What is a 3v3 League?
A fun and competitive half court basketball league that faces 2 teams of 3 players in a fast paced style game. It differs from a traditional 5 on 5 game as follows:
- Number of players on the court (3 per team)
- Number of players on a roster (4-6 players = 3 + 1 to 3 substitutes)
- Size of the court (1⁄2 basketball court with 1 basket)
Who can play?
Boys and girls aged 8-14; based on age on August 31, 2025. Grade based on 2024-2025 school year.
There are 6 total age group divisions; 3 for boys and 3 for girls (Not Co-Ed).
| AGE GROUP | Eligibility Requirement |
14U & Under
8th grade | An athlete can be no older than 14 on or before August 31, 2025
Grade Exception: An athlete who was in the 8th grade as of October 1, 2024
and who is no older than 15 on or before August 31, 2025, is eligible to compete in the 14U/8th grade Division |
12U & Under
6th grade | An athlete can be no older than 12 on or before August 31, 2025
Grade Exception: An athlete who was in the 6th grade as of October 1, 2024
and who is no older than 13 on or before August 31, 2025, is eligible to compete in the 12U/6th grade Division |
10U & Under
4th grade | An athlete can be no older than 10 on or before August 31, 2025
An athlete can be no younger than 9 on August 31, 2025
Grade Exception: An athlete who was in the 4th grade or 3rd grade as of October 1, 2024
and who is no older than 11 on or before August 31, 2025, is eligible to compete in the 10U/4th grade Division |
When and where are games played?
Games will be played outdoors at a SJUSD school in Almaden Valley. The court designation and schedule will be published once all teams are confirmed.
Each game runs 30 minutes: 10 minutes to warm up and 20 min continuous playing (clock does not stop and teams will need to continually substitute players in and out of play.)
There will be 9 total games spread over 3 Sundays. On the 4th weekend (Sat/Sun) there will be a league tournament.
| DATE | GAMES |
| Sun - Aug 3 2025 | Three 30 min games - Scheduled within a 2 hour block |
| Sun - Aug 10 2025 | Three 30 min games - Scheduled within a 2 hour block |
| Sun - Aug 17 2025 | Three 30 min games - Scheduled within a 2 hour block |
| Sat/Sun - Aug 23/24 2025 | League Tournament |
How many teams will there be?
Due to the structure of the League, each division (age & gender) will have between 4 to 8 teams.
Each team must have 5-6 players.
How do I register?
To begin the process, each team must first do the following (starting June 2025):
- Confirm you have 4-6 players ready to register and play the league. You MUST have at minimum 4 players available to play each weekend in August (no exceptions).
- Have one team parent begin the registration process by creating a team at https://www.almadenbasketball.org and registering themselves as a Volunteer Head Coach. There is no cost to the team parent to create the team.
- That parent will then “invite” players (including their child) to register for their team. Each player will pay an individual registration fee to be part of the team.
What if I don’t have 6 players to register?
For teams with fewer than 6 players, the league will add free agents to your team to ensure all teams have 6 players.
Free Agents - What if I do not have a team?
We will maintain and publish a list of “Free Agents” - i.e. players that do not have a team.
- Free Agents can contact each other to put together a team and register on the site.
- Pre-formed teams can also reach out to free agents to fill their 6 player team roster.
- Note: Free Agents are not guaranteed to be placed onto a team.
Are volunteers needed?
Yes, we are looking for volunteers who can serve as Court Monitors and Referees at the games. These are paid positions for the league. Court Monitors will track time, score and fouls for a specific game. Team captains will need to check-in with the court monitor before the game, and check-out with the court monitor after each game. There will be a single referee per game. More information will be provided in July about these positions.
Will the league schedule practice?
No, the league will not schedule practices. Each team should find time to practice on any available outdoor court.
Other important information:
TEAMS ARE NOT REQUIRED TO HAVE A COACH
Active coaching is discouraged on game days. Team parents and captains will be the main point of contact on game days. Due to the smaller team size and court size, players should be able to manage their game day strategy amongst themselves.
TEAMS MUST DESIGNATE A TEAM CAPTAIN
The
team captain will be responsible for checking in their team with the court monitor. They will also be responsible to report the final score to the court monitor and sign out for the team once the game is over.
The
team parent will be responsible for ensuring that a minimum of 4 players will be available for each game, and that the team selects a team captain for each game (can be a different player each game).
UNIFORMS WILL BE DISTRIBUTED FOR THIS LEAGUE
All registered teams will be given reversible Almaden Youth Basketball jerseys. Each team should wear their BLUE jersey when their team is listed as the AWAY team and their GOLD jersey when their team is listed as the HOME team. Numbers are not required for this league.