“EVERYONE ON THE BASELINE.” This phrase is often used by basketball coaches to start practice. While traditionally coaches are full grown adults, the profession of coaching has become more commonplace amongst teenagers in the Chantilly area.
The Chantilly Youth Association (CYA) Recreational League for elementary to high school students is in Fairfax County, and many at school have been a part of this athletic community, with sports ranging from wrestling to cheerleading. Additionally, there are volunteer opportunities such as coaching and assistant coaching positions for students 16 years old and older. On top of all that, students can be paid to become referees and mediate games.
Juniors Ishita Thathavarthi and Arya Jadhav coach a middle school girls basketball team and their season started in November.
“Coaching girls basketball has given me a different perspective on the sport, and it allows me to focus on the team’s overall performance instead of my own point of view when playing in a game,” Thathavarthi said.
Coaches spend time formulating practice schedules, game plays and starting lineups, in addition to communicating with parents about game times and practice locations.
Oakton junior Pratyush Mishra coaches boys middle school basketball.
“I started coaching with my friends because it’s a really fun experience and you really bond with your team during practices and games,” Mishra said. “However, many people show up late to games which makes lineups challenging.”
Many juniors and seniors use this league as an opportunity to get some extra service hours. Before the season starts, coaches join a group Zoom call in order to draft players for their team. A wheel is spun, indicating the order of who goes first to pick. From there, coaches take turns selecting players one by one. The players are ranked using a point system which is created from tryouts based on different skills, and is displayed in a master spreadsheet.
“The process of choosing girls for our team was a bit stressful because we wanted to make sure we had a good variety of girls for a balanced team,” Jadhav said.
Games occur once or twice a weekend and take place at either CYA Fieldhouse or Sully Community Center, usually lasting around one hour with eight minute quarters.
“Our season is going pretty well considering this is my first season coaching, and during every game I see my team improve bit by bit,” Jadhav said.
Students can register as a coach on the CYA Basketball website under the register tab. Applicants don’t need any prior coaching experience and there are no mandatory trainings that applicants have to go through. Registration is free and takes about five minutes to enter the system. From there, the league’s administrator sends out additional information about upcoming tryouts and meetings in order for an individual to draft their team and pick players from a master spreadsheet. After the drafting process, coaches are officially certified and can start planning their first practice.
“Coaching has taught me a lot about myself as well as how to be patient, so I think it’s a great experience for anyone who’s interested,” Jadhav said.
