League will run Oct. 24 through January

On Saturday, Oct. 24, the Knights of Columbus Athletic Club will begin its 32nd season of Kids Basketball, which is completely free to any boy or girl that is in the sixth grade or younger.

There are no signups or commitment, and players can show up whatever weeks are convenient for them.  The league will run every Sat (minus Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Years weekend) through late January. 

This program started in 1995 by Bernie Boyle, and is now run by his sons, Dan and Tom. The No. 1 goal is for kids to have fun, develop some fundamental basketball skills, and learn teamwork and other social skills. 

The early group runs from 9 to 10:30 a.m. each Saturday, and it is played on roughly 7-foothoops.  This group is aimed for second graders and youngers, but some third graders may feel more comfortable playing on the smaller hoops.

There is no minimum age requirement. Most players are at least kindergarten, but if a 3- or 4-year-old wants to give it a try, it certainly wouldn’t be the first time.  It also wouldn’t be the first time for a kid to start the game on the court and then decide it isn’t for them, after a few minutes.  That is completely fine and the exact reason some of the younger games are played 5 vs. 4 or 6 vs. 5. 

The older group runs from 10:30 a.m. to noon and is up to sixth grade and on the regular hoops, which are roughly 10 feet high.  Depending on the number of kids, the league tries to break this up into fifth and sixth graders into one group and the younger kids in another group.  If there aren’t many kids in that division, then they may all play together, but they always do their best to match up players by skill level, age and size. 

For both groups, the league will work to keep the teams as even as possible, as well as individual matchups as even as possible. For the younger kids, wristbands are used so the kids know who they are guarding. The older group will be matched up without wristbands.

Contact Tom Boyle at (406) 498-4201or Dan Boyle at (406) 491-2529 if you have any questions.