Marysville seeks players and coaches for youth basketball league

MARYSVILLE, Wash., September 26, 2021 – Marysville Parks, Culture, and Recreation is currently accepting enrollment for their youth basketball league until October 3. The season will host first-grade through eighth-grade boys and girls, focusing on fundamental teamwork and sportsmanship, practicing once-a-week, 5 p.m. to 9 p.m., with games played on Saturdays between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. at Marysville and Lakewood schools.

The season will run from December 2021 through March 2022.

Practices will begin the first week of December with the first game slotted for January 7. All teams will be scheduled for at least two Saturday practices and one weekday practice before the start of winter break. The practices for youth basketball will be held at Marysville and Lakewood school facilities and chaperoned by city staff who will enforce school district and city policies and rules. All COVID mandates will be followed.

All participants will be assigned a team based on school, age, and gender by the following divisions:

Boys or girls grade 1
Boys or girls grades 4 and 5
Boys or girls grades 2 and 3
Boys or girls grades 6 through 8

Teams will ideally hold no more than 10 players. The program aims to pair youths with other students of their school, but depending on the number of volunteers, participants may be paired with other players from different schools.

A mandatory player’s skill evaluation for grades six through eight will be held on Saturday, November 6, at Totem Middle School to draft well-balanced teams by skill level. Players that miss the skill evaluation may be placed on random teams, and special requests for teams or coaches may not be granted.

Team photos will be taken on the second game day of the season at 7:30 a.m. in the Liberty Elementary gymnasium.

A league fee of $90 is required to register an interested youth, due by November 14. Parents will also be responsible for the cost of uniforms that will be provided by the league. Uniform colors will be decided by Marysville Parks and Recreation.

The youth basketball league depends upon volunteers and is also currently accepting applications for potential coaches.

“Unless we step up and donate our time, there will be nobody to help the kids get out of the house, stop playing video games, [and] getting in trouble. So the more you’re involved in a child’s life, the more you’re likely they’ll be successful,” Coach Dewdney of the league said.

For those interested in coaching, contact Jennifer Friess at 360-363-8400 or jfriess@marysvillewa.gov to discuss the application process. There will be a volunteer coaches meeting on Tuesday, November 16 at 6:00 p.m. at the Marysville Opera House.