General

While basketball officials and coaches don't often see eye to eye, they can agree on one thing: that working together to achieve game flow is not only in  their mutual interest, but makes the game more enjoyable for everyone.

While millions of people worldwide focused this past two weeks on the NBA Finals and superstars like LeBron James, Dwyane Wade and Dirk Nowitzki playing the game of basketball with grace and fury for a championship at the highest level, area gyms around the nation will be filled with kids and weekend warriors hooping it up with the same intensity but for completely different reasons.  "We play basketball for the three ‘C's,'" explains Jamar Johnson, Chief Commissioner of the Community Basketball Leagues (CBL): competition, comradery and community.

Finding ways to keep kids playing and making programs more fun are seen by coaches, administrators and volunteers as the best ways to improve the youth basketball experience in a survey conducted by youth basketball expert and reform advocate, Bob Bigelow.

No matter how talented your child may be, there are going to days when he doesn't play his best, or when, despite his best effort, his team loses.  How you manage both the ups, and the inevitable downs, will play a large role in whether your child has a successful youth sports experience.  Here are ten things to keep in mind after your child's team loses or he doesn't perform up to his expectations.

Kids, especially under twelve, are always seeking their parents' approval. Negative labels and generalizations and criticism can have a devastating emotional impact. If you critique your child's performance, she will interpret your anger, disapproval, and disappointment as meaning that you don't love her anymore-that your love is conditional.

USA Basketball is a nonprofit organization that is recognized as the
national governing body for men's and women's basketball in the United
States by the International Basketball Federation (FIBA) and the United
States Olympic Committee (USOC). USA Basketball oversees all aspects of
basketball in the United States , from amateur to professional, and is
responsible for selecting the U.S Olympic team.

State high school associations will have the option to adopt a "mercy" rule in high school basketball beginning next season. The National Federation of State High School Associations (NFHS) Basketball Rules Committee voted that a state association may institute a running clock when a specified point differential is reached at a specified time in the game.