FAQs

1. When are Skills Evaluations?

2. What is the purpose of “Skills Evaluations?”

3. What is a "Skills Clinic" and how is it different from a "Skills Evaluation"?

4. How are teams formed?

5. When does the season start and end? 

6. When are games and practices?

7. What times are the games and practices?

 8. Where are games and practices held?

9. When does the schedule get released?

10. What happens if there is bad weather?

11. How many games do teams play?

12. How many players are on a team?

13. Are there rules concerning playing time?

14. Can siblings be on the same team?

15. Can a player request to be placed on the same team as another player?

 16. Can a player request a specific coach?

 17. What sort of uniform is provided?

18. Does EPWBA have a concussion protocol?

19. Does EPWBA have paid staff members?

1. When are Skills Evaluations?

Skill Evaluations will be conducted during the third week of November for older leagues (Middle Boys, Freshmen and High School Leagues). For younger leagues (Instructional, Prep Boys, Middle), Skill Evaluations will be built into the earliest part of the schedule right after Thanksgiving.  The Prep and Middle Girls League, since they start earlier than the other age groups, will have a combination skills clinic / tryout announced via email at a time and date TBD. Players will also receive an email from TeamSideline a few days before a Skill Evaluation Session as to the which Skill Evaluation Session they should attend.

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2. What is the purpose of “Skill Evaluation?”

Players will come to the gym between one to three times to participate in drills or scrimmages so that coaches can evaluate their skill level as a basis for forming teams.  In larger leagues, skills evaluations will be conducted in multiple sessions, but each player participates in at least one session.

*  Those who register after Nov. 1 could be placed on a waiting list if capacity is reached in the league applied for.

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3. What is a "Skills Clinic" and how is it different from a "Skills Evaluation"?

Skills Clinics differ from Skills Evaluations simply for the fact that Clinics are designed for development, while Skills Evaluations are strict used to assess where players are at that moment skills wise for the purpose of building teams. Skills Clinics are optional while Skills Evaluations are required.

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4. How are teams formed?

In the three younger leagues -- the coed Instructional and both Prep Leagues -- teams are formed administratively by league officials based on player evaluations from the coaches.  In the other age groups, coaches choose players for their team through a draft system.

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5. When does the season start and end?

Teams meet for the first time during the week following Thanksgiving.  The Freshmen and High School Leagues should conclude play by late February, but most leagues will finish up in early- to mid-March.

For the Middle Girls, we start the season in early October and conclude their season in mid-January. This is to assure that our season does not overlap with the Middle School Girls' Basketball season.

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6. When are games and practices?

Ordinarily, teams will have two events per week, whether game or practice – one on an evening during the Mon.-Fri. period and one on the week-end (Saturday-Sunday).  During December, most of the events will be practices, although the Freshmen and High School Leagues will start games in mid-December.

The week-night event can be on any evening, and will vary from week to week.  On the week-end, Freshmen, Middle Girls, and Middle Boys, and Prep Leagues play almost exclusively on Saturday.  The Instructional League plays on Sunday. Some age groups may play on Friday evening depending on gym availability.

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7. What times are the games and practices?

During the week, time slots are 6:45, 7:45 and 8:45 pm.  Prep and Middle teams are scheduled only in the 6:45 and 7:45 slots. Depending on the size of the Middle Boys League, a game or practice may be scheduled in the 8:45 time slot on a Friday. On Saturdays, gyms open at 9:15 am and the last time slot is typically 4:15 pm.

For Instructional, practices start at 7 PM during the week. Because elementary schools often have SACC programs, that is the earliest time the gyms are made available to the public.

On Sundays at the gyms available, the earliest game or practice is at 1:15 pm and the latest is usually 6:15 pm.

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8. Where are games and practices held?

EPWBA is assigned gym time by the county Parks and Recreation Department at different middle schools in the Eastern part of the county: Fred Lynn, Lake Ridge, Beville, Potomac Shores, Benton and Hampton. Ordinarily, Fred Lynn and Beville are not used on week-ends.  Recently we have also used a few other schools which include: Saunders, Rippon and Woodbridge Middle Schools.

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9. When does the schedule get released?

Schedules are dependent on a number of factors:

• Gym Availability
• Number of Teams
• Coaches' Schedule

Because of these dependencies, schedules are not complete until about a week or two after Skills Evaluations around the mid-November time frame (mid-October for Middle Girls). We do not make schedules to accommodate each individual player's personal schedules. We also do not have enough information prior to this timeline to know your child's schedule prior to that time.

Our league can consist of as many as 800 kids and so it is really challenging to meet everyone's schedule demands so we cater our schedule to our volunteer coach's availability since our coaches' availability is essential to each player's experience.

When schedules are released, it is released as a "Team Site". Each team has a "Team Site" which includes information on schedule, roster contacts, and coach information. It will be the primary place for contact amongst teams. These "Team Sites" are released in an email.

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10. What happens if there is bad weather?

In case of bad weather, whether gyms are open or closed is determined by the school system. The best source of timely information on school closings is the school system website, www.pwcs.edu or the PWCS app.  Information will also be posted on the EPWBA website as quickly as possible.

A general rule of thumb is that if schools are closed all day or close early, the gyms will be closed at night, and all EPWBA events therefore canceled.  If schools open late, the gyms will generally be open in the evening [assuming no additional bad weather develops]. On weekends, the opening or closing of gyms involves a separate decision. If schools are closed on Friday, it is still possible that gyms will be open on the weekend.  When bad weather occurs during the week after the school day has ended, the school system website provides the most dependable source of information.  If bad weather develops on the weekend while the gyms are in use, the Parks Department may make the decision to cancel further activity. Coaches of affected teams will be informed immediately, and the closing posted on the EPWBA website.

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11. How many games do teams play?

Most leagues (except Prep Girls, which will play 8 games) play a 10-game (12-games for older leagues) regular season with one post-season championships: a “Tournament Championship” in which all teams in a league compete in a single elimination tournament (similar to March Madness). 

The Instructional League is a “development” league.  There are more practice events and somewhat fewer games than in the other leagues.  Games are played, but won/loss records are not maintained.  There is no post-season tournament in the Instructional League.

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12. How many players are on a team?

There are 9 players on Instructional League teams, and 8-to-9 players on teams in the other leagues.

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13. Are there rules concerning playing time?

Yes. Players are guaranteed at least a specified minimum amount of playing time.  In the Prep Leagues there is also a limit on the maximum amount of playing time allowed.  In the Instructional League, playing time is required to be equalized among the players.  For more information, click on the “Mandatory Play” under the "Coach's Corner" on the menu bar.

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14. Can siblings be on the same team?

Yes, if they are in the same age group.  We always put siblings playing in the same league on the same team [unless, for some reason, the parents request otherwise]. In draft leagues, when one sibling is chosen, the other is appointed to the team in a round appropriate to the player’s evaluated skill level.

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15. Can a player request to be placed on the same team as another player?

Our primary objective in forming teams is to achieve competitive balance among the teams. Trying to honor a large number of requests to pair two or more players together is detrimental to achieving that objective.  Therefore our policy is to not factor special requests into the process of forming teams.

We recognize that it can be convenient for car-pooling purposes for some players to play on the same team, but we cannot take on the responsibility of trying to solve transportation issues.  Frequently, people find that helpful ride-sharing arrangements can be made once the teams are formed and families meet each other.

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16. Can a player request a specific coach?

Coaches have their own son or daughter on their team, but all other players [in the four older leagues] become members of a team through the draft process.  Coaches, of course, may draft whichever players they want when their turn comes in the draft, but we do not place any players with a particular coach because of a request.  Likewise, players in the two younger leagues are assigned administratively with the objective of composing teams as evenly matched as possible.  Little weight is given in that process to requests for a specific coach.

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17. What sort of uniform is provided?

Starting with the 2017-18 season, the League is providing players in the five older age groups a 2-color reversible jersey, with the same colors for all teams in a particular league.  The "home" team will wear one color and the visiting team the other color. Players in the Instructional League will be provided a numbered t-shirt with a different color for each team. The league will be providing shorts for players in all leagues, which meets the required specification of having no belts or pockets.

The "no pockets" specification for shorts is a safety requirement.  Other safety requirements are that no jewelry of any type be worn [including earrings], and that no beads or other hard items be worn in the hair. 

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18. Does EPWBA have a concussion protocol?

Yes. When a player experiences some sort of blow to the head that results in symptoms that indicate a concussion may have been sustained, the player must be removed from the game and not return to that game.  In addition, the player will need to have a doctor’s approval to play in subsequent games. 

For information on recognizing and dealing with a possible concussion, click on the Download tab  “Concussion for Parents” to read a document published by the Center for Disease Control.

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19. Does EPWBA have paid staff members?

Outside of our volunteer clock operators and scorekeepers, our staff is not paid for the work that is done with the league.  That includes the administrators, the coaches or the volunteers who help out at events.  All of these individuals dedicate their time with no payment in return.

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