Provincial A Girls Basketball Championship

Accomodations:
Best Western Plus (Dauphin) 204-638-3000 20 min
Super 8 (Dauphin) 204-638-0800 20 min 
Dauphin Inn Express 204-638-4430 20 min 
Canway Inn & Suites (Dauphin) 204-638-5102 20 min 
Harvest Moon Inn (Roblin) 204-937-3700 40 min 
Stay Easy Inn (Roblin) 204-937-2411 40 min 

1. DEADLINE DATES

DECLARATION to a HIGHER CATEGORY must be done by JANUARY 20. Declaration must be made by emailing the Assistant Executive Director.

ONLINE ROSTER due by JANUARY 27. All JV and Varsity team rosters must beentered regardless of whether or not they will be attending Provincial Championships. Schools with two teams or more, in a single gender/category (i.e. varsity girls), must complete separate online rosters for each team. No lateral movement allowed between rosters.

TOURNAMENT REGISTRATION must be done online at the MHSAA website at least one week prior to the tournament start date. All tournaments MUST be registered online.

ZONE AND INTERZONE PLAY-OFFS The convenor must notify Greg by phone at 204-925-5642 or email (greg@mhsaa.ca) following the conclusion of the zone championship (or when the zone representative has been declared). You must declare your representative for each category by:
J.V. “AAA” – Saturday, February 18
J.V. A/AA & AAAA - Thursday, March 2
“A”, “AA”, & “AAA” - Saturday, February 25
“AAAA” - Friday, March 3

WILDCARD APPLICATIONS are due by the date indicated below at 1:00 pm sharp. A/AA Junior Varsity wildcards are open to zone semi-finalists and finalists only. AAAA Junior Varsity and Varsity wildcards are open to all eligible teams.There are no wildcard spots for the A, AA, AAA Varsity & AAA JV Category.

Applications must include the following:
- Letter of intent to participate signed by the Principal.
- All Schools applying for a wildcard must pay a $25 non-refundable application fee. Schools selected to play in a wildcard game will additionally be invoiced for the wildcard game fee of $75. The school will then have 20 working days from the date of the invoice to pay the fee(s) or they will be subject to further sanctioning.
- All teams applying for a wildcard will have their season record taken from the MHSAA website. Teams applying must ensure their online record accurately reflects all games played (league, exhibition, & tournament). Additionally, any team that participates in an out of province tournament or exhibition game must email greg@mhsaa.ca with the date, opponent(s) and scores of those games by the deadline below.

If your application does not include the letter of intent, and/or is late, the application will not be considered. Wildcard game date and location will be determined once the teams have been selected. Automatic wildcard spots may be awarded. Wildcard Application Deadlines are as follows:
J.V. A/AA & AAAA – Wednesday, March 1 by 1:00 pm
“AAAA” – Thursday, March 2 by 1:00 pm

SEEDING INFORMATION will be taken from the MHSAA website. All teams will have until the dates below to ensure their season record accurately reflects all games played throughout the season. Additionally, any team that participates in an out of province tournament or exhibition game must email greg@mhsaa.ca with the date, opponent(s) and scores of those games by the deadline above.
J.V. “AAA” – Friday, February 17 by 1:00 pm
J.V. “A/AA” & “AAAA” Friday, March 3 by 1:00 pm
“A”, “AA”, “AAA” – Friday, February 24 by 1:00 pm
“AAAA” – Friday, March 3 by 1:00 pm

2. FORMAT & RULES

A) FORMAT: (see draw format sample on pages 125-128 of MHSAA Hanbook)
Junior Varsity Format
“A/AA” – Ten (10) girls teams and Ten (10) boys teams. All teams will be guaranteed two games, with a consolation side and third place game included.

“AAA” – Sixteen (16) boys and (16) girls teams will be selected for placement in one of two Provincial Qualifiers. The top 3 teams from each Provincial Qualifier, along with the Zone 11 Champion, and Host school will advance to the Provincial Championship. The Provincial Championships will see Eight (8) girls teams and Eight (8) boys teams. The boys and girls championships will use the same format. All teams guaranteed two games, with a consolation side and third place game.

“AAAA” – Twelve (12) girls and Twelve (12) boys teams will compete in a single elimination play-off.

Varsity Formats
"A” & “AA” - Twelve (12) boys and (12) girls teams will be selected for placement in one of three Provincial Qualifiers. The top 2 teams from each
Provincial Qualifier, along with the Zone 11 Champion, and Host school will advance to the Provincial Championship. The Provincial Championships will see Eight (8) girls teams and Eight (8) boys teams. The boys and girls championships will use the same format. All teams guaranteed two games, with a consolation side and third place game.

“AAA” – Sixteen (16) boys and (16) girls teams will be selected for placement in one of two Provincial Qualifiers. The top 3 teams from each Provincial Qualifier, along with the Zone 11 Champion, and Host school will advance to the Provincial Championship. The Provincial Championships will see Eight (8) girls teams and Eight (8) boys teams. The boys and girls championships will use the same format. All teams guaranteed two games, with a consolation side and third place game.

“AAAA” - Twelve (12) girls and twelve (12) boys teams will compete in Regional Playdowns for the first two (2) rounds. Winners will then advance to the Final Four Championship. Teams must win to advance.

B) RULES: FIBA rules will be in effect unless special playing rules are put forth by the MHSAA. In this case, the MHSAA rules will take precedence.

Junior Varsity Eligibility Rule: in order to qualify for the junior varsity competition athlete must meet the following requirements:
a) Participating athletes must be under the age of 17 as of midnight of the current school year, August 31.
b) Students are eligible to participate in junior varsity for two years. In determining the two-year clause, member schools must count grade 9
as the first year. The athlete's eligibility begins upon enrolment in grade 9 and is allowed two consecutive years of competition from time
of enrolment in grade 9.

For “A” and “AA” schools students may compete in an unlimited number of matches at the varsity level and still maintain their eligibility to compete in the
junior varsity Provincial Championships. Students must compete in a minimum of 6 games at the JV level in order to be eligible to compete in zone
and provincial play-offs. Tournaments would count as two (2) games. NOTE: (the intent of this rule is to allow schools to utilize some athletes to
form both teams NOT to better one and/or both teams)

For “AAA” and “AAAA” schools students may not compete in more than three matches at the varsity level. (league, exhibition, or tournament - Tournaments
count as two matches). Rural “AAA” Junior Varsity teams are allowed to compete against rural varsity “A” and “AA” teams without these matches being
counted as varsity level.

The Official Ball is the Wilson Evolution

Interzones are to be determined by the MHSAA. If the zone/interzone championship is won by the host school, then another wildcard spot becomes open. There will be no interzones in the varsity “A”, “AA”, “AAA” & JV “AAA” category.

Teams are to bring their own warm up balls

All Varsity games will be 10-minute quarters, with a 24 second shot clock and 8 second back court.

All Junior Varsity games will be 10-minute quarters, with 30 second shot clock and 10 second back court.

Uniform Rule: Style and colour of uniform must be consistent throughout the team. Compression undergarments can be worn, with no restrictions on colour or length.

Athletes, team members and coaches will not be permitted to wear headwear during competition, opening ceremonies, awards ceremonies, banquets and/or luncheons. Inappropriate bench conduct (ie; changing tops, jerseys, uniforms, at the bench or on the playing field) is not acceptable. Any athlete, team member or coach deemed in violation may be subject to a performance bond violation in the amount of $50.00-$200.00 assessed to the school.

All uniforms must be numbered 1-99, (whole numbers). (While MHSAA allows numbers 1-99, the MHSAA recommends numbers 1-15. Coaches should be advised that if the uniform rule is not adhered to, the team may not be allowed to compete and may be fined up to $200. The school may also be put on probation (probation being that if the school violates the infraction again, the school may be fined $200 and be suspended from all MHSAA activities). Advertising on uniforms must adhere to guidelines as outlined on pages 130-131 of MHSAA Handbook

Jewelry is not allowed.

Game Limit - The maximum number of matches are 25 per season. Each tournament counts as 2 matches and the 25 match limit does not include league playoffs, zone playoffs, or provincial playoffs. Exceeding the game limit will result in a fine to the school and possible exclusion from the Provincial Championships.

ALL VARSITY “AAA” SCHOOLS INSIDE THE CITY OF WINNIPEG
must play a minimum of 4 matches/games against AAA schools in areas outside of Winnipeg, two matches/games must be played outside city limits. Tournaments count as two matches. If the tournament is hosted by a "AAA" school, 2 matches will be awarded, regardless of the classification of participating teams. These matches must be played prior to zone play-offs. Failure to fulfill the requirement may result in the team being ineligible for the Provincial Championships.

It is expected that all teams attend opening ceremonies and related functions. Non-attendance may result in fines and/or further sanctions against the school.

3. AWARDS
In each division, the championship team will receive the Championship banner, first place medals and Championship T-shirts

The runner-up team in the championship event will receive a finalist banner and second place medals

The third place team in the championship event will receive third place medals. (excluding "AAAA")

Five All-stars and one MVP will be awarded. A Players Choice Award will be selected for Varsity.

Schools with team rosters that exceed the allotted number of awards would be responsible for the cost of any additional awards required.

4. SUPERVISION
At all MHSAA Provincial Championships, interzone and wildcard games, participants must have a teacher from the school division in attendance as a supervisor, or they will not be allowed to compete. In individual sports where it may be unrealistic for one teacher to accompany one student, the zone may designate teacher supervisors for athletes. This must be a written request, signed by each principal involved, and approved by the MHSAA, well in advance. The designated teacher supervisor should have a copy of the letter, with them during the championship.

Teachers employed in the school division where they are coaching a team, may be the supervisor for that team. The responsibility rests with the school to ensure that supervisor(s) are fully acquainted with all MHSAA rules, regulations, and consequences. Violation of this rule may result in a fine up to a maximum of $200.

5. INCLEMENT WEATHER PROCEDURE
The MHSAA, in cases of severe weather disruptions, may have to make decisions as to the possible rescheduling of Provincial Championships. MHSAA decisions will be based on Environment Canada weather reports, the Manitoba Highway reports and weather conditions at the host site.

Information on possible schedule changes will be posted on the host website between 6:30 and 7:00 am on the day of the Championship. Schools will also be emailed any changes. In case of inclement weather, schools should refrain from travelling to Provincial Championships until they receive notification from the MHSAA Assistant Executive Director with instructions and updated scheduling. Schools deciding to travel prior to receiving notification from MHSAA Assistant Executive Director do so at their own risk and will be responsible for their travel and hotel costs, should the event be postponed or changed.

Many schools travel to Provincial Championships on the day prior to the championship beginning. In cases where most schools are already at the host site, the convenor along with MHSAA assistant director will try to modify schedules to accommodate teams that will be arriving later due to weather conditions.