House FAQs

The House League basketball program is a purely recreational league that balances fun with skill development. Minimum playtime requirements and intentionally small team sizes (7-8 players) ensure extensive participation for all players. For a one-time registration fee, participants will be guaranteed a spot on one of the league’s teams, which are each allotted gym space and games for the duration of the season. House League teams typically have one hour-long weeknight practice and one weekend game per week. Comparatively, the Select League, run by the Fairfax County Youth Basketball League (FCYBL), is for more competitive players with a 6-8 hour weekly commitment, discretionary playing time, additional fees, and longer travel for games. For more information on Select, see the “Select League” tab on our website. 

The cost to participate in the winter House League is a flat registration fee of $195 ($225 after 9/30) which includes a jersey.

Tryouts: House League evaluations occur in early November. Every player must attend one evaluation session.

Practices: Teams will conduct one hour-long weeknight practice in one of our local area gyms. Practice times are determined by individual coaches working with grade group coordinators.

Games:  Teams will typically play one game per weekend in one of our local area gyms beginning in mid-November and concluding with the GF Hoops double-elimination tourney concluding no later than March 15th.

Team rosters are intentionally kept small (7-8 players) in order to give everyone ample playing time, attention from coaches, and learning opportunities. Coaches follow mandatory minimum playing time requirements so that all players – regardless of skill level – will play at least half of every game (one full quarter per half).

The league requires coaches to draft players who do not have a conflict with that coach's practice time slot. We allow each player to specify one "can not practice" day. Our registration system will capture only one "can not practice" day for each player. It is assumed that players will make themselves available on all other weeknights.

Parents are welcome to enter a friend request in the “special request” section of the registration form. However, this is not a guarantee and coaches are not required to honor these requests.

For grades K-1, we try to group players by elementary school in an attempt to keep them with friends and classmates. 

While we appreciate the desire to have your children play on the same team with a friend(s), the league also seeks to create teams that are evenly balanced from a competitive standpoint starting in Grade 2.  Given the small number of players on a house league basketball team (7-8 players), two skilled players paired together can create a significant competitive advantage. Therefore, for grades 2-12, our policy is to not arrange pre-draft team placements for any reason. 

Great Falls Basketball uses a grade-based placement system, and players are generally encouraged to participate with their grade-level peers. Playing with children of a similar age not only supports appropriate competition, but also the social and emotional development, friendships, and team experiences that are an important part of youth sports.

However, we recognize that there may be circumstances in which allowing a player to play up is appropriate. Requests to play at a higher grade level may be considered based on factors such as age, size, skill level, scoring ability, ball-handling ability, prior basketball experience, and overall readiness. Approval to play up is not automatic and will be determined by Great Falls Basketball based on what is appropriate for the player and the program.

Players with particularly strong skills are encouraged to consider our Select program or 4th Grade Developmental team. Third and fourth-grade players may try out for a 5th Grade Select team. If they are not selected for a 5th Grade Select team, they may try out for the 4th Grade Developmental team. 3rd and 4th grade players selected for the Developmental team must also participate in their grade-level House League.

5th-8th grade Select players CANNOT participate in the House league or any other FCYBL Select program. Scheduling conflicts are likely given that the Select game schedule is established by an independent organization, forcing players to choose between teams, which would be unfair for all parties. 4th grade Developmental team players MUST play on a House League team.

Due to our league’s efforts to ensure that teams are competitively balanced, we cannot guarantee that twins will be placed on the same team. Any requests for twins to be on the same team will be handled on a case-by-case basis by the GF Hoops Board and the House League Director overseeing the pertinent grade group. Please reach out to your House League Director to start the conversation. The names of the House League Directors can be found on our website. 

sPlease make sure that your player has a pair of athletic shoes that are in good condition.  To provide maximum support to a player’s ankles, high top basketball shoes are encouraged, but not required. Players should bring a water bottle and an age-appropriate basketball to practices and games with their name clearly displayed on each item. A team jersey will be provided to each player by GF Hoops and should be worn at all games.

Basketball sizes: 

Regulation size 29.5" – Boys Grade 7 and higher

Size 28.5" – Girls Grades 4-12 and Boys Grades 4-6

Size 27.5" – Boys and Girls Grades K-3 

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