Virginia Independent Schools Girls' Basketball Association: Rules
CONSTITUTION
ARTICLE I
The organization shall be known as The Virginia Independent Schools Girls’ Basketball Association (VISGBA).
ARTICLE II
The purpose of the VISGBA is to promote the game of women’s basketball (played in the winter) among the independent schools in the state of Virginia. In addition, to provide an invitational state tournament, recognize players and state schools through an All-State team and a weekly newspaper poll.
ARTICLE III
The tournament and its ancillary activities will be directed by the general committee, with direction by the executive committee, which will meet once prior to the tournament and anytime the committee deems necessary.
ARTICLE IV
The Executive Committee will be composed of a President/Treasurer and the Vice President/Secretary. The President/Treasurer shall preside over all meetings and handle all finances for the Association. The Vice President/Secretary will preside over the meetings in the absence of the President, take all minutes at all official meetings, and be in charge of the weekly poll. These individuals will hold office for a two-year term. The President/Treasurer will be elected every odd calendar year. The Vice President/Secretary will be elected every even calendar year.
The General Committee will comprise of the Executive Committee and coaches from around the state of Virginia who’s school team is a member in good standing. These individuals have the responsibility of attending all meetings, a voice in the operation of the Association, and for voting in the weekly polls of the Association. If an individual does not fulfill their responsibility to the Association the members of the Executive Committee can summarily dismiss that individual from the General Committee. The General Committee will be selected every year at the pre-season meeting in November.
ARTICLE V
The constitution of the VISGBA may be amended by a two-thirds majority vote of the General Committee. These changes will be in effect for the next season.
ARTICLE VI
By-laws governing the VISGBA tournament and awards:
Eligibility
All independent schools in Virginia are eligible for the tournament providing they are in a conference, and are in good standing with said conference. A “grandfather clause” can be used for any school not in a conference as long as they are member of the Association prior to the 2003-04 season. If a school is not in a conference, they may appeal to the General Committee in order to review their eligibility. At no time may any school allow a team member to be a post-graduate student.
The General Committee reserves the right to sanction a school whose players, coaches and/or fans exhibit extreme unsportsmanlike conduct during the tournament.
Membership Fee
All eligible independent schools in Virginia must pay a $50.00 membership fee. This fee is paid at the beginning of the school year to the Virginia Independent School Athletic Association (VISAA).
Weekly Poll
The General Committee will participate in voting in a weekly poll determining the state’s top 12 teams in each division. Each committee member will vote (1 through 12) for the twelve teams (#1=12 points, #2=11 points, #3=10 points, etc.). Member schools must report the week’s scores to the Vice President every Sunday evening (by 6:00 pm) once the season starts. The Vice President will then submit the week’s results to the Committee members. The Committee members will then return their votes back to the Vice President by Tuesday morning (10:00 am). The Vice President will then post the results on the Association’s world wide web page ( www.eteamz.com\visgba ) in order that all interested parties can review the results. The first poll will be conducted the third week of December. The polls will continue throughout the season to the conclusion of the state tournament.
Tournament Site
The site of the tournament will be determined by the Executive Committee from bids issued to the Committee by interested schools. These bids must be made before the end of the school year prior to the next seasons start. This is so that interested parties can make the necessary arrangements to their school calendar and affected activities. If no such bids have been received, the site will be determined at the pre-season meeting in November.
The admission fees to all tournament games will be $2.00 for students and $4.00 for adults. These fees will help cover the cost of the tournament. All schools hosting games during the state tournament must charge admission regardless of their individual or conference policies. Host schools should pay all expenses of the referees from the gate receipts and return all monies and a VISGBA Statement of Expenses to the Executive Committee.
Selection of Teams
Teams will be invited to compete in the Division I Tournament (large enrollment), Division II (medium enrollment), and Division III (small enrollment) by the General Committee. These division tournaments will comprise of eight (8) schools each. Schools will return a Commitment Form to the Association giving the enrollment of girls in grades nine through twelve as of October 1st of each declaration year in order to be eligible for tournament play. The Committee will divide all eligible schools into three divisions of equal numbers, as possible, based on enrollment. Schools in Division II and III may declare to play in a higher division if, however this declaration will be for three years. Schools in Division I must compete in Division I.
Invitations will be issued the last Sunday of February, or during the end-of-year meeting open to all Association members. This selection is purely a subjective process, which is based on the following criteria, not listed in any particular order:
Appearance in the top sixteen poll during the season
Conference champion
Conference or year-end tournament winner
Overall record for the year
Past performance of conference or independent school in the state tournament
Performance against ranked teams during the season
Quality and difficulty of schedule
Standing in the final poll
Payment of Membership Dues
Weekly reporting of scores
All Tournament Team
The coaches at the finals of the tournament will select an eight player All Tournament Team from each of the three divisions. The number of players that a coach may nominate is determined by the team’s finish in the last two days of the tournament. The team finishing below fourth place may nominate one player; the teams finishing in fourth and third places may nominate two players; and the tournament champion and runner-up may nominate three players. At the conclusion of the tournament the coaches will be presented with a list of nominated players. Coaches will vote for the top eight players. Points will be awarded in descending order (#1=8 points, #2=7 points, #3=6 points, etc.). Coaches may not vote for their own players. The top eight players will be named to the All-Tournament Team with the player receiving the most votes being named the tournament Most Valuable Player.
All-State Team
Member schools will nominate players from their school that they think are of true All-State quality prior to the state tournament. After watching these players at the tournament (and throughout the season, if possible), the General Committee will vote for the top ten players in each of the three divisions in order, from one to ten. Points will be awarded in descending order (#1=10 points, #2=9 points, #3=8 points, etc.). The top ten players from each division will be named All-State with the player receiving the most points being named the Player of the Year for that division. The All-State Team will be named as soon after the tournament as possible.
Coach of the Year
The General Committee, from nominations made during the All-State nomination period, will also select a Coach of the Year in each division.
Awards
The following awards will be made by the VISGBA:
Champion Team Trophy
Runner-Up Trophy
Third Place Trophy
7 All-Tournament team plaques or trophies
1 Tournament Most Valuable Player plaque or trophy
9 All-State Team plaques or trophies
1 All-State Player of the Year plaque or trophy
1 Coach of the Year plaque
