Fantasy Basketball, Smoky Row Style
By Ben Johnson

Recreation Supervisor Ben Johnson leads students through the draft process for the NBA fantasy basketball league club at Smoky Row Elementary.

As the National Basketball Association (NBA) moves into the later part of the season, ESE students are gearing up for fantasy basketball, Smoky Row Style. Over the next eight weeks, students from kindergarten through fifth grade will step into the role of general managers of their own basketball franchises. Much like the professional world of sports, the playing field must be balanced in order to operate a fair and exciting league. With that said, we split the leagues by ages into K-2 and 3-5. 

The first step in the process of building a successful basketball franchise is to understand the game and elements that owners must work with. The first week of club included a trip to the computer lab to breakdown the necessities of a roster, rules of the game, schedule summary (including number of regular season and playoff match ups) and most importantly, team names! Throughout the season, students will be able to follow their franchise by visiting www.nba.com. Computer time will be a major element of the weekly club, but students will also be encouraged to track their squads throughout the season.

While the game of fantasy basketball provides student with the opportunity to learn about the statistics of the sport, it also incorporates an extremely valuable life lesson. Each person (player in this instance) must have a role within the team to improve the overall performance of the team.  Each team is comprised of six NBA players (two guards, two forwards, one center and a sixth man – at any position). Weekly, each student will be matched up against another student’s team. The rules consist of five statistical categories including points scored, assists, rebounds, blocked shots and steals. The goal is simple, accumulate the most number of stats within a statistical category and “win” the category. In order to gain a victory in the weekly match-up, a team would need to win a minimum of three out of the five possible statistical categories.

While draft time is always a thrill, the games are the true test. Over the next several weeks, I anticipate each club member growing in the exciting experience that is fantasy basketball.