Introduction: The Newport Girls Hoops (NGH) is pr= oud to sponsor the spring and fall basketball program NbK – Nothing but Knig= hts. The Board of Directors of the NGH has established a statement of purpose for the players, coaches and parents involved with NbK.

Program Purpose: The intent of NbK is to continue the team development and focus of each girl playing or planning to play basketball for Newport High School= . Girls earn their positions by benefit of their status as Varsity players or= in open competitions. NbK is not as much about developing individual skills as= it is focused on developing team skills. Players may not always be put in a position to showcase individual skills. Rather, the intent is to develop an opportunity to demonstrate how individual skills are used in a team situati= on under the pressure of high quality competition. While winning is always a sought after outcome, enhancing the team concept is NbK’s most import= ant goal.

Team goals are developed in cooperation with the Newport High School progra= m, but NHS coaches are only observers and not involved in any form of coaching= or training with the team or individual players during the spring and fall seasons.

NbK attempts to put the girls in situations that duplicate the pressure and intensity of the high school experience. These situations may or may not be well suited to a player’s skills. The objective is to expand, refine = or focus those skills in a team approach. Sometimes the girls succeed sometimes they do not, but they are always learning.

Every effort will be made to involve all girls in each game. All playing ti= me decisions, however, are made by the coaches. Playing time is not guaranteed= and may not be equal. Younger girls may find the demands of tournament play aga= inst players two or three years older physically challenging, thus further limit= ing their involvement.

Girls are expected to commit to hard work, be willing to try things beyond their level of comfort and bring intensity to both the practice court and t= he games. The importance of focus in practice is especially important given the limited hours available. Girls unable to attend practice or unwilling to put out maximum effort may see their game time greatly diminished.

NbK is a program designed to make high school players better in order to enhance their high school playing experience. It is not intended as a springboard to college recruitment or scholarships. An ancillary effect of = the program, however, is that players will play in a limited number of NCAA sanctioned events. The purpose is to improve the quality of the team, but s= uch events may also give players a chance to perform against some of the best players in the Pacific Northwest. Such performances can be noticed by college level coaches.

There is some controversy over whether a girl is better served playing for = her high school team during the spring, summer and fall seasons or gains a grea= ter advantage by playing for one of the many independent, Club or AAU teams in = our region. That choice is strictly between the girl and her parents. There is = no negative to playing lots of high quality basketball, the choice of team is = up to the family and will have no impact on winter team selections.

The Role of Parents: Parents are expected to keep their daughter focused on= the team concept and encourage their daughter’s involvement by:

• Attending as many games as possible.
• Helping with transportation and volunteering for score table responsibilities
• Being a model, not a critic; model appropriate behavior, poise and confidence.
• Doing everything possible to make the athletic experience positive = for your daughter and others.
• Viewing the game with team goals in mind.
• Releasing your daughter to the coach and team.
• Looking upon opponents as friends involved in the same experience. =
• Respecting the judgment of referees and coaches.
• Accepting the results of each game; don’t make excuses.
• Demonstrating winning and losing with class.
• Dignifying mistakes made by athletes who are giving their best effo= rt and concentration.
• Encouraging athletes to keep their perspective in both victory and defeat.
• Being a good listener.
• Endorsing the goals, roles and achievements of your daughter.
• Extending the same level of respect to spring coaches as you give to the high school coaching staff.

The Sponsoring Organization: N= ewport Girls Hoops (NGH) is the sponsoring organization for NbK. It is affiliated = with Newport <= st1:PlaceType w:st=3D"on">High School through its membership= in KABA (Knights Athletic Booster Association) the umbrella organization of booster groups at NHS. It is, however, an independent organization with an elected, self-sustaining Board of Directors. NbK through NGH has AAU team sponsor status. Members of the Board of Directors are subject to Washington State Patrol checks in the year they join the Board and every other year th= ey remain a Director. The NGH receives no funds from NHS. Members are usually parents of players, but this is not mandatory.

Each year a budget for NbK is approved by the NGH Board of Directors. The revenues come from NGBBA fundraising activities and fees charged players for participation. A limited amount of scholarship support may be offered based= on financial need. There are no full scholarships.

A more detailed explanation of the activities of the NGH can be found in the Role of Newport Girls Hoops. Click on NGH on the menu.

The Seasons: The NbK program runs during the period between the end of high school winter basketball and the start of the June/July summer coaching per= iod and again during the fall basketball off season, ending prior to the start = of tryouts in November. The team plays primarily in local or regional tourname= nts. League play is added as appropriate by coaches. Spring season is approximat= ely 35 games. Fall season approximately 12-15 games.

The Coaches: No NbK coach can be a Newport High School coach. Preference for coaching selections is given to a non parent coach with coll= ege playing experience (preferably in the women’s game) and high school coaching experience (preferably in girls’ basketball). The current NbK head Coach is Marisa Whitaker.

Coaches are subject to Washington State Patrol review in the year they join= the staff and every other year they remain a coach with NbK. Coaches may receiv= e a modest stipend to compensate for time and expense. Travel costs are reimbur= sed for out of town events. Coaches are expected to comply with WIAA guidelines= for out of season play.

The Players: Varsity girl basketball players who have not yet exhausted the= ir basketball eligibility at Newport HS have first right of refusal with NbK. Accepting a position on NBK requires the player to make a minimum commitmen= t of six tournaments out of eight scheduled to be played. While players are encouraged to participate, participation is not mandatory and has no effect= on the tryout process held at the start of the winter basketball season. If th= ere are still roster openings after Varsity player decisions, then JV, Frosh/So= ph and graduating eighth graders are invited to tryout for the team. The roste= r is made up of 10 players plus two alternates. Players must meet the same acade= mic standards of the Bellevue= School District nec= essary for eligibility during winter season.

A high school player must be enrolled at NHS and eligible for interscholast= ic competition with NHS before they can be considered for a roster position. Eighth graders must be enrolled in either a feeder middle school or a feeder academic program for NHS. Recruitment of outside players is expressly and explicitly forbidden. There are no exceptions. NbK is for Newport Basketball girl players only.

While no NHS athlete is obligated to play for NbK, a player choosing to do = so is expected to make NbK her number one basketball playing priority. Given the = full schedule NbK plays, it may not always be possible to play for NbK and anoth= er team. The player may have to choose one team or the other.

Ethical Standards: Every activity conducted by NbK, its coaches, parents and players is held to the highest ethical standards by the NGH Board of Direct= ors and must be in compliance with the rules and procedures of the Washington Interscholastic Athletic Association (WIAA). Bottom line for NbK is the pla= yers play, the coaches and the parents and other boosters cheer and provide supp= ort. These are the only acceptable roles within NbK and all players, coaches and parents are expected to abide by them.