The Logan County Junior Pro Basketball league is entering its fifth season and will be holding sign-ups and evaluations later this month.

This year, evaluation days are set for Saturday, January 19th and Sunday, January 20th at Logan County High

School.

Evaluation times are Saturday, January 19th 1st/2nd grade girls at 9 a.m.; 1st/2nd grade boys at 10 a.m.; 3rd/4th grade girls at 11a.m.; 3rd/4th grade boys at noon; 5th/6th grade girls at 1:30PM; and 5th/6th grade boys at 2:30PM. A make-up evaluation session is set for Sunday, January 20th for all grades 2 p.m.

“The whole purpose of the evaluations is to try to establish parameters so the teams are fairly equal,” said junior pro league president Daniel Williams. “We’re trying to teach the kids how to play. Winning is important, but our league is more about development. We want the teams to be competitive and give the kids proper techniques.”

The league is open for girls and boys in grades 1-6 - regardless of school district. The registration cost is $40 for first child in a household and $35 for every additional child in the same household before early registration deadline on January 16th. After Jan. 16, the cost goes up $5 per child.

Last year approximately 185 boys and girls took part in the league.

There were separate girls’ and boys’ teams in all the age groups, except for the 1st/2nd grade division, but Williams said they are hoping to separate the girls and the boys in that division as well this year.

“At that age, there’s not as big of a difference in the physical aspect of the kids, but what we ran into was some girls just didn’t want to play with boys,” Williams said. “So if we have enough sign up this year to have at least three teams, we’ll split them up into a girls division and a boys division.”

After evaluations, the players will be put onto teams by a competition committee and then coaches will schedule practices to take place before the season.

“We try and use all the county middle school gyms,” Williams said. “They allot time for us to use them and we try and have our coaches schedule at least one practice before the season begins.”

The season will start after the conclusion of the middle school basketball season and will run through spring break, with most games taking place on Saturdays at LCHS.

“We’re excited about the league this year,” Williams said. “Last year the kids had a pretty good time. The league does a good time of making sure they learn fundamentals.”