Division Information

CYBA Winter League Information

Quick Overview

Registration Fee: $150 per player
Games: 8 regular-season games
Game Season: January and February
Uniform: Every player receives a team uniform shirt
Practices: Practice format varies by age division
Team Formation: Teams are primarily organized by school attendance and available roster space

Important Policies

  • Players must participate at their current grade level.
  • CYBA reserves the right to combine divisions based on registration numbers.
  • Coach and friend requests are not guaranteed.
  • Early registration provides the best opportunity for placement with school peers or returning teammates.
  • CYBA is a recreational league and works to create balanced teams whenever possible.

Basketball Sizes

Kindergarten–2nd Grade Boys and Girls: 27.5-inch basketball

3rd–6th Grade Boys and Girls: 28.5-inch basketball

7th–12th Grade Girls: 28.5-inch basketball

7th–12th Grade Boys: Full-size basketball

Kindergarten–1st Grade

Divisions

Boys

  • Kindergarten
  • 1st Grade

Girls

  • Kindergarten and 1st Grade combined

Season Format

  • Games: Saturdays during January and February
  • Locations: Columbia Sports Fieldhouse or a Columbia Public Schools gym
  • Games Played: 8
  • Uniform: Team uniform shirt included
  • Practices: No separate weekday practices

Each Saturday session includes approximately 20–30 minutes of practice and warmups followed by a game.

Boys and girls participate in separate divisions. This is not a coed league.

Team Formation

Teams are formed first by school attendance and then by available roster space.

Players must register by the team formation deadline to receive priority for placement with peers from their school. Coach and friend requests may not be honored.

2nd–8th Grade

Divisions

Boys

  • 2nd Grade
  • 3rd Grade
  • 4th Grade
  • 5th Grade
  • 6th Grade
  • 7th and 8th Grade combined

Girls

  • 2nd and 3rd Grade combined
  • 4th and 5th Grade combined
  • 6th, 7th, and 8th Grade combined

Season Format

  • Games: Saturdays during January and February
  • Location: Columbia Sports Fieldhouse
  • Games Played: 8
  • Uniform: Team uniform shirt included
  • Practices: One 60-minute practice per week
  • Practice Start: Practices begin before the regular-season games

If a practice is canceled because of a school activity, it may be made up if another time can be arranged with the practice facility or another CYBA-authorized facility.

Practices canceled because of weather are not automatically rescheduled by CYBA.

Team Formation

Teams are formed using the following order:

  1. School attendance
  2. Returning player and coach groupings, when appropriate
  3. Available space on other teams

Early registrants receive placement priority.

If a school has enough players for multiple teams, the teams within that school may be formed randomly to promote balance.

Players must register by the team formation deadline to receive priority for placement with school peers.

2nd–3rd Grade Scoring

Scores will be recorded on paper for 2nd- and 3rd-grade games. The scoreboard will display the game clock only.

2nd–5th Grade Preseason Jamboree

Boys and girls teams in 2nd–5th grade will begin with a preseason jamboree.

  • Each team is guaranteed two games.
  • The jamboree is not a tournament.
  • The event gives players, coaches, and teams an opportunity to prepare for the regular season.

Jamboree dates will be announced later.

Additional Middle School Information

6th Grade Team Formation

CYBA does not accept requests for 6th-grade players to return to their elementary school team or coach.

Sixth-grade teams are formed based on the middle schools players attend. CYBA will work to make the teams as balanced as possible.

7th Grade School Basketball Players

Seventh-grade players who participate on their school basketball team may begin practicing and playing with CYBA after their school season is complete.

Players should register before the CYBA team formation deadline to reserve a position. Teams may be full by the time the school season ends.

8th Grade Boys

Eighth-grade boys who make their school basketball team are not eligible to participate in CYBA.

Families are encouraged to register before CYBA team formation to reserve a position. Please notify CYBA if your player makes the school team.

High School

Divisions

Boys

  • 9th and 10th Grade combined
  • 11th and 12th Grade combined

Girls

  • 9th–12th Grade combined (the existence of this division is dependent on registration numbers)

Season Format

  • Games: Saturdays and Sundays during January and February
  • Location: Columbia Sports Fieldhouse
  • Games Played: 8
  • Uniform: Team uniform shirt included
  • Practices: One practice per week
  • Practice Start: Practices begin before the regular-season games

Teams may have one weekend without a game because of ACT testing or scheduling needs.

High School Eligibility

Players who make their school basketball team are not eligible to participate in CYBA.

Families may register early to reserve a position during team formation. If a registered player makes their school team, CYBA will provide a full registration refund.

Families may also choose to wait to submit payment until school basketball rosters are announced.