Hi Everyone. Reasonably good games yesterday. I know the two cancelled games caused some monitoring issues, so sorry about that. We’re now three games into the season, and well underway. I haven’t had a chance to watch all the teams yet, but I will start making my rounds. Although some of the games are smooth, others are not so smooth. To start with, there are many new players, mostly on new teams. These players, and all players, need to read and review the rules. A few players don’t have a clue about the rules, i.e., where to inbound the ball, contests, staying away from the rim, etc.. As far as dunking, it’s most important that players do not touch the rim at any of the centers. The $100 deposit is primarily to cover the $1500 cost of a damaged rim or backboard. The backboards at the centers, particularly at Kerrisdale, are not very solid. The issue is with the backboard infrastructure and not the backboards or rims themselves. One of the players brought a Kerrisdale backboard down years ago, which cost the league $1500 (most of it from me), and hence the need for the deposit. Rims aside, the play is pretty competitive, which is great, but sometimes the play gets a bit touchy. It’s important to keep the spirit of the league in mind, and try and get a smooth flowing game. Some of the games I’ve watched haven’t been that smooth because players seem to get stuck on a particular call or technicality. Just deal with the situation quickly within the rules and get the play moving – you will have a better game.
Rosters — these should be stable by now, and it’s important that you play with your own players. This isn’t a pick up league, and I cannot monitor every game and every player. We should not borrow from other teams. We do have some borrowing rules, but players seem to be abusing these rules. So for now, please stick with your own roster, and if you are short, please contact me, and I will find a way to help you out. Please keep in mind that even though we don’t have the formality of refs, we’re a league. Historically, we’ve run very well, and there’s no reason why we can’ t continue to have a great league. I think once the new players are in sync with the veteran players, we should be back on track as a league. We have a large contingent of veteran players who really are the reason why this league works. Please integrate yourselves with these players. I will try and spend some time checking in on as many games as I can. Have a great couple of weeks as we’re off for Thanksgiving. Thanks. Biraj