Competition Structure at Norths Basketball
Norths Suburbs Basketball Association is committed to creating the best basketball experience for its members. In accordance with this commitment, it is important that the structures of our competitions are suited to need of its participants.
Context
The current competition structure practice crossed NSW is based on the adult game. Full courts, 10-foot rings and adult size balls. Under this structure a 8 year old girl would use the same size ball as Lauren Jackson (or any WNBA/WNBL athlete). Buszard et. Al. launched an inquiry into the best scaling practice, meaning the change of equipment size to fit athlete needs. As depicted in figure 1, Basketball falls behind in equipment scaling when compared to the other major sports in Australia. An issue arises here because athletes can become frustrated with the lack of modification and may leave the sport. In anecdotal conversation with Professor Phil Morgan (University of Newcastle), most players joining a sport in K-2 leave withing 2 years. He credited this to poor coaching (too much focus on winning) and the lack of scaling of equipment. Buszard’s studies confirm this opinion concluding that when children performed using appropriately scaled equipment they;
1. Were more engaged in the task
2. Had greater self-efficacy to execute skills
3. Acquired motor-skills more quickly.
The Canadian Long Term Athletic Development Framework (LTAD) confirms these recommendations and many leagues across North America adopt this structure. One such league is ‘The Player Makers League’ developed by Brian McCormick. This league is a case sample for Basketball in Australia. It was found that when the Playmakers League, which is 3X3 in structure, was compared with a comparable 5v5 league, the 3X3 player average twice as many meaningful touches1 or engaged defensive play2 (figure 2)
| League | 5v5 | 3v3 |
|---|---|---|
| Meaningful Touches per game |
16 |
37 |
| Engaged Defensive Play per game |
17 |
38 |
1. *Meaningful Touchers are opportunity to execute a practice skill in a game situation (e.g. a pass against a defender).
2. An engaged defensive play is any opportunity to perform a defensive action (e.g defending the ball or guarding a cut).
3. The scoring system for Kindergarten competition is 2 points for a shot that goes through the 8’6 hoop and 1 point for a shot that goes through the Hula Hoop that hangs off the basketball hoop.
Proposed Changes
To align with the literature as well as the ‘Playmakers League’ case, Norths proposes the following changes to its competition structure. The changes to our competitions will affect all primary school aged athletes. Figure 3 is a summary of all proposed changed. Reasoning for each change can be found below the table.
| Development League | |
|---|---|
| Kindergarten | - 3X3 league - 2 x 10min games - Size 4 Ball - Hula Hoop Scoring System |
| Years 1-2 | - 3X3 league - 2 x 10min games - Size 4 Ball - Edge of Key = 3 point line |
| Mini-Ball | |
| Years 3-4 | - 5v5 league - 2 x 20min Halves - Size 5 Ball - Edge of Key = 3 point line - 8'6 Hoop |
| Years 5-6 | - 5v5 league - 2 x 20min Halves - Size 5 Ball - 18ft line = 3 point line - 8'6 Hoop (Division 1 will use a 10ft Hoop) |
3X3 League: As mentioned in the context sessions. The 3X3 is an optimal learning environment for players to practice skills in a game setting.
Different Sized Balls and Hoops: The equipment is scaled using the recommendation from Buszard T, Reid M, Masters R, Farrow D paper on scaling equipment. The ball is lowered, and hoops are lowered to fit the biomechanics of the athletes playing. This assists the players in the proper execution of basketball specific skills. An example of this is a smaller basketball allows a less developed child to shoot a basketball without the recruitment of incorrect muscle groups. The reduced difficulty of scoring has also been linked to higher participant enjoyment.
Hula Hoop Scoring System: The Hula Hoop scoring system was adopted from Australian Rules Football ‘Behind’ scoring system. The projected benefits of this are higher score lines and therefore higher participant enjoyment. This is untested method and will be subject to revision after the conclusion of the first competition.
Modified 3 Point Line: This change has been proposed to incentivise the development of shooting (the master skill in basketball). A projected positive by-product of this rule is that player defence will adjust to value ball pressure over rim protection. This will lead to more scoring and meaningful defensive plays per game. This is untested method and will be subject to revision after the conclusion of the first competition.
Conclusion
These changes are to improve player retention, skill development, and most importantly FUN. North’s basketball will continue to review best practice and will continue to find improvements to the competitions to ensure that participant will always be the front of our priorities.
It is my opinion that these innovations will create an Australian Standard for junior basketball competitions and will serve as a positive model for the development of basketball across the country.
References
Buszard T, Reid M, Masters R, Farrow D. Scaling the Equipment and Play Area in Children's Sport to improve Motor Skill Acquisition: A Systematic Review. Sports Med. 2016;46(6):829-843. doi:10.1007/s40279-015-0452-2
Ford, P., De Ste Croix, M., Lloyd, R., Meyers, R., Moosavi, M., Oliver, J., ... & Williams, C. (2011). The long-term athlete development model: Physiological evidence and application. Journal of sports sciences, 29(4), 389-402.
McCormick, B. T., Hannon, J. C., Newton, M., Shultz, B., Miller, N., & Young, W. (2012). Comparison of physical activity in small-sided basketball games versus full-sided games. International Journal of Sports Science & Coaching, 7(4), 689-697.
McCormick, B., 2017. 3v3 Basketball: The Best Developmental Pathway. [online] Youtube.com. Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f3ukbZhWkcM [Accessed 14 September 2021].