How to run your programs Saturday League

Written by Darren Douglas

I’ve coached at the High School level (Grovetown H.S. Grovetown, GA) and AAU level for 8 years. I believe in hard work and growing as a coach. I am looking forward to sharing and learning as much as I can. “Every one of the kids you coach is someday going to look you in the eye as an adult. And he is going to remember something you gave to him. Make sure it is something positive.”- Roy Williams

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Basketball Coaching

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August 27, 2015

How to run your programs Saturday League by Darren Douglas

A big part of running a successful program is feeder system cultivation. Having an infrastructure in place that lends to a leader of a program keeping tabs on potential student athletes before they are high school is vital in sustaining long term success.

While there are many different ways to build your feeder system, I would like to share an awesome idea for feeder system cultivation that involves the players currently in your program, your staff, and community and truly could have the potential to be a great event and something that draws interest and anticipation every basketball season.

The idea of a “Saturday League” or whatever great name you come up with for it, I a multi service program that will help your program in the following ways:

-Community Service
-Helps your current players basketball IQ
-Helps staff keep eyes on and build relationships with future “impact players” early.
-Added funds to the basketball budget

The premise of this idea is this: The basketball program will run a league that goes on Saturday’s during basketball season for kids in K-8 grade from all the feeder schools in your schools area (if schools don’t feed into your program, do it for the local area.) Have the Saturdays broken into segments. The first 2 hours will be reserved for drill work (led by players currently in the program) second 2 hours will be reserved for games. (The teams in your league will be coached by the players in your program.)

Saturday League

You let the players lead everything because if they teach the drills and come up with the game plans for their teams it should raise their basketball IQ (as explaining why you do something, rather than “just doing it” involves higher order thinking skills)

It also helps them with community service hours.

This helps the staff by keeping young talent under watch and helps the younger players understand what it takes to play for the program. It also builds pride and gives the community a vested interest in the program.

I hope this post helped someone today. I’ve attached a few forms that can be edited for anyone who wants to implement this in their program.

Best of luck on the season,

Darren Douglas

Follow Coach Darren Douglas on Twitter!!!

I’ve coached at the High School level (Grovetown H.S. Grovetown, GA) and AAU level for 8 years. I believe in hard work and growing as a coach. I am looking forward to sharing and learning as much as I can.

“Every one of the kids you coach is someday going to look you in the eye as an adult. And he is going to remember something you gave to him. Make sure it is
something positive.”- Roy Williams

Click on the link below to download the Saturday League Flyer: