Team Expectations & Focus
Just Starting off we are writing this out to give parents and players an insight into what we are focusing on for our basketball seasons year to year. We are focusing on Youth Basketball not NCAA or getting your Athlete to the WNBA, This being said countless members of our teams have gone on to great CIS or ACAC careers. Our goals are to make the Athlete the best Teammate, Player and Young Adult. We will stress Accountability, Fair Play (not to be confused with equal play); fair play comes down to what’s best for team success. We believe that each player and family unit determine the amount of playing time an athlete receives. These things dictate how much time a player receives.
We do not take any of these lightly, failure to abide by these general rules will result in a difficult time fitting in the Grads Culture and being a successful Grad.
To give some light on our expectations let's look at each point individually.
Parents
Parents and Guardian are an important part of the team dynamic and are very integral to the success of their player and the team. We ask that you conduct yourself with poise and discipline at games and team events.
We do not allow parents in the gym while we are coaching a practice. This age there are many issues with self-esteem, and we do not allow it.
You may wonder why there are certain parents in a practice. They are there at our request to serve a specific purpose.
Our main Practice venue is Concordia College and there are seats in the foyer for you to sit if you choose to do so.
After every game, the coaches will have a team meeting to discuss the game with only the players. This will take 5-10 minutes and will happen in a neutral spot inside or outside the location. This is a mandatory team event.
For Edmonton games, players must be at the venue 30 minutes before and be ready and dressed to play when they get to the bench. They do not give warm up times so players must be ready and changed before the bench is ready to be occupied. The color of the jersey worn will be given in the game notes on our team website.
Every out-of-town tournament, the players stay together in rooms of 4, to promote team spirit and camaraderie. Parents are encouraged to come support the team and give rides when needed. We give the parents the hotel reservation codes for the same rates we pay as a group. At each away tournament, the team eats the supper meal together, (which is at a restaurant close to the hotel), and parents are welcome to join. The players pay for this meal. They also pay for lunches. The breakfast(s) are included with the hotel and players are given a time they must eat by.
Players/Parents/Guardians are responsible to make sure all equipment is ready for practice and game days. This means jersey shorts and shoes are all in a team bag.
We provide the players with Game Uniform (Shorts, Jersey), practice jersey, warm up shirt, socks, and backpack.
When dropping players off at the Saville Centre for tournaments, please drop the player off at the door before you go looking for parking. The player being on time is most important to the team.
Attire
Players Receive:
Coaches
As coaches we take our role very seriously and try our hardest to be prepared and insightful to our players. We take all the rules of the team seriously and will be ensuring that we live by them as well.
We take the role of coach to teach, encourage, and foster the development of all the players. We do not make favorites or treat anyone differently. All players are treated as individuals and will be treated as such in all we do. We take the time to get to know each player and what makes them special as an individual. One size fits all doesn’t work in today's sports and coaching. We take pride in learning new ways of getting the most out of our players and making sure they have fun while competing at the highest levels. That being said, the Grads has a no player left behind motto and looks to keep each player that comes out for us. We try to have different levels at each age group.
U11 Boys and Girls
U13A, U13Rec Boys and Girls
U15AA, U15A, U15Rec Girls Only
U18AA, U18A, U18Rec Girls Only
For the 2025 spring Summer Season we are not having Boys teams above U13. we are developing our Boys Category from the younger ages and growing organically with them.
These divisions ensure that all players are matched with Teams that meet our criteria of play and will be competitive in the division. Every player has the chance to move up or down a division, as their playing level and commitment level go through changes.
Coaches are available to players for extra help when asked and will often suggest it for certain players.
We take safety very seriously, and no player will be alone with a coach male or female. All our Coaches have taken their police background checks.
Our biggest focus is why things are done the way they are, not just because we told you. There is a reason for every action we make our players do either in practice or in games. We try to get the players to figure out the reasons before we give the answer. When we show a drill, play, or system, there is always the detailed reason given for every action and reaction.
GCSO
The GCSO (Great Canadian Shoot Out) is our tournament held every July long weekend. It is the responsibility of all players and parents to work/volunteer this tournament weekend. This is the only volunteer work we ask of parents, and it is integral to our program and having the low costs that we do. You will be asked to sell Merchandise, Wristband passes, checking wristbands to ensure that everyone that is not a player or coach pays the entry fee, and run score sheets. There is no special training or knowledge prior to the tournament.
Please feel free to ask any questions. The coaching staff and managers will be happy to clarify any of the statements above.
Thank you all for Choosing the Grads!!!!
The Edmonton Grads Youth Basketball Club is a not for profit organization designed to promote basketball within the Edmonton Community. Our main focus is the spring basketball season. This is accomplished through a number of avenues including sponsoring athletes and teams as well as running the Great Canadian Shootout on the first weekend of July each year at the Saville Community Sport Center.
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Nobody Cares what you look like on the court!
Safety is paramount when playing any sport especially a sport played on a hard surface and in full contact with your opponent.
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Smart Players Stay Safe