About Our Basketball Program

San Mateo JYO is a recreational ("rec") basketball organization — no tryouts, no cuts, players of all skill levels welcome. We prioritize player development, equal playing time, and building community over winning.
Teams are coached by parent volunteers. JYO typically fields 1–2 teams per grade, with approximately 10 players per team.

Divisions

JYO fields teams from Kindergarten through 8th grade across three divisions: Kinder, Instructional (Grades 1–3), and League (Grades 4–8). Each division is designed to meet players where they are — building foundational skills in the younger grades and introducing friendly competition as players grow.

👉 See the Divisions page for full details on practice length, game format, and equipment by division.

Practices

Practices run from September through February, typically on Friday evenings or Saturdays. Friday evening practices are generally reserved for older grade teams. Kinder Division practices may be held on Sunday mornings.

Practices are held at middle and high school gyms across the Peninsula (e.g., Millbrae, San Mateo, Foster City).

JYO does its best to schedule practices that don't conflict with local Japanese school schedules.

Parents of Kinder through 3rd grade players are required to stay for the full practice unless the coach specifies otherwise. Parents of 4th–8th grade players are not required to stay.

Skill Development Clinics

In September and October, teams will either begin with team practice or participate in skill development clinics with players from similar grade levels, depending on roster availability. All teams are in regular team practice by November.

Games & Jamborees

How your child competes depends on their division:

  • Kinder & Instructional (Grades K–3): Play in jamborees — single-day, non-competitive events hosted by Bay Area Asian American youth basketball organizations, typically featuring two games with no scorekeeping. JYO teams participate in 4–6 jamborees per season.
  • League (Grades 4–8): Play in 8 NYBA (Nikkei Youth Basketball Association) league games on Sundays from late fall through February. See the Registration page for this season's game dates.

There are no fees for family members to attend games or jamborees. We encourage parents to come cheer their kids on.

Attendance Expectations

Basketball is a team sport. We ask that players and families make every effort to attend regularly. Specifically:

  • Players are expected to attend 75% or more of practices starting in November
  • Coaches reserve the right to limit playing time for players who don't meet this commitment

Parent Participation

JYO is 100% volunteer-run. Board members and coaches invest hundreds of hours each season. Every family is required to volunteer at least 6 hours per season. Volunteer role preferences are collected during registration.