PRINT version of the tournament packet

The 2008 Arkansas AAU Girls Basketball Tournament will be held at Little Rock area gyms, including P.A.R.K., Hall High School, and additional gyms as needed.

The Kamikaze Basketball Club will once again host the tournament. The Tournament Director is Doris Gaiser. For urgent tournament questions, please contact Doris by e-mail.   General questions about AAU Girls Basketball should be directed to our District Sports Director, Ms. Jane Nichols. Rules or procedures that are new or changed from last year are marked with NEW!

Age & Eligibility    NEW!  The new Age Determining Dates for 2008 are below:

An athlete who attends college and participates on that institution’s basketball team is eligible for the AAU girls basketball program. Whenever applicable, the college or university MUST approve in writing an athlete’s participation. All approval letters must be attached to the team’s roster. NCAA Division I and II athletes are prohibited from participation in the AAU by the NCAA.

An athlete may participate in her own Association or in a bordering Association. Permission letters are not  required.

Athletes may begin participation in an AAU practice, tryout, scrimmages or games as follows:

1.  For an athlete who attends an Arkansas Activities Association (AAA) member school ...

Ÿ 9th graders playing up on senior high teams, and all 10th, 11th, 12th graders may begin at the completion of the AAA basketball season, which is Sunday March 13 2008 this year.

Ÿ 7th, 8th, and 9th graders may begin after the school’s last game.

Any athlete that is found in violation of the AAA rules is subject to penalties by the AAA and risks suspension from school participation. Any AAU coach that is found in violation of the AAA rules will be barred from coaching in AAU sanctioned events for a minimum of one year.

2.  For an athlete who attends a non-AAA school, AAU participation can take place now. Note: Elementary schools and most private/parochial grade schools are typically non-AAA affiliated.

3.  For an athlete who attends school in another state, you must follow the rules set forth by that state’s sports governing body.

Questions about the AAA rule should be directed to Jane Nichols, Arkansas AAU Girls Basketball Sports Director.

An athlete may not miss school to participate in a game, practice, tryout, scrimmage or travel involving the AAU Girls Basketball Program.

If an athlete is found to be ineligible prior to the start of the tournament, that athlete will be disqualified from the tournament. If an athlete is found to be ineligible after the tournament has started, both the team and the athlete will be disqualified from the tournament. Coaches are required to see that their team meets all participation requirements.

AAU Memberships   
All participants in the AAU Girls Basketball program, at any level, must be a current member of the AAU. Every team, whether independent or as a member of a club, must have an AAU Club Membership for the current year.

Club Membership. There are three levels of AAU Club Membership:  Level 1 fee is $30.00, Level 2 fee is $60.00, and Level 3 fee is $300.00.  The description of benefits of each Level is described on the AAU website www.aausports.org .  Club Levels 1 and 2 may be registered through the local office (Laura Rymel) or Online at www.aausports.org; Club Level 3 must register Online at www.aausports.org.  

Coach/Athlete Membership. Coach membership is $14.00 or $16.00* each; athlete membership is $12.00 or $14.00* each. AAU memberships are good for any association athletic competition. AAU membership provides for accident insurance and general liability. *The higher membership fee is for the "Added Benefit" -- or "AB" -- membership option. The "AB" membership provides coverage for non-sanctioned and sanctioned events. Details are provided in your AAU registration material.  Memberships may be acquired Online at www.aausports.org, registered through the local office (Laura Rymel).

If registering through local office, here are the forms to use:

2008 Club Application

2008 Athlete Individual Membership Application

2008 Non-Athlete Individual Membership Application
*example: Administrator, Bench Personnel, Coach, Instructor, Manager, Volunteer, Other

2008 Athlete Multiple Registration Application

AAU Insurance Claim

The Sports Accident Claim Form, and other insurance related information, may be obtained from www.aausports.org (click on"Insurance" on the left side bar).

Registration and Tournament Entry Procedures

There are 4 important steps to take in order to enter the AAU state tournament.

Step 1. Apply for AAU Club Membership. Every team must submit an AAU club number for tournament registration.  Two ways to apply for AAU Club Membership:  online at www.aausports.org, or manual application form sent to Arkansas Registration Chair, Laura Rymel (contact info below).

Apply for your AAU Club now. You will need to present the AAU Club number by no later than the Coaches Meeting date.

Step 2.  Apply for AAU memberships (cards) for your players and coaches. Every coach or player must have an AAU number for tournament registration. Two ways to apply for your AAU cards:  online at www.aausports.org, or manual application form sent to Arkansas Registration Chair, Laura Rymel (contact info below).

Apply for your AAU cards as soon as possible. You'll need them by the Coaches meeting.

Step 3.  Send Team Entry and Entry fee to Tournament Director.  

1.  Complete this form:  aau08-entry.pdf

2.  Prepare checks (money orders or cashier's checks... NO personal checks) : 
Entry fee for 8u, 9u, 10u, 11u, and Open divisions - $250  NEW! 
Entry fee for 12u, 13u, 14u, 15u, and JR divisions - $300  NEW! 
Forfeiture fee for all divisions - $100.  (Only one forfeiture check is required per Club.)

3.  Mail the Entry form and fees to : Doris Gaiser, 14009 Bayberry Place, Little Rock AR 72210.

Receipt of your entry fees by the POSTMARK DEADLINE assures your entry. (Rosters may be completed later... See Step 4.)

Step 4. Complete the Official Team Entry & Roster.  2 ways you can do this:

A.  Key in your roster on-line -- click here to go to 2008 Online entry. This is the easiest method !!

B.  Download either of these files, and send completed file as an e-mail attachment to e-mail id provided in the form :
Microsoft Excel format -- aau08-official-roster.xls
Microsoft Word format -- aau08-official-roster.doc

  Laura Rymel

40 Liles Road
Beebe, AR 72012-9411
Home:  501-882-3376
Work:  501-570-8082
FAX: 501-882-6876
LJRymel@yahoo.com

Deadlines The tournament fees MUST be mailed and POSTMARKED on or before the established deadlines below. Late entries will not be opened!

Remember, only the minimum team/coach info, your tournament entry fee ($250 or $300), and forfeiture fee ($100) are required by the dates above. The rest of your roster is not due until the Coaches Meeting.

Birth Certificates Coaches are required to bring a complete set of birth certificates to the Coaches Meeting. Do not mail them. Birth certificates will be checked at the Coaches Meeting.

Each athlete’s birth record must be a certificate of live birth from the State, County or Municipal Bureau of Vital Statistics of the place of birth. Hospital or school records are not acceptable.   For the older age groups, valid Drivers License (or photocopy) may be provided in lieu of birth certificate.

High School Transcripts In addition to birth certificates, a high school transcript is required for each JUNIOR division player that has a 1990 birthdate (17 year old).  Bring transcripts to Coaches Meeting also.

Coaches Meetings A required coaches meeting will be held for each age division. A coach or team representative is required to attend. Any problems making the Coaches Meeting, PLEASE make prior arrangement with tournament director regarding paperwork completion. Coaches meetings will help coaches complete the tournament entry process adequately, allow input into the AAU program, allow coaches to arrange practice games, conduct drawing for pool alignment, present birth certificates, and allow for completion of the Official Roster. 

The following schedule for coaches meetings are tentative and subject to change.  Any changes to date, time or location will be communicated via e-mail, website update, and/or phone call.  Please check the website for updates.

Bring your AAU cards to the meeting !!

Roster should be complete and final by end of Coaches Meeting.  Any changes afterward will be assessed $50 late fee.

Fees Each team that enters the AAU state tournament will be required to pay an entry fee per the schedule below. Cashiers check or Money Order is required. Personal checks will not be accepted.

Each team or each club must submit a $100 forfeiture fee, also in a cashiers check or money order, which will be returned to the coach or administrator at completion of the tournament if your team does not forfeit any games, or if you do not owe late processing fee(s).

Rules of Play Each team is guaranteed 10 minutes warm up time.  However, at the tournament host or site director's discretion, the game may be started before the official scheduled time if the facility is running ahead of schedule.  (Note, a game will not be started if a team has not had at least one and a half hours rest between games.)

Game playing times...

Shot clocks will be used in championship play. Shot clocks may be used in pool play and consolation games if available on the court. 

Teams are asked to report to the game site at least 30 minutes ahead of scheduled game time.

The 2008 AAU Girls State Championships will be governed by the 2007-2008 NCAA Basketball Women’s rules. The playing rules book titled 2008 Men's and Women's Rules and Interpretations may be purchased from http://www.ncaa.org, or you can download PDF file - click here for download page. 

Key NCAA rules differences from High School Federation rules will be discussed at the coaches meeting.

Bench Rules A team may have on its bench ONLY the eligible players and coaches listed on the 2008 Arkansas AAU Girls Basketball Tournament - Official Team Roster & Entry form, all of which must be registered members of the AAU. A violation of this rule will result in one warning. The team will have one minute to comply with the rule. Failure to do so will result in a 2-shot technical foul on the bench (indirect technical for the coach). Failure to comply after the technical will result in forfeiture of the game with a score of 15-0.

To be consistent with national AAU, we require a minimum of two (2) and a maximum of four (4) bench personnel to be listed on rosters.

Players and coaches must be above reproach at all times. Any misconduct will result in disqualification from the tournament. Head coaches are responsible for their players actions at all times.

Uniforms An AAU basketball team may not wear school property or use school mascot names while participating in AAU activities (games, practices or scrimmages). Each team MUST have a light and dark set of uniforms.

Note: Matching the undershirt with the jersey will not be enforced (example: white T-shirt under red jersey). However, all team members must have the same color undershirts.

Team listed first in pool play or team listed on the top bracket will be the home team and MUST wear light colored jerseys. The home team will sit on the bench to the scorekeeper's right. Each team will warm up on the goal away from their bench.

It is the coach’s responsibility to check the official score book before the game. Any technicals issued because of errors in the score book will be the fault of the coach. The following numbers are legal and must be on the front and back of the uniform: 0 or 00 (but not both), 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 10-15, 20-25, 30-35, 40-45, 50-55.

Teams should come dressed in uniforms, if possible.

Equipment Each team is responsible for their own warm up balls. Be sure balls are adequately marked and properly put away during the game. The AAU, the Tournament Host, or its assigns are not responsible for balls lost, stolen, or misplaced.

Protests Protests are not allowed at Nationals; therefore, no protest will be allowed at the state tournament.

Officials Officials will be assigned by a Tournament Head of Officials. All comments, good or bad, should be submitted in written format to either the Head of Officials, the tournament host, or site directors.

A three-person officiating crew will be used for Championship Final Four games and Shootout Championship game in 13/u thru SR divisions. (Other games of significance may also be assigned a 3-person crew.) A two-person officiating crew will be used for all other games.

Team Roster You must have at least 9 and no more than 15 players on your Official team roster. If you roster less than 15 players in the State tournament, you can optionally add ("pick up") up to 3 players without exceeding 15 total for the National Championship.   Three (3) players may be added to a team’s roster advancing to the National Championships as long as they qualify by age, residence and is a member of the AAU. It is not necessary for a player to have been on the roster of any team in their respective DQT.

The 2008 Arkansas AAU Girls Basketball Tournament - Official Team Roster & Entry form must be completed in full on or before the Coaches Meeting. After the coaches meeting, if you want to change or add to your roster there will be a $50.00 fee assessed to you for each change you make.  

Rosters are FINAL at 5:00 P.M. of the Friday before pool play. Roster changes after the Coaches Meeting and before this DEADLINE should be faxed or e-mailed to the Tournament Director, and the $50.00 late fee is payable when you arrive for your first pool game, or it will be deducted from your forfeiture fee. Your fax or e-mail should include: player name, jersey number, birth date, and AAU number. 

Tournament Format

For the 2-weekend tournaments - 12u, 13u, 14u, 15u, and JR divisions - the format will be Pool Play the first weekend, then all teams are guaranteed (NEW!) to advance to a double elimination Championship bracket the second weekend.

For the 1-weekend tournaments - 8u, 9u, 10u, 11u, and SR divisions - the format will be Pool Play, then single elimination Championship bracket.  Optionally, first round Championship bracket losers may be advanced to a consolation round.  Depending on the number of teams entered, this format may be adjusted.  Any adjustments would be discussed at the Coaches Meeting.

Every effort will be made to give each team 5 games in the tournament. However, teams placed in a 3-team pool could end up playing only 4 games total.

Note: A team may choose not to return for the 2nd weekend of play, and not lose the forfeiture money, IF the Tournament Director is notified by no later than 9:00PM Sunday (conclusion of pool play). 

Note: If the team representative at the coaches meeting agrees to playing Exhibition games during Pool weekend, and the team cancels after the schedule is published or the team does not show up, this too will be considered a forfeiture.

POOL PLACEMENT.  When placing teams in pools, teams will be placed into 3-team or 4-team pools and play a round-robin pool schedule. Short pools (3-team pools) will be assigned to seeded pools first, consistent with how they are done at Nationals. The seeded teams--up to 8 teams based on last year’s finish--will be allocated to the pools, left to right then right to left, per example below. Exception: When a draw results in two teams from the same AAU Club being placed in the same pool, there will be a redraw. Teams from the same Club will not be placed in the same pool.

The same tie breaker rules (pool play) used at Nationals apply to our District (state) tournament. In the case of a tie with two teams, head-to-head is still the tie breaker. In the case of a TIE WITH MORE THAN TWO TEAMS, points from ALL games will determine all places of finish. The maximum point spread per game is 13 points.  The following examples shows tie breaker for 3 teams tied with 2-1 records.

Mercy Rule At discretion of losing coach, the score clock will run continuously when the margin is 30 points or more. When the margin is cut to 20 points, clock will return to normal.

Score Keepers   As we have the past years, we will require each team to provide a table worker. Be prepared ahead of time; have someone identified to keep the clock, score book, or shot clock.  You may request on an exception basis to have a neutral person(s) work the clock and/or scoreboard. You must make this request to the Tournament Director ahead of time, who will make every effort to accommodate such requests.

Coaches may request copy of the score sheets; scanned image will be e-mailed to the coach. Call the Tournament Director after your playing weekend to request score sheet copies.

Awards Team trophies will be awarded to the Champion, Runner-up, and optionally Shootout (consolation) winner.  Each athlete from the gold medal team, the silver medal team, and the bronze medal team will be awarded AAU Championship Medals. Each athlete from the consolation winner and runner-up teams will awarded AAU Sports Forever Medals.

Compensation  The tournament host will compensate teams advancing to the national tournament using the following schedule.  NEW!  If the team that earns the compensation does not go to nationals, the next team in line will be awarded half of the compensation money.

NEW!  $650 to match new Nationals entry.

Admission Admission will be charged as follows. Please share this information with your supporters.
NEW!   These are revised from last year.

Weekend Pass :   Adults $10.00; Students & Seniors (over 65) $6.00
Day Pass :  Adults $6.00; Students & Seniors (over 65) $4.00
(Children 6 and under are free.)

Coaches will receive passes good for both weekends of play for his/her respective age group. Players not in uniform will be admitted free for both weekends of her age group if she presents her AAU card at the door.

National Championship Procedures for advancing to National Championships:

Changes  Please refer to http://www.aaugirlsbasketball.org for complete list of changes to 2008 AAU Girls Basketball.  Of particular note the last couple of years....

Three (3) players may be added to a team’s roster advancing to the National Championships as long as they qualify by age, residence and is a member of the AAU. It is not necessary for a player to have been on the roster of any team in their respective DQT.

Beginning in 2006, each District would qualify two (2) teams for Division II for every team they qualify for Div. I, up to a maximum of eight., At the discretion of the Chair, the Host District would be allowed additional teams

Warm-up from 15 to 10 minutes and half time from 10 to 8 minutes.

Division-II: Increase the number of “pick-ups” allowed from three (3) to five (5).

Roster Change: Once a team qualifies for a National tournament , the athletes on their roster cannot play for another team in the National Championship. If her team declines the bid and does not attend Nationals, she may be picked up by a team that is attending from her district or an adjoining District.

Changes that were passed at the recent convention and will be implemented for 2008 :

The most significant change is the new Age Determining Dates (ADD).  Go to that section.

The JR division playing time is reduced to 18 minute halves (from 20 minute halves).

The 9/u will use 27.5" ball and move the foul line to 12'.  This is same with 8/u.

Merchandise Tournament merchandise will be sold at select gyms.

Junior Olympics  For additional information, contact our Chairman, Ms. Jane Nichols.

Infractions Committee The Arkansas AAU Girls Basketball Committee, at its Fall Meeting in November 2006, appointed new members for the Infractions Committee. Complaints must be written and filed with Jane Nichols. If further action is needed, the complaint will be referred to the Board of Review which is the State AAU Officers. The decision of the Infractions Committee and Board of Review will be final. For additional information, contact Ms. Jane Nichols.

Information Any questions about competition rules that are not detailed in this packet are deferred to the 2008 AAU Girls’ Basketball Handbook. The handbook is also an excellent source of information related to qualifying for and entering the national tournaments. Copy of the handbook may be obtained from the AAU (call 407-934-7200, or write to Amateur Athletic Union, c/o The Walt Disney World Resort, P.O. Box 10,000, Lake Buena Vista, FL 32830-1000, or download from AAU web site).

The national AAU web site can be found at http://www.aausports.org. The AAU girls basketball web site is at http://www.aaugirlsbasketball.org.  Our girls basketball contact, Mr. Eddie Clinton, is eddie@aausports.org.