Over the past several weeks we’ve had the opportunity to gather with leadership from many of our participating programs to discuss key initiatives for the upcoming 2019-20 CNR Winter Basketball league. We thank everyone who took the time to participate in one of the round table discussions and appreciate your shared interest in contributing to the finest youth basketball experience in the St. Louis area.
In addition to having representation from many of our larger basketball clubs and feeder programs at the meeting we also had our Director of Officiating participate in the discussion.
Below is a summary of the topics discussed and action items we’ll be prioritizing for the upcoming 2019-20 Winter League.
Code of Conduct
Creating a safe and enjoyable environment for our kids to learn and grow in the game of basketball is at the top of our priorities each and every year. While we are fortunate to only deal with a small number of issues each year considering we are hosting 5000+ basketball games, it’s still necessary to keep our eye on the target and further improve in the area of Coach, Player and Fan conduct at our games. (CNR Code of Conduct Policy)
All sports, youth / high school and professional, are dealing with Official shortages. One of the leading contributors of this issue is the manner in which Officials are treated by Coaches, Players and Spectators. New for the 2019-20 season, we will permit a maximum of 3 coaches to be on the bench for a team. Consistent with MSHSAA rules, and our current policy, only the Head Coach may interact with the Officials. Assistant Coaches are to remain seated on the bench while the ball is in play during a game and will not be allowed to speak to Officials.
If an Official has an issue with a Spectator, he will ask the Head Coach to correct the situation. If the Head Coach is unable to correct the problem, the fan will be removed from the game and a report will be filed with the League. Quite simply, we’re asking adults to act like adults. Spectators need to stay in their lane to mean, don’t coach or officiate from the sidelines. The role of a spectator is to be responsible and supportive of the athletes, coaches and officials.
Ranking of Teams
Ranking your team isn’t an exact science. That being said, we’ve updated our Team Ranking descriptions to aid in the ranking of your team. GO HERE
CNR uses these rankings to develop competitive schedules, attempting to match “like” teams together as best possible. The league analyzes the point differential from year to year and interestingly enough, each year games are getting more competitive. Last year, 45% of the games played in CNR were decided by 10 points or less and 60% of the games were decided by 15 points or less.
Action Item – It is important Coaches and Program Directors think about the rankings they are providing the League during the registration process.
Schedule Change Requests
New for the 2019-20 Winter League, teams will be asked to provide 2-weeks advance notice if a Schedule Change Request is needed once schedules are finalized. CNR offers teams the opportunity to provide all conflicts during the team registration process. Most leagues limit the conflict requests to 10 or even less, however CNR embraces the challenge of accommodating all conflict requests. However, when a team calls just a few days before their scheduled game and has to cancel, this causes a ripple effect on the league and other teams participating. If a team cancels within 2-weeks of their scheduled game, they will be charged for the game. CNR will make every attempt to get them another game later in the season on an as available basis. CNR will fill the originally scheduled game with another team so the original opponent isn’t losing a game opportunity.
Weeknight Games
New for the 2019-20 season, CNR will provide teams an opportunity to play some weeknight games. Teams will have the opportunity to declare their interest to play weeknight games during the registration process. CNR traditionally offered weekend games during the Winter, Spring and Fall leagues. However several schools and non-school affiliated gyms have expressed interest in hosting weeknight games so CNR will give this a try for the 2019-20 season.
Eligible Team Rosters
Much discussion took place during the round table sessions around the appropriate way to handle team rosters. CNR asks coaches to submit their roster online HERE prior to the start of the season. New for the 2019-20 Winter League, girls will not be allowed to play on boys teams and vice versa.
Players may participate on multiple teams, even within the same organization, as long their participation doesn’t materially affect the pre-season ranking of their team. CNR understands there are reasons to “flex” a player from team to team, however it is on the Coach / Program Director to ensure this privilege isn’t exploited.