The following information for each age division is based on past history, and is subject to change.  DAA partners with the Central Bucks School District  to use their gyms and facilities and as a result the facilities which are available can change from year to year.

ALL AGE GROUPS:  There is a mandatory evaluation day for all age groups scheduled the second Saturday in November.  Drafts/Teams area created the following week, all teams are finalized by December 1.  There are 3-4 practices scheduled in December, and there might be a game the last Saturday before the holidays.  Practices/Games are scheduled for 10 weeks starting the first weekend after New Years Day.  

• 1st/2nd Grade
  • At this age group, it's all about fun and learning the basics of dribbling, passing, and shooting.  Coaches help by teaching the basic rules and it's much more important to have fun with the kids than know how to teach basketball techniques.  For coaches, prior playing experience is not required- all you need is the ability to have fun and be patient with the boys.
  • The boys play on 8 foot rims, making it easier for players of all abilities to reach the basket.   While the score is tracked during a game, referees are trained to help the boys, explain the reason for a call, and be supportive.  Also, in case the score is lopsided, it's common for the referee to 'reset' the score to a tie game the last minute of play- after all, buzzer beaters are a lot of fun! It's really all about having fun at this age group, and instead of playoffs, there is a very fun clinic/FunDay at the end of the season where the boys compete as teams in different drills and small prizes are won.
  • Practices and games are nearly always held at Cold Spring Elementary.  Practices are historically held Wed-Fri and start around 6:30pm, and games are on Saturday, typically between 11am and 2pm.
• 3rd/4th Grade
  • At 3rd/4th grade, the boys are growing and start shooting at 10 foot baskets, and for more than a third of the players, this will be their first year playing basketball. 
  • Fundamentals are still very much the foundation of the program, and coaches will also introduce plays and other more intermediate techniques.  Having fun is still paramount, and at the same time we keep track of scores, win/loss records, and there are single elimination playoffs.
  • Practices are played in a variety of school gyms, including Doyle, Kutz, Linden, and Cold Spring.  Games are played on Saturdays from 8:30am - 4pm, typically in Linden or Kutz.
• 5th/6th Grade
  • The boys are progressing, and the goals for this age group are still very similar to our goals with 3rd/4th- focus on fundamentals and have fun.  Coaches will introduce more advanced team plays, which is great because everyone is part of the play and helps the team score.  Records are tracked, and there are playoffs.
  • Practices are generally held later at night (~8pm-9pm) and can run any day Monday-Friday, but will fluctuate during the season.  Practices are held at Doyle, Linden, Cold Spring, or Lenape.  Games are on Saturday and scheduled at Lenape from 8:30am - 4pm.
• 7th/8th Grade
  • At this age level, the boys are becoming more on their own, and coaching starts to become more supportive than out right instructional.  The feedback from these players is that they just want to play and have fun. 
  • Practices are held in December, and new this year (2018-19), we will be scheduling a handful of practices per team during the week, the location TBD.  All practices and games are held at Tohickon, games are on Saturdays from 8:30am - 2pm.
• 9th/10th & 11th/12th
  • At this age group, the players really want to just play games against each other, and coaches work with them to have the players make and design plays themselves, as well as to make sure everyone has nearly equal playing time**.  At the 11th/12th grade, it's common to have teams self-coached (at the same time there will still be  at least one parent involved/present and ultimately responsible).
  • Games for both high school leagues are played at night during the week at Tohickon, typically on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, or Thursdays.

** EQUAL PLAYING TIME
For all games in all divisions, the "Equal Playing Time" rule is in effect.  That is, no player can sit on the bench 2 or more times than anyone else on the team (except for being late, foul out, injury, or ejection).   Violation of the rule results in a forfeit. 

A NOTE ABOUT TRAVEL BASKETBALL:  DAA does offer travel basketball programs for individual grades 3rd through 8th.  Registration in our in-house program is required which pays for court time.  While playing for an in-house team is optional, most travel players also play in-house from grades 3rd-6th.  If a travel player does decide to play on an in-house team, they need to know that it is their responsibility to make sure to be available for games and practices.  That is, while travel games have priority over in-house games/practices, an in-house game has priority over a travel practice.

Please note that the above information, especially locations, day of the week, and times are subject to change.

DAA Boys Basketball
Evaluation Schedule
(2018-2019 season, *FINAL* SCHEDULE)

• Boys Grade 1 & 2                   Saturday, 11/10           Tohickon, MS Gym         9:15am
• Boys Grade 3 & 4                   Saturday, 11/10           Tohickon,  Last Names  A-M 10:00am / N-Z 10:20am
  • Parent's Positive Coaching Alliance Workshop, 10:30am-11:30am, Tohickon Cafeteria             
• Boys Grade 5 & 6                   Saturday, 11/10           Tohickon, Last Names  A-M 11:30am / N-Z 11:50am
• Boys Grade 7 & 8                   Saturday, 11/10           Tohickon, MS Gym         1:15pm
• Boys Grade 9 & 10                 Saturday, 11/10           Tohickon, MS Gym         2:30pm
  • COACHES Positive Coaching Alliance Meeting, 2:30pm - 3:30pm, Tohickon Cafeteria
• Boys Grade 11 & 12              Saturday, 11/10           Tohickon, MS Gym         2:45pm

All evaluated players will make a team.

Evaluations are mandatory for all age divisions and help us create balanced teams, which is in the best interest of the league.  Players who do not attend cannot be guaranteed a spot on a team.

For grades 1 & 2, evaluations are used in addition to friend requests to assign balanced teams.

For grades 3-12, evaluations are used and coaches select their teams via a balanced draft process.

PLEASE BRING:  Your own basketball (28.5" 1st-6th, 29.5" 7th+), and a water bottle.

If you have a family emergency and cannot make the evaluations, please contact us.

There will be a makeup at Tohickon for all ages at 7pm on Tuesday, September 13.

There are many choices for your son to play Basketball in the Doylestown area and surrounding communities, and I hope you choose DAA.  While we keep track of score, our volunteer coaches manage the games to make sure that each boy has equal playing time and that he is included in plays and positions on the court as this applies to ALL age divisions.

Teamwork and sportsmanship are a hallmark of the league, regardless of age, skill or ability. 

Personally, I've lived in the community for more than 20 years and my only wish was that I had a similar program when I was growing up.  While I played travel soccer and tennis, I didn't play Basketball until 10th grade and continued playing intramural Basketball in college and then at the local Ambler YMCA well into my late 20's.

Now as the father of 3 boys- two still involved in DAA- my goal is to continue the success of my predecessors.   DAA is celebrating its 50th year, and I hope that we lay the groundwork for 50+ more.

If you have any questions about our program or would like to help (either volunteering or becoming a sponsor), always feel free to contact me either at jonb@donorperfect.com or my cell at 215-896-2768.

Sincerely,

Jon Biedermann
DAA Boys Basketball Director

Over the summer of 2017, a committee was formed to look at the Boys Basketball rules and league guidelines.

As a result, we implemented the following changes:

• While the age divisions are always based on the number of registrants, we will endeavor to make sure that there are only two grade levels per age division.  This includes trying to form 7/8, 9/10, and 11/12 divisions.
  (UPDATE as of November 1, 2017- Because of the growth and success of our league, we are guaranteed to have separate divisions at the older grade levels for this season!!!)
• 3 Pointers will now be allowed at grades 5/6.
• Man-to-Man defense only for the entire season for grades 1-6.  Man-to-man defense does a much better job of teaching fundamentals, and is also more active for the players, building stamina and endurance.
• "Fair but not exactly equal" playing time will be implemented across all age divisions.   Since we are an intramural program, we want to develop players of all ages, and making playing time as fair as possible will achieve that goal.  At the same time, we understand that there will always be exceptions in case of an odd number of players, or for players who arrive late, foul out, can't play because of injury, or even miss practices.   The goal is that no player can sit on the bench more than 1/2 quarter than anyone else on the team (since there are substitutions  halfway through every quarter)

These changes will reinforce DAA's commitment to provide a fun, fair, competitive, and challenging sports environment for boys in our community.

We provide Intramural and travel basketball programs for the youth of our community.  

Our organization is dedicated to providing positive role models for our children while developing the qualities of sportsmanship, discipline, teamwork, and self-confidence.  

Our goal is to teach the fundamentals of basketball in a healthy & competitive environment which we hope will lead to the development of responsible members of our community.

We offer leagues for 1st thru 12th grades. The season starts in December with practices and runs to March with games & playoffs. In addition we have a travel program for 3rd thru 9th grades. They practice & play September through March.

DAA is a non-profit organization that relies solely on registration fees, fund raising events, and sponsorships to help pay for needed sports equipment, gym time, referees, and other related expenses. The cost to sponsor a team is only $125.  Your business or organization name will be on the back of each shirt. 

Please contact me if you have any questions.
 
Thank you,

Jon Biedermann
DAA Boys Basketball Director
jbiedermann@donorperfect.com
215-896-2768