
7. Practice Expectations and Requirements
a. Coaches are required to hold at least one practice per week for one hour.
i. If coaches want to hold longer practices or want to have a second weekly practice, that can be accommodated after all coaches have had their chance to reserve their practice assignment. Additional practices are not required.
b. Practice times should be consistent week to week, and as much as possible should not change throughout the season.
c. If a coach cannot attend a practice, they must communicate via email, phone call, or text messages to all families of the team. Coaches should ask for volunteers to fill in and if none are available, only then should the practice be rescheduled or cancelled.
8. Game Days
a. Coaches must be familiar with league rules during games as they relate to their division. League rules can be found on the homepage of your division through the MasterSports.com website.
b. Coaches will be responsible for their teams during games and will need to assign positions to players, establish set up for offense/defense, and manage substitution requirements.
c. It is the responsibility of the coach to ensure that all players receive the mandatory minimum and maximum playing time required per player for each game. The following templates can be used to track playing time for each player and contain a brief summary of the playing time requirements necessary for all players in every game:
i. Carlsbad Substitution Schedule
ii. Substitution Schedule for All Other Locations
d. A “team parent” is not required, but some teams choose to have one. Coaches have the option to ask for volunteers if anyone on the team is interested. The team parent would assist with communication among the team, organizing team snacks/drinks (not required), planning end of season party, etc.
9. End of Season
a. At the end of the season, coaches will have the option to organize a team party or gathering to hand out end of season awards.
i. All players on teams in K Coed and 1st-2nd Grade divisions, excluding Carlsbad, will receive a participation award provided by Master Sports.
ii. All players on teams that reach the championship game in divisions where score is kept, typically 3rd grade and up, will receive a 1st or 2nd place trophy.
iii. For all other players and teams, participation awards are not provided. Coaches have the option to create awards or to organize the purchase of trophies for their teams if they so desire. End of season awards/trophies are not a requirement if you are coaching a team that would not otherwise receive a trophy through Master Sports.
b. Players will keep their jerseys at the end of the season and coaches will not need to collect and return jerseys to Master Sports.