Constitution

The South Warren Youth Basketball League is a not for profit organization founded for the purpose of providing children interested in basketball a chance to play basketball under a properly organized and supervised program. All divisions will play by the Kentucky High School Athletic Association's (KHSAA) rules of play for basketball except where alterations appear in the constitution and by-laws.

ARTICLE I - Name
The official name of the organization is the South Warren Youth Basketball League, Inc. (SWYBL).

ARTICLE II - Affiliation(s)
The SWYBL will not be associated with any nationally recognized basketball association.

The SWYBL will maintain an affiliation with the Warren County Parks and Recreation (WCPR) and will act in compliance with WCPR rules and regulations in all operations. When there is a conflict with the rules and regulations between the WCPR and SWYBL, the WCPR rules will prevail.

ARTICLE III - Objectives and Principles
The objectives of this organization will be to extend, promote, develop, supervise, and voluntarily assist the youth in the game of basketball, while stressing the importance of the integrity, sportsmanship, and fair play.

ARTICLE IV - Governing Body
The league will be governed by a Board of Directors that consists of the President, Vice-president, Secretary, Treasurer, Division Commissioners, representative of the WCPR department and two at large directors. The executive committee will consist of the president, vice-president, secretary, and treasurer. The membership is made up of all parents who have paid registration fees (1 vote per family by parent/guardian, regardless of the number of children in that family who register). The Board will be elected at the end of each season for the following year.

The Board of Directors will make decisions concerning league play, policies, procedures, and/or regulations based on the constitution, by-laws, WCPR, rules and regulations and KHSAA official rules of play.

The Board will set registration fees based on the financial needs of the league.

All league policies, rules, by-laws, procedures, etc. will be governed by the Constitution and By-laws. The constitution may be changed only through the process described here. A member of the SWYBL may make motion to the Board in writing of the desire to change the constitution. The Board will review and vote on the proposal. A majority vote will be required for the proposal to be presented to the membership. A membership meeting will be held no less than one time per year (usually prior to the beginning of the season). Two weeks notice will be given to the entire membership announcing the time and location for the meeting. A member of the SWYBL may also make motion to change the Constitution from the floor during a membership meeting.

By-laws may be changed by a majority vote of the Board of Directors in attendance at a scheduled Board meeting.

Five Board members will constitute a quorum. A quorum must be present to conduct any official league business.

Board meetings will be directed by Robert's rules of Order.

ARTICLE V - Board Officers

BOARD OF DIRECTORS - The management of the property and affairs of the league shall be vested in the Board of Directors. The Directors shall assume responsibilities upon the completion of tournament and all star play and shall continue in office until their successors have been duly elected and qualified. The Board's membership will consist of the members listed below with the duties as outlined for each. A Board member may be dismissed by a two-thirds vote of the remaining Board members for unsatisfactory performance of his/her duties, violation of the League or WCPR code of ethics, or missing three consecutive board meetings. Any Board vacancy will be filled by the president with approval of the executive committee.

PRESIDENT - The duties of the president will be to...

• preside at all league meetings
• assumes full responsibility for the day to day operations of the league
• Receives mail, supplies, and other communications to the league
• Assure that all league personnel are properly trained on all rules, regulations, and policies of the SWYBL.
• Propose league budget
• Handle all protests and communicate with the parent advisory board.
• Call league meetings, including but not limited to Board meetings, membership meetings, registration, drafts, and coaches training.

VICE-PRESIDENT - The duties of the vice-president shall be to...

• Preside in any and all meetings and league business in the absence of the president
• Is an official member of all committees
• Carries out duties and assignments as assigned by the president
• Organization and coordination of uniform ordering and distribution
• Other duties as assigned by the president

SECRETARY - The duties of the secretary shall be to...

• maintain a register of members and directors
• record the minutes of meetings
• communicate meeting time and location to directors and members when appropriate
• maintain record of league activities
• Other duties as assigned by the president.

TREASURER - The duties of the treasurer shall be to...

• Monitor the budget
• Dispense league funds approved by the president
• Sign checks
• Reports on the status of league finances to the Board of Directors
• Maintains league books and financial records
• Procure and maintain insurance at the director of the Board of Directors
• Other duties as assigned by the president.

DIVISION COMMISSIONERS - There will be one commissioner for each division, Primary, I, II, III, IV, and V. Division commissioners for Primary and division V will be provided by the WCPR. Commissioners for other divisions will be members of the Board of Directors. The duties of the commissioners shall be to...

• Collect all applications for league participation for their prospective division
• Organizing applications for drafting procedures.
• Determining team size and number of teams for division
• Act as a liaison between the Board of Directors and the membership of their prospective division.
• Handle all day to day operations of their prospective division, including but not limited to practice schedules, game schedules, coach recruitment and training, and any other league business.
• Responsible for keeping all scores and league standings
• Report to the Board any issues or problems with their prospective division in a timely, objective, and professional manner.
• Other duties as assigned by the president

DIRECTOR AT LARGE - The director at large will serve as a voting member of the Board of Directors and shall fulfill whatever duties are assigned by the president.

PARENT ADVISORY COMMITTEE - If interest in participation warrants, the parent advisory committee will be made up of one parent representative from each team from each division and will elect from its membership a chair person. The chairperson will act as a liaison for the parent representative to the Board of Directors and the parents of their prospective division. The Parent advisory representative will be responsible to...

• Act as a liaison between the parents of their division and the Board of Directors on all matters pertaining to league operations.
• Assuring that necessary information is communicated to all parents.
• Be responsible for acting as a clearinghouse for problems and /or suggestions from parents.

A team parent committee member may be replaced by a petition of 60% of the parents from his/her team or may be replaced by the Board of Directors for non-participation or non-administration of their duties.

ARTICLE VI - Formation and Division of Teams
The league will consist of children that meet the following qualifications...

• PRIMARY league - Level 1 - 4 & 5 year olds; Level 2 - 1st and 2nd graders who have not reached 8 years of age prior to October 1st.
• DIVISION I - P-4 (3rd grade) and 4th grade children who are between the ages of 8 and 10 years of age on October 1st.
• DIVISION II - 5th and 6th grade children who have not reached the age of 13 by October 1st.
• DIVISION III - 7th and 8th grade youth who have not reached the age 15 by October 1st.
• DIVISION IV - 9th and 10th grade youth who have not reached the age 17 by October 1st.
• DIVISION V - 11th and 12th grade youth who have not reached the age 19 by October 1st.

ARTICLE VII - Team Responsibilities
Teams and players will abide by the following guidelines:

• No team may begin practice until the Board of Directors gives them permission to do so.
• There will be no changes, alterations, or revisions to the practice schedule without prior permission of the Board.
• Teams may have no more than one scrimmage prior to the beginning of the season.
• After the season begins, teams may have no more than three contacts per week (Monday through Sunday, including games).
• When school is not in session for any reason (snow, holidays, etc.) there will be no practice, scrimmage, or games. Violation of this rule will result in dismissal of the Coach.

ARTICLE VIII - Conduct of Players, Officials, Coaches, and Spectators

Any individual participating in an SWYBL sponsored event (including practice, game, meeting, tournament, all-star event, etc.) will be responsible to follow the Code of Ethics adopted by the Warren County Parks and Recreation Department and will be subject to the disciplinary standards of this Code of Ethics. That code is recreated here, but changes implemented by the WCPR will prevail if a conflict arises.
View the WCPR Code of Ethics

ARTICLE IX - Protest - Officials / Rules

1. Judgment decisions of the referee (any foul calls, out of bounds, violation of any rule of play, etc. are NOT subject to protest.)
2. Protest of a rule interpretation, ineligible player, score, foul count, possession arrow, etc. may be made ONLY by the Head coach to a referee before the next time the ball is put into play. Once the ball has been put into play all protests are void (If a situation is ongoing (i.e. an ineligible player) the coach may initiate the protest whenever the violation is discovered, but the situation may only be corrected at that time. Time played is not subject to protest)
3. The referee may make decisions about anything not specifically covered in the KHSAA or SWYBL rules of play. These decisions are not subject to protest.
4. Ejection from a game, and the subsequent minimum suspension, by a referee or other park official is NOT subject to protest.
5. Once a coach files a protest, the referees will meet along with the ranking Board member present at the game to discuss the situation. The decision of the Board member will prevail and the game will continue. There will be no further protest. In the event no Board member is present at the game the decision of the Lead Referee will prevail and will be final. The Lead referee will notify the league president of the protest within 24 hours.
6. If a protest concerns game statistics, the official scorekeepers' book will prevail unless both teams' books are different than the score keeper, but agree with each other.

ARTICLE X - Awards

Awards shall be determined for each division by the Board on Directors based on the availability of funds.

ARTICLE XI - Selection of Coaches & Duties

The Head coach is selected by the Board of Directors upon recommendation of the Division Commissioner. The assistant coaches may be selected by the Head coach, but must also be approved by the Board of Directors.

Each team will have one (1) Head Coach and may have two (2) assistant coaches.

A coach will not give profits or pay to any player or coach. Any coach in violation of this will be dismissed form the SWYBL.

The duties of the Head coach will be to...

1. Monitor and control the conduct of his players, coaches, and spectators, during all league sponsored activities.
2. Deliver a roster and other records to the commissioner of the appropriate division.
3. Ensure that all players are eligible for play.
4. Ensure that only the head coach, one (1) assistant and players are seated on the bench during games (a second assistant may sit at the score keeper's table during tournament games to keep score and statistics, but may not interact with team members).
5. Ensure that players are in proper uniform before they are permitted to play.
6. Successfully complete the coaching clinics and NYSCA certification designated by the Board of Directors.
7. Read and agree to the constitution and by-laws/rules, regulations, and code of ethics of the SWYBL, and WCPR prior to any coaching duties.

ARTICLE XII - Team Duties / Regulations

All teams will abide by the KHSAA basketball rules except where changes or exceptions appear in the constitution and by-laws of the SWYBL.

Teams will hold a minimum of four practices and a maximum of seven practices before the first game of the season. No practice shall exceed one and one-half hours. Teams shall practice no more than two times per week. A scrimmage game will be considered a practice. Any team who violates the practice is subject to sanctions by the Board including removal of the coach and/or forfeiture of game(s).

ARTICLE XIII - Formation of teams - Try-outs & Draft

1. All eligible players will be drafted.
2. Players not available for try-outs will be drafted by random selection.
3. Players are redrafted each season.

The draft procedure will be determined and adopted by the Board of directors. All teams may draft children and youth from any age group. The draft is an Open draft. The Board has the right to call for a manual redistribution of children/youth from that school or team to any school or team.

Bylaws

These by-laws contain exceptions and clarifications to the rules and regulations of KHSAA. In the event these by-laws are in conflict with the Constitution of the SWYBL, the constitution will prevail.

Rules Governing Play / Exceptions to KHSAA Rules of Play

Practice and Game Times:

1. All games will be played according to the dates, times, and locations established by the Board of Directors. This includes regular season, tournament, and all-star games.
2. Only the SWYBL League President and the Director of the WCPR may cancel, postpone game(s), and/or alter the game schedule due to school schedule changes, inclement weather, holiday's etc.
3. Quarters will be: 5 minutes for Div. I, 6 minutes for Div. II, III, IV, and V.
4. Half time will be five minutes in all divisions and a ten-minute warm-up period will precede all games.
5. A tie game at the end of regulation play will result in a 2:30 minute overtime period for Div. I and 3 minute overtime period for Division II, III, IV & V. If still tied, the procedure will be repeated until a winner is determined.
6. ALL GAMES WILL COUNT!!!, but, ONLY division games will count toward division standing. A tie in division standings at the end of regular season play will be broken by the game played between the two teams that are tied. If, we have a three way tie in the division standings. The tie will be broken by using the AAU tie breaking method.
7. Division I will shoot free throws from 12 feet from the basket
8. Division I will be allowed 5 seconds in the lane on offense




Forfeiting a Game:

9. A game forfeiture will occur if...
   1. A team does not arrive at the scheduled game time.
   2. A team in Division. I, II, III, and IV does not have at least four eligible players to begin the game. Division V must have five eligible players.
   3. The lead referee in the performance of his/her duties, decides that the behavior of one team (including players, coaches, and spectators) is too disruptive or unsportsmanlike for the contest to maintain its integrity.
10. In the event of a double forfeit, both teams will be charged with a loss.
11. A team having a third forfeit will be ineligible for tournament play.




Equipment:

12. Divisions I, and II will use the youth size basketball (28.5). Divisions III, IV, and V will use the regulation size ball.
13. Players must be in proper uniform with jersey tucked into shorts to be eligible to play. No writing on uniform. No cutting or tearing of uniform.
14. Uniforms shall consist of the following: Jersey, shorts, socks, tennis shoes. A minimum of four to six inch number on the front and six inch number on the back of the jersey is required.




Required Play Time:

15. Players in division I and II must participate in two full running quarters (buzzer to buzzer) unless injury, sickness, or fouls prevent them from remaining eligible to play. Information will be kept by the scorekeeper during the game. Players in division III and IV must participate one full quarter (buzzer to buzzer) unless injury, sickness, or fouls prevent them from remaining eligible to play. There is NO play time required in division V. Failure to play a player, the required time will result in a technical foul on the head coach and correction of the violation if discovered during a game. If game is completed and the violation is discovered before the lead referee has left the gym, a protest can be made by the head coach. The Board of Directors will review the protest and the game may be forfeited if valid. It is the responsibility of the head coach to see that every player plays the required time if eligible. If deemed necessary by the Board of Directors, the coach may be dismissed from the league activities.
16. Coaches may restrict a player's playing time for disciplinary reasons, but if play time is to be reduced or suspended due to non-participation in practice, fighting, cursing, injury, sickness, etc., the coach must contact the parent and division commissioner prior to the contest with explanation. Players attending any school activity or function is NOT a reason for any disciplinary action.
17. A player arriving late (after initial tip) loses his right to participate in games. The coach may use his own discretion toward playing the late individual, but will be held accountable for play time rules based on the number of players present at the opening tip.
18. Tournament play - Play time for tournament play will be the same as during the regular season with the exception that Division I and II are only required to play one full quarter rather than two.
19. At the discretion of the referee, any effort to manipulate the play time regulations by faking an illness, fouling out intentionally, or encouraging another to do so may result in a technical foul assessed to the head coach and/or player and removal of the offending player and/or coach. This removed player may not be replaced.
20. There will be no required playtime in all-star play. Coaches may substitute in and out using KHSAA guidelines.




Full Court Press:

21. Division II, III, and IV may press full court at any time up to ten (20) point advantage. Division V there is NO press rule. Division V plays by KHSAA Rules & Guidelines.
22. The officials have the ruling power to decide if contact is incidental or a set planned defense resulting in contact on a dislodged ball on defense initiated loss of possession. Definition of a press: A press is defined as one or more players making a conscious and obvious effort to APPLY PRESSURE on the ball in the backcourt. Two players struggling for a loose ball or making contact to ball immediately after possession is NOT a press and is NOT an illegal defense. If, a player gains possession and then throws the ball to the other team in the backcourt. This is NOT a press or an illegal defense. This is a loose ball.
23. Division I teams may not press until the last 60 seconds of each quarter.
24. Division I teams behind 20 points may not press at any time until they return to a 10 point deficit.




Roster Regulations:

25. Maximum of 8 players per team; unless approved by the league Board of Directors.
26. Official team roster must contain name, address, school, date of birth, age, grade. Players appearing on the official team roster will play for that team the entire season unless otherwise provided by the Board of Directors
27. A player may not participate on an elementary, middle, junior high, or high school team while participating in the SWYBL.
28. No eligible child will be denied the opportunity to participate upon proper registration. Late registrants will be distributed to teams by the division commissioner as needed and are NOT GUARANTEED a team in their school district or to play at all.
29. Individuals registering after the final deadline will be placed on a waiting list and assigned to a team as the needs of the league dictate, but are NOT GUARANTEED a right to participate if no spot becomes available.
30. Eligible children and youth will be grouped as follows for the purpose of team assignment:
    1. The school district of residence.
    2. Private school children will play for the school in the district in which they reside
    3. Children/youth residing outside Warren County or Attending city schools will be placed in school districts as needed to even team schedules. These children will be grouped as a whole when possible.
31. A school with fewer players than necessary to form at least two teams will be grouped with another school for try-outs and draft purposes.
32. Each team can provide a scorekeeper to sit at the scorekeeper's table. Any protest of game statistics will be reviewed ONLY with the team and official score book.
33. An individual restricted from participation in SWYBL is not to attend any SWYBL sponsored event including but not limited to practice, games, tournament play, all-star events, meetings, awards ceremonies, etc...