2020 - 2021 GBA BASKETBALL UPDATE

Fall 2020

Thank you for your continued support of Glastonbury Basketball.  As student have returned to school and kids and parents think about sports and the upcoming basketball season during Covid-19, we wanted to get some important information out to all families.  Please see 3 important updates regarding the GBA. 

Travel Basketball – Grades 5-8 Boys and Girls

Basketball is quickly approaching and GBA Travel does not know yet if we will have a season. As you can imagine, there are many moving pieces that have to come together for there to be a travel basketball season this winter.  Glastonbury participates in 3 leagues (CBTBL, CGBL, NCC) and all are all busy planning how a season might look and it is unclear at this point if all leagues can pull off a season.   

League officials in the CBTBL, CGBL and NCC have made it be known they will base their decision to move forward on participating towns’ gym usage. There also is a possibility of using private facilities. The season may have a delayed start which could mean not until 2021.  Also game schedules may look very different, fans may or may not be allowed in gyms… we just don’t know. 

GBA works in partnership with the town and parks and rec and as of now, we have not been granted access to gyms, therefore we are in a wait and see situation like other towns. Rather than just wait, we have decided to be pro-active and begin planning for the possibility of a season.  Therefore, we are planning to and need to hold tryouts, select teams and appoint coaches as soon as possible. Tryout Dates and Venues will be determined as soon as we have more information.

Tryouts will look different this year due to COVID-19:

• There will only be 1 tryout session per grade.  Normally we run 2 sessions per grade.
• Player temperatures will be taken at check-in.
• Every player will be required to wear a mask. Possibly even during drills.
• Every player will be required to bring their own ball.
• Scrimmaging might not be an option

We understand these are not optimal conditions for a tryout, but we are putting safety and health first. 

And just to reiterate, there are still many decisions that have to occur that are outside our control for Travel basketball to happen this winter. So please know, if you have questions, most likely we don’t have answers.  In the coming days there will be an email to families in grades 5-8 with a Travel Registration information.  Specific details will be outlined in that communication.   

Recreation Basketball – Grades 3-12 Boys and Girls

The goal is to also work with the town and Parks & Rec and have a GBA Rec program this season.  As of now, with all the uncertainty we have decided to hold off on program registration.  We will be sending out an email by the end of October with an update either way.  You can also check the website and we wll do our best to keep information updated as we learn more. 

Kids for Kids – 3 on 3 Charity Event

We wanted to pass along an update on 3 on 3 event that was cancelled in early March of this year when Covid-19 hit.  For those families that were effected by the late minute cancellation we send along our sincere apologies.  While we were unable to hold the event, we did manage to raise money and donate to charities in need.  We would like to give a HUGE thank you to those families who were able to donate their registration fee.  We also want to thank our corporate sponsors and local businesses who generously contributed so we could make our donations.   Again, A Big Thank You to Everyone!

Although we were unable to play the tournament this year we were able to make an impact on peoples lives around the world that have significant needs.  Through your generosity we were able to donate to the following organization.  A total of $28,500 dollars was distributed to the following organizations.

Information about each league including contact information can be found on the General Information tab

Glastonbury Basketball Association (GBA) is a 501(c) (3) organization

PCA Requirement for all GBA Coaches

Hello Coaches,

As most of you know, the GBA has made a commitment to the Positive Coaches Alliance and it is our ongoing goal to provide a positive basketball experience to all participants.  That goal can't be achieved without your help.  We require all of our coaches to take the Double Goal Coach online training seminar(s).  We believe the kids will benefit when we have coaches, officials and parents working together toward a common set of goals.  

We also would like to encourage coaches and parents to use the PCA website as it provides tools and communications tips for coaches.  Here are a couple examples of resources available at the PCA website:  https://www.positivecoach.org/coaches/  and  http://devzone.positivecoach.org/

If you have not taken any PCA courses, please take the online course DGC_1 (Double-Goal Coach: Coaching for Winning and Life Lessons).

Course access instructions:
1. Go to http://shopping.positivecoach.org/Courses/Double-Goal-Coach , and click “Register with voucher code” (Option #1)
 
2. Enter your organization’s Voucher Code, GlastonburyBball07 (case sensitive) at the top of the registration page and complete the form.

If you previously (prior years) have taken the first course, please take the online course DGC_2 (Double-Goal Coach: Culture, Practices and Games).

 Course access instructions:
1. Go to http://shopping.positivecoach.org/Store/Courses/Double-Goal-Coach-2 , and click “Register with voucher code” (Option #1)
 
2. Enter your organization’s Voucher Code, GlastonburyBballDGC207 (case sensitive) at the top of the registration page and complete the form.
 

It takes about an hour to complete either DGC_1 or DGC-2 course.  

If you have any questions or concerns, you can direct them either to me ( ) or your League Commissioner.

Have a great season!

Al Plummer

PCA Coordinator, GBA