• A transition year between age-based and grade-based affiliation is necessary to allow for players who have been held back in school or are old for their grade.

Dr. Malina is Professor Emeritus in the Department of Kinesiology and Health Education of the University of Texas at Austin. Should a player turn 13 on Aug. 31 or earlier, the player would be ineligible for the 12U segment and would be considered a 13U player.

Long story short, I had literally just turned 18 when I graduated high school, so was relatively young in comparison to many other kids. Specialization in basketball prior to age 14 is discouraged. He also spent five years as an NCAA Division 1 men’s basketball assistant coach and 17 seasons in the NBA as an executive with the Boston Celtics. THE EXPERTS IN THE BUSINESS OF SMALL COLLEGE ATHLETICS


In 2012 Ross was honored as the WNBA Coach of the Year. The supporters below endorse the Health and Wellness, and Player Segmentation recommendations shared above. Ensure rest from organized basketball at least one day per week, and extended time away from organized basketball each year.6. Frank Lopez is NBA/WNBA Clinician & Camp Director and has coached high school basketball for over 25 years.
The National Eligibility Committee (NEC) interpreted that NAIA bylaws involving prep school attendance or competition will only be applied when a student has attended a non-collegiate postsecondary educational institution that meets NAIA qualification standards. Parents, coaches and event directors should be cautious in considering tournaments that schedule multiple competitive events (i.e., games) in short periods of time. Brian Hainline, M.D., is Chief Medical Officer of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA). Jeremiah has played a key role in multiple NBA initiatives around the world and continues to be a driver in the youth basketball arena. Carol Ross has seen success as a coach at both the college and pro levels. Dan has been a high school boys and girls Varsity Head Coach (7 years), an NCAA men's assistant at Division I, II, III (8 years), and an Elite Travel Ball coach and coordinator (4 years). Jay currently serves as the Youth Division Director for USA Basketball where he oversees all facets of youth basketball initiatives that address player development, coach education and safety in sport.

The NBA and USA Basketball have partnered to develop guidelines designed to promote a positive and healthy youth basketball experience.Basketball is a great game that is played by millions of young people in the United States and around the world. Dan has also worked over 30 summer basketball camps across the country.

News articles are written weekly about important High School Basketball events in Prep Schools. This participation falls under the post-secondary amateur competition year exception adopted by membership (Should a student represent a preparatory school in athletics after the post-secondary amateur competition year ends, the student will not be charged a season of competition for this participation if the student is attending a qualifying preparatory school. James Parker is currently the Director of Sports for the Amateur Athletic Union (AAU), one of the largest youth sports organizations in the United States. Athletes that reach the highest level of achievement are more likely to have played multiple sports at a young age and delayed single-sport specialization until late adolescence. Thus, delaying specialization until this age range is recommended.

Any participation after the post-secondary amateur competition year would result in a season of competition charged. As an athlete, Frank lettered in Baseball, Basketball & Cross Country at Southeastern College and helped lead the team to a 24-8 mark and make the NCCAA National Tournament.

Professor Côté is Director in the School of Kinesiology and Health Studies at Queen’s University at Kingston in Ottawa (Canada).

• For age segments, each age designation reflects the maximum age of a player during the Playing Year. The NBA high school draftees are players who have been drafted to the National Basketball Association straight out of high school without playing basketball at the collegiate level. He is co-author of Drugs and the Athlete, and played a pivotal role in the rollout of drug testing and education worldwide. Therefore, the NBA and USA Basketball have established detailed guidelines to help young players develop at a natural pace that is suitable to their age and physiological abilities.The NBA and USA Basketball have worked closely with an expert working group on Playing Standards to develop age- and stage-appropriate rules and standards for youth basketball. His research interests focus on youth sports, talent development and evaluation of talent development programs. Camp program content and duration is variable, and youth basketball camps can be a positive experience for young athletes even in cases where they exceed the guidelines above. Prior to joining the university in 2008, Professor Güllich spent over a decade with the German Olympic Sports Confederation, serving as Head of the Departments of Talent Development and Sport Science. Dr. Brenner’s research focuses on overuse injuries, sport specialization, and concussions in youth athletes. Before the age of seven or eight, the term "pre-prep school" is used. Camps and academies should recognize that there is a lack of evidence to support early single-sport specialization. Date of birth relative to the Playing Year is the final determinant of eligibility. I had some DIII schools that offered me a spot on there team, but to be honest, I didn’t give them the time of day because I was hell bent on playing Division I basketball.