Rockets Athlete Placement and Balancing Process


Rockets Athlete Placement and Balancing Process

Rockets Basketball Assessments Process Overview

At Rockets Basketball, from U10 through U18, athletes participate in a structured assessment process designed to place them on teams that match their skill level and experience — giving them the best chance for a successful season.

Assessment Sessions

  • Each player will take part in 3-5 sessions over 2-3 weeks, depending on registration numbers in their age group.

  • After each week, groups are reshuffled so that athletes of similar skill levels are assessed together.

  • This ensures every player gets a fair opportunity to be placed on a team where they can thrive.

Initial Grouping

  • Once registration closes, players are assigned to initial groups.

  • Returning players are placed based on last season’s division to ensure balanced starting groups and meaningful drills.

  • This approach prevents brand-new players from being overwhelmed and supports assessors in tailoring sessions from day one.

  • Important: Past division placement is only used for initial grouping — not for player evaluations or final placements. Also there is still a chance an athlete can be in a group with peers at a different level of expereince and skill, typically they will be identified quickly and moved to a new group for the next session. 

How Assessments Are Conducted

  • Players wear a numbered pinnie throughout all sessions to help assessors track progress.

  • If they have a reversible numbered jersey from spring/summer basketball, they are encouraged to wear it.

  • Sessions are typically 1-1.5 hours, combining skill drills (dribbling, passing, shooting) and scrimmages.

  • Assessors also evaluate attitude, effort, and teamwork.

  • We aim to have a consistent assessment team for each age group so every assessor is familiar with all players.

Ongoing Grouping and Final Placement

  • After each week, assessors review notes, regroup players, and post schedules for the following week.

  • Once assessments are complete, assessors meet to finalize team placements based on performance.

  • In some cases, a pool of 20-30 players may be balanced across multiple teams to ensure Rockets teams are competitive within the Metro Basketball Association.

Coaching Assignments

  • Each team is assigned a head coach and ideally two assistant coaches to support practices and games.

  • Coaches have access to practice plans, drills, and mentoring resources, with additional support provided for new coaches.

Special Requests

  • With over 700 athletes in our program, we are unable to accommodate most placement requests.

  • Critical accommodation requests must be submitted by the end of the first week of assessments.

  • We will attempt to meet these requests where they do not interfere with the goal of grouping players by skill level.

? For a detailed look at our balancing process: www.rocketsbasketball.ca/content/Detailed-Balancing-Placement-Process

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