Directions to HBA gyms

While the HBA is a nonprofit organization that relies on volunteers, we have numerous substantial costs, the biggest of which is gym rental. There also are league fees, referee fees, insurance, equipment, etc. Also keep in mind that our season is much longer than most other sports in town, lasting almost five months from the first practice to the close of the season.

If you require financial support in order for your child to participate, we will work with you and try to make it possible. We may ask for supporting material (such as tax returns) to validate your request. Email the HBA for more information.

Every player is expected to have their own basketball, which they should bring to every practice. Girls Grade 4 teams use a 27.5 ball. All other girls teams use a size 28.5 ball. Boys in Grades 4-6 also use a size 28.5 ball. Boys Grades 7 and 8 use a 29.5 ball (full size). Put your child’s name on their basketball before bringing it anywhere. Every player also should bring a water bottle to every practice and game.

New this season, we no longer will require parents to work the HBA concessions table at the Tap-Off Tournament (or pay a buyout fee). However, coaches will be looking for volunteers to run the scoreclock at home games and keep a scorebook at all games. Also, please check out our Parent Expectations page so you understand our policy on improper parent/fan conduct, including sideline coaching.

No, it’s not OK. If you sign up your child for an HBA team, you are expected to make this team your extracurricular priority for the winter. If you cannot do so, please do not sign up your child. In most grades, kids are being cut. It’s not fair for someone to accept a spot and then not take the commitment seriously. It’s also not fair to the rest of the team that your child doesn’t know the team’s plays well enough because they haven’t been at practice. To that end, we have the following policy: If your child misses more than two games and/or three practices for reasons other than illness, injury, scholastic conflicts, emergencies or other commitments pre-approved by the coach, the HBA reserves the right to take away playing time — or in drastic cases remove your child from the program at any point in the season without a refund. You will receive warning if you are not adhering to our policy. The HBA board will consider each case individually, and the decision of the board is final.

Practices typically begin the first week in November. The Hopkinton Tap-Off Tournament, which kicks off the season for all our teams, is the weekend prior to Thanksgiving. Metrowest League games are Sundays, starting the first weekend in December, and they could be anytime — early morning through evening. There are no league games during winter break, but there are games both weekends of February vacation. Then every team makes the Metrowest playoffs in early March. Playoff games could be any day of the week. Team schedules will be announced by the league in late November. All dates are subject to change at any time. Each team gets 11-12 league games, with half in Hopkinton and half away. Away games could be anywhere — from neighboring towns to locations an hour away. The schedule is set by the league, and the HBA does not have a say in where away games are scheduled.

Your child will have one weekly team practice plus one weekly skills practice (possibly once every two weeks, depending on gym availability). The practice schedule will be determined in mid-October. Most teams practice on Saturday mornings or early afternoons (prior to rec games), while some have a weeknight practice. Coaches cannot accommodate requests from players/parents to avoid certain nights. Teams cannot have practice the same night as that grade’s rec team practice or skills practice, so the options already are limited. The weekly skills practices generally are scheduled for Monday nights (sometimes Tuesday), broken up by grade. The skills practice is not mandatory (unlike the team practice) but is strongly encouraged, especially early in the season. A team’s coach also might schedule an occasional extra team practice.

Coaches are instructed that for regular-season games (for 10-player teams) no player should play less than 40 percent or more than 60 percent of regulation time. There are exceptions to this, for reasons such as injury, foul trouble, behavioral issues or missed practice time. For the Metrowest playoffs, we lower the minimum to 25 percent of regulation time to give our coaches more leeway against other towns that might not have similar restrictions.