SOMO has three youth recreational basketball leagues, one for each age group.
All youth recreational leagues play a “Player Development Unified Basketball Format” which features skill development and Unified game play with Unified Partners of similar age
Coaches assign athletes to teams in each league, with the goal of balancing ability across teams to enhance game play and competition.
Elementary and Middle School teams play half-court 5v5 basketball. High School teams play full-court 5v5 basketball. Normally, the Elementary and Middle School Leagues have 4 teams. The number of High School teams varies from year-to-year.
| Coaches | TBD – Head Coach |
| Season Dates & Times | Practices: Sundays starting 1/5/2025 Practice January 4th, 11th, 18th, and 25th. February 8th. Elementary: 11:00 – Noon Middle School: 12:15 – 1:30 High School: 1:45 – 3:00 The Grand Finale: February 15, 2025 |
| Medical & Volunteer Expiration Date | February 15, 2025 The expiration date on an athlete’s Medical form, or a Volunteer’s certification, must be after the above date to participate in the upcoming season. |
SOMO supplies all equipment needed by the athletes.
Athletes should wear appropriate athletic apparel and tennis shoes. SOMO provides basketball pinnies in each team’s color that are worn over the athlete’s shirt.
Location: The Landon School, Perkins Gym, 6101 Wilson Blvd. Bethesda, MD 20817.
Timing: Practice occurs on Sundays. Each League plays in a different time block. Practice starts in mid-December and continues until late February, with a break for Christmas and New Years.
Activities: Practice begins with warm-ups, followed by basketball skills training. Practice concludes with recreational play against another team in the same League.
The Grand Finale is a Round Robin tournament in each League. While the athletes compete in their age groups, all of our age groups are on campus at the same time while the tournament proceeds in two gyms. Often, athletes cheer on the other teams, in all Leagues, during the tournaments. The Grand Finale includes a Parade of Athletes, awards for all of the athletes, and awards to recognize our graduating long-term Unified Partners and Coaches.
Basketball players can participate in other SOMO sports so long as the athlete can maintain full practice participation in all of their sports.
Not Required
It takes many volunteers, especially Unified Partners, to run our Youth Recreational Basketball program.
