Castro Valley-San Leandro-San Lorenzo National Junior Basketball
OUR MOTTO "IT'S ABOUT THE KIDS"
MIssion Statement of the National Junior Basketball (NJB) Program:
• To inspire our youth; regardless of race, color, creed, or national origin.
• To practice the ideals of health, citizenship and character.
• To impart the game elements of safety, sanity, and intelligent supervision; and to keep the welfare of the player first, foremost, and entirely free of adult lust for glory.
• To emphasize teamwork for all participants.
National Junior Basketball was founded in 1984 in Orange County, California and currently covers 7 western states.
Castro Valley Chapter
The Castro Valley NJB chapter was founded in 1997. All regular season games are held on Sundays, and end of season tournament games are on Saturday and Sunday. There is a mandatory player evaluation day in early October. Teams are drafted by the coaches about a week after evaluations in October. Practices begin in November, and games are played in December, January, February and March. Practices are twice per week and are in the evenings or Saturdays at locations in Castro Valley, San Leandro, or San Lorenzo. Castro Valley NJB offers two different basketball programs:
Divisional Teams are for boys and girls in grades 3 through 8.
All-Net Teams are for advanced boys and girls players in grades 6 through 8.
High School Teams are for high school age boys in grades 9 through 12 who do not play for their high school teams.
Divisional Teams
Every player who signs up is evaluated, and is either placed on a Divisional Team, on a first come, first served basis, or is invited to try out for All-Net. Divisional games are divided into five eight-minute periods with a running clock. Each player will play two full periods in the first four periods. In the 5th period, the coach can freely substitute at his/her discretion.
There are separate teams for boys and girls in each division. The schedule includes ten games in the regular season
Division 3 – 3rd and 4th Grade
Division 2 – 5th and 6th Grade
Division 1 – 7th and 8th Grade
Rule amendments are made for each division to ensure that the players have every opportunity to develop their basketball skills that are age appropriate. Castro Valley NJB Divisional teams may travel to other gyms in the Alameda County Section, which include South Fremont, North Fremont, and Hayward/Union City.
All-Net Teams
All-Net includes 6th, 7th, and 8th grade teams, with separate teams for Boys and Girls.
All-Net is a more competitive environment than Divisional play. All-Net teams are selected during tryouts. In some cases, players may be selected from the Divisional evaluations and asked to participate in an All Net tryout if they are interested in playing All Net.
All-Net plays four eight-minute quarters, and play by the National Federation of High School rules. Travel is required to locations around the bay area, including South Bay, Mid-Peninsula, and North Bay. Playing time is not guaranteed and is determined by the coach.
Year End Tournaments
Following completion of the NJB ten-game season, each Divisional team is entered into a year-end tournament. Teams participate in the “Friendship” or “Championship” tournaments based on their season win/loss record. Trophies are awarded in each tournament, for every division. All-Net teams also have a year-end tournament separate from the Divisional tournament. To help cover the additional gymnasium and referee costs of these tournaments, there will be a nominal entrance fee at the door. The tournaments will be completed by the end of March each year.
All-Star Tournaments
Near the end of the season, each Divisional player votes for a team of players to represent Castro Valley in the sectional All-Star tournament. The All-Star tournament includes South Fremont, North Fremont, Hayward/Union City, and Castro Valley. Teams winning first and second place in the All-Star sectional tournament qualify for the National All-Star tournament held in Orange County, California, in early to mid-April each year.
Registration Information
Registration fees only cover 77% of the league budget. Other fundraisers are also required to cover
the full budget, which includes the cost of gym fees (for practices and games), referee fees, uniforms, insurance, awards, scholarships, etc. Registration fees are currently $250 per player for Divisional and $300 per player for All-Net and High School. Registration begins in early August. All players must sign up online at our website www.cvnjb.com. NJB chapters have boundaries, and Castro Valley NJB players must reside within the cities of Castro Valley, San Leandro, San Lorenzo, Oakland, Alameda, or the Tri Valley Area. Players living outside those areas can go to the NJB National website www.njbl.org and find how to contact their local chapter.
Fundraising
Each year, Castro Valley NJB holds fundraisers that cover 11% of our budgeted expenses. Participation in the fundraiser is mandatory, and helps to keep the registration fees as low as possible. Each player will be provided with a fundraising opportunity.
Team Sponsorships
Team sponsorships represent 7% of the league budget. Team sponsors are made up of local businesses and charitable donors who are looking for advertising and exposure to our league. The team sponsors are also designed to reduce the out-of-pocket expenses incurred by players and their families. Every team must raise at least $200 in sponsorships. The names of the sponsors will be seen on our gym banners on game days. Team sponsors are listed on the Castro Valley chapter website, www.cvnjb.com, and in the All Star Program Book at the National All Star Tournament. In addition, team sponsors donating $200 or more will receive a team plaque and picture.
Interested in Coaching or Helping Out?
We are always looking for coaches, assistant coaches, board members and other volunteers to make NJB the best youth basketball league possible. Please contact our City Director, Barbara Adranly, at citydirector@cvnjb.com if you are interested – we would LOVE to hear from you!