Beginners' league in Perth?

[Just]

(Derek, sorry about the off-topic post. This didn't really fit into any of the forums, but I'm hoping you'll put up with it given there aren't exactly thousands of Australian basketball forums around that cater to this kind of question.)

I'm a 29 year old guy from Perth who loves basketball, but can't play to save his life. Yet I'd like to play in some sort of league/comp. Allow me to explain:

The only basketball I have ever played was the odd game in high school. Not in any league, but just in the park with a few friends. I'm short (5'9"), not very athletic, had no actual coaching, and didn't play basketball very often, so naturally I wasn't very good. And I haven't played at all since then (so, in about 14 years), so as bad as I was back then, I'm presumably even worse now.

But I still love the game. I've loved it since primary school when I first started following the Wildcats, and I very much regret not joining a team back then so I could have at least learnt the basic skills and progressed into a normal league in my adult life. Bit late for that.

Is there hope for me? Anyone know of a league suitable for complete beginners, in Perth (preferably northern suburbs, but I'll travel if need be), catering for old, slow, skinny, short, unfit guys who can't jump and who haven't picked up a basketball in 14 years? Or is it too late for me?

Thanks in advance. I've been googling for a while now, but I'm not finding anything. Hopefully that's just due to it being after 1am here and my google-fu is letting me down.

(Anyone remember the Seinfeld episode where Kramer takes up karate, only we found out he's competing against 10 year old kids? Perhaps I can try to get myself in an under 10s league somewhere. ;) )

Edit: Apparently the "Other Australian" forum caters for "amateur basketball". Guess I should have posted this in there. Oh well. Did I mention it's after 1 am? Hopefully at least a few more people will see it now that it's in the NBL forum, before a mod kindly moves it.

[Skindog the Hawk]

Firstly, yes "Other Basketball" caters for anything that's not NBL or WNBL...so no issues with placing it here.

I'd strongly recommend contacting your local basketball centre and asking if any teams in the lowest mens division possible need a player. Most places I know will either have a list of teams looking for a player or a list of players looking for a team. Also, you probably would do well to ask what night/s that division of basketball is played...head down to the centre on that night and see what teams are running around.

My experience has been that most of the people who do this eventually get into a team...they just need to be patient.

The two northern Perth basketball stadiums that I know of are Joondalup (Wanneroo Wolves) & Warwick (Stirling), however one of the WA'ers could probably give you some more as well.

Good luck!
SD.

[Chucker]

I agree, just turn up at the stadium and ask every team in the grade your looking at. Usually with the lower grades, players are not 100% committed to getting to every game so many teams I know of have more players to cover people not there each week.
Also check the website of any potential clubs you want to play at, it should have the draw posted somewhere so you can see if the comp has just started, near the end or on a break etc.
As for skill level, it's more about having fun than playing for the championship in the lower grades, with some guys on their way up and some on their way down.

[patm]

I have come from a similar starting point to you - but not quite that bad !!!

Anyway, good luck with your local competitions.
Go here and type in your postcode to find them - http://www.basketball.net.au/
(that is, if they have themselves listed properly)

Your local basketball association, on behalf of basketball australia, and your local state body, should be responsible for everyone who wants to participate in the sport in their geographic area.

There are lots of people like you out there - especially parents who's kids are now playing - and they want to share the experience with them.
However, where I live, the local basketball administrators couldn't give a fark about those people - or if they do, they have no idea about how to go about it - and even then, they don't bother talking to their local clubs about it - so I reckon they really don't care. It's a shame, because while they think focussing on their elite level programs is everything, they are not smart enough to understand that neglecting their grass roots, in the end negatively effects their elite program.
Most of those people I know of never end up playing.
And the few who do, usually don't play for long after the horror experience that is most veterans mens competitions IMO.
I would agree that playing in mens (even if you are over 35 - which I now see you are not - although tomorrow you will be ;-) gives you a better chance of a better experience. Sadly the lower the grade the rougher and more aggressive it seems to become - and the more dangerous - which is a real problem if you don't get sick leave and have no health or employment insurance - make sure at least one of your team knows how to reset broken noses :-(
So all I can say about your local competition is, good luck with it. I would love to run a real community based competition because it could be a fantastic fun thing. But it will have to wait for another day for me. But if you know a few people, you could arrange 1on1, 2on2, etc pickup games. Play outside and have no court costs. But you do need to know the rules and understand the skills. Which you reckon you need help with.

Now I am about to talk about me - when this response should be about you - but hopefully a few notes about my own progress might be of use to you.
In my own case, I too was never coached, which has been a huge disadvantage for me in now trying to learn the game - but you can overcome that.
I did play loads of local domestic games for 20 years, some of it quite high level, and that experience has been very useful me now - as I try to apply the basics of the sport I am learning - so I think that any experience you have had will be of use to you too.
What I found helped me the most in later life, was attending beginners coaching courses, as many as I could, be prepared to travel to other associations if necessary. It was there I learnt the basics that I never knew.
Then I practiced those things myself. Out side of game situations. On my own at home or down a local school. I would get some people together for a friendly outside game when I could. Or the poor relos when they come over for a barby. And I would join in and practice along with the primary school teams that I coached. I also have a throw if I can while my kids are being coached by others - no doubt I look like a bit of a dick to most of those parents sitting on their fat arses with a newspaper and a cup of coffee :-) - but I am improving.
It is really hard to change the bad habits you have. And it can take years. But it can be done. You just need to keep challenging yourself always.
I have formed the view that basketball is an unnatural act - everything you need to do correctly for basketball - is the exact opposite of what your body wants to do naturally - maybe it is just me - or maybe this applys to all sports.
So don't focus on how bad you might now be - just revel in each skill you first understand - then improve on.

Good luck with it - it is a truly great sport - despite how it is often administered.

[Just]

Thanks very much for the replies. I've tried phoning the Warwick centre - they list divisions A through E on their website, so given the surprisingly large number of divisions hopefully that means division E would be a low enough grade - but unsurprisingly it's hard to find out any info on Christmas Eve. I've now got the contact number of the person who knows more, so I'll try again after Christmas.


What I found helped me the most in later life, was attending beginners coaching courses, as many as I could, be prepared to travel to other associations if necessary.
This sounds exactly what I need. I didn't realize they even existed for seniors. Browsing through the websites for the past hour, no coaching for seniors was mentioned, but hopefully I've just missed it and I'll find out what's available after Christmas.

[patm]

This sounds exactly what I need. I didn't realize they even existed for seniors. Browsing through the websites for the past hour, no coaching for seniors was mentioned, but hopefully I've just missed it and I'll find out what's available after Christmas.
I should clarify what I meant by coaching courses.
They are beginners courses run for coaches, or aspiring coaches, for coaching primary school age children. They teach the basics of basketball, which are the same for kids as they are for adults. I just choose to teach myself first, because for me that makes it easier to pass on the skills to the kids.
Usually these informal beginners courses lead into more formal courses like the level 1, 2, etc here in VIC. They should be advertised on the wall of your local association. Or ring them up. Or get on an email list where they advise you when the next one is coming up. If they don't do them, then tell them to get the fark off their lazy inept arsus and start.
You don't have to have kids of your own. You really shouldn't need to even intend to coach. An association with some nouse should always be aiming to have as many people in their geographic area better educated in basketball as is possible. Once you start to understand it better, chances are you will feel confident enough to want to pass on your knowledge to others and kids (although as the adage goes, start in an orphanage).
In my area there is never enough people turning up to these courses. But I suppose at least they run some, so I should be grateful.
If it was my association, I'd be running them every week, and make it a regular get together/club for all coaches (who want to) to drop by and have a drink and a chat. And why not chuck in a regular guest speaker each week too. The more of these sessions you have the less time they need to go for, which usually encourages people to attend.

And as I said, good luck with it.
I missed out on playing when I was a kid because there was no basketball where I lived.
But after trying all the traditional Australian sports first, I still believe it is a truly great sport, for many many reasons.

[Just]

Interesting idea, thanks for that patm.

[Bench Warmer]

I was in a similar situation Just. Didn't know where to start getting back into the game after a number of years away (and I'm older and shorter than you are :P). So I took the novel approach and started a team from scratch off the old Wildcats message board. And we're still going strong 5 years later - just won the men's D grade at Morley a couple of months ago :)

You really just have to get involved and make contact with teams. Warwick has a lot of grades (E grade hehehe) and is a pretty good place to play. Morley Rec is quite popular as well. I'm certainly a lot fitter than when I started back, and have improved my game somewhat. But I'm no Steve Nash and won't be tearing up the league anytime soon. It's all about having fun in the end.

If you're looking for coaching, unfortunately there is bugger all available for adults. We were lucky enough to get some coaching sessions from a former Cats squad member who gave us some really good drills. And I won a coaching session off Nova with 3 of the current Cats a few months ago for some of my teammates (thanks Rogy, Robbins and Lisch!). Have a read of Basketball for Dummies by Andrew Gaze and 'Digger' Phelps. I know the title sounds a bit corny, but it has some good stuff in there.

My team's looking for a couple of players at the moment. Send me a pm if you want to come down and have a game. Can't promise anything long term, but given how rare it is for the whole team to turn up in any given week, we're almost always in need of players. Plus I own the team, so that helps :P

[Just]

Thanks Bench Warmer, I'll probably PM you shortly after the holiday period.

[The_Rock]

Definitely just ring your local stadium(s) and put your name down, you should find a team that way and just state that you want a lower grade team like C or D. Enjoy!

[SB.1]

(Originally incorrectly posted in NBL forum - thanks Hellcat for re-directing me here)

Does anyone know of any mens amateur comps or pick up games in Perth that play on weekends? The only ones I know of are Warwick on Saturdays (too far) and Melville pick-up on Sunday mornings (is that still going)?

[pmiddy81]

I heard Cockburn are going to be opening up their gym for a few hours on Saturday afternoons charging 5 bucks and havin mad pick-up games goin on. Heard they gave have some great hoopin music made up and will have the sound sytem pumpin while the games were happening. Cant wait for that to start in the next couple of weeks.

[SB.1]

sounds interesting pmiddy. Keep me posted.