Swish Girls Basketball: What It Is & Is Not!

Interest is exploding in our Swish Girls Basketball program, especially among the very under served age group that includes 4th and 5th graders. We are thrilled with the interest and number of registrations we've had so far. Swish Girls Basketball is a very unique concept and, as a result, there seems to be a lot of confusion as to what it is people are signing up for. I would highly recommend everyone review our page devoted to this program (Swish Girls Basketball) along with the other news articles related to the program. Here are some of the frequently asked questions from the last few weeks. Is This A League? No, and for a very good reason. We are all about player development and strive to create an environment where young ladies are encouraged to experiment and try new things. As soon as we add divisions, standings, tournament seeding, etc., development is severely thwarted as coaches feel the pressure to spend time on preparing their team to win games. As a result, individual player development is pushed to the bottom of the priority list and the focus is put on press breaks, inbound plays, etc. Will My Daughter Get On A Team?

Yes and no! She will be a part of a team of girls that are committed to training together and becoming better players so they can become more valuable to any team they play on in the future. However, she will not be on a team of 8 to 10 players that go off to play in leagues and tournaments. Everything we do will prepare them to be more effective players for their future school teams, travel teams, etc. Our unique format for game play helps us all stay focused on the priority - your daughter's personal improvement. Will She Be Playing In Tournaments? Though there may be some opportunity to transition into a tournament team setting, that is not guaranteed in the Swish Girls Basketball program and the fees do not cover future tournament play. Again, one of the issues that plagues travel basketball for younger players is the almost complete lack of emphasis on individual player development. We will not sacrifice our priorities and push players into something that is more expensive, more stressful on families, and less effective. So How Do You Handle Game Play? It's simple. Every Friday night is Family Night. We get all of the girls together and play. Every girl is given a very nice looking uniform at the beginning of the season that she may keep for future use. Each week we'll break up into different teams. The games are officiated by Georgia Officials, LLC, score is kept and the clock is operating. Though everyone is playing to win, we maintain a rock solid focus on our priority - providing an opportunity for every player to get better. The girls are constantly being encouraged to be bold and try new things while also stressing that it is still a team game. Boldness is encouraged but selfishness is not. We have two locations for your convenience with more in the works for the future. For more details please see our Swish Girls Basketball page or contact me at (770) 995-0198 or bformella@swishatlanta.com.