House Program
The House program is offered for players in grades 2-12, ranging in age from 7 to 18. It provides a structured environment that allows players to develop their skills and enjoy the game of basketball.
Please see League Contacts for our current Commissioners.
Playing up a grade:
If you would like your child to "play up" you will need to contact the League Director in the league that your child wants to move up to and the League Director of the league they are slated to play in. They, with input from the League Commissioner, will make a determination of your request. In general, Burke Basketball will allow players to play up a grade if they feel it will not be detrimental to the player or the league.
Team formation:
Teams for grades 3rd grade and below are in general, formed by request or player's school/neighborhood.
In grades 4 and up, teams are formed by a draft for the winter season. While this is not a perfect system, we have found it to be the best method for overall league balance. Given this situation,
it is very hard to honor individual player requests to be with certain players or coaches. ( We do offer a Spring and Summer league where friends get to play with friends.)
We will work hard to honor conflict days/times your child may have due to other activities, by finding them a team that does not practice on those days.
In order to fairly draft players, attendance at a pre-season evaluation session is mandatory for all players.
Evaluations for grades 4-8 will be held in late October / early November.
Evaluations for the Boys and Girls HS leagues, 9/10th grade and 11/12th grade, will be held in late November or early December, after the local high schools have selected their Freshmen, JV, and Varsity teams.
Specific Evaluation schedules for each age group's evaluations will be sent by email to registered players and will be posted on the website.
Playing requirements:
Understanding that this is youth house basketball, we have minimum and maximum playing requirements. In general, each player must play 2 full quarters and no players are allowed to play the entire game. There are some variations/exceptions to these rules which can be found in detail in our winter rules.
Practice:
Practices are weeknights, normally one practice a week for an hour, with games played on weekends in the Burke / Fairfax / Fairfax Station / West Springfield area.
Practices are scheduled to start mid-November
For the Boys High School leagues there will likely be no practices after the start of the season.
Games:
Each team in grades 2 - 8 will usually play one game on the weekend, Saturday or Sunday. The games will start at the beginning of December.
Each team in the Boys High School league will play one weeknight game and one or two weekend games.
Playoffs:
There are no playoffs in grades 2-4.
In grades 5 and above, all teams participate in playoffs.
All-Stars and Turnpike Tournament:
Grades 4 - 8 will have all-star games after the conclusion of the playoffs.
Rules Enforcement Policy
Please remember that this is youth basketball and is meant for the players to learn and enjoy the game of basketball in a safe and positive atmosphere! Inappropriate behavior will not be tolerated by parents, players, or coaches.
