When my daughter was in 3rd grade, she played her first season of travel basketball. Our community had two teams. They were split evenly. The same thing happened in 4th grade.

In 5th & 6th grade, the teams were divided into A & B teams.

In 7th & 8th grade, the teams were divided evenly.

So I’ve seen both sides of the A/B or even team debate. During those 6 seasons, there have been times when I was 100% convinced that one was better than the other. . . only to change my mind later.

The fact is, both philosophies have merits. Let’s see what they are. And then you decide - what’s best, A/B or even teams?

Equal Rosters, Maximum Growth

Why is an even split best? Here are three reasons:

• More Playing Time For Player 6-10

  When your top 10 are all on the same team, players 6-10 do not always get to play a lot. Generally, the best five players will play the majority of the minutes. That results in some capable players not getting a lot of game experience

  When you split teams evenly, the top 10 players in each grade are all starters. This means lots of game reps and more improvement for all of your better players.

• Prevents “Tracking” Players

  Whether we intend them to or not, labels impact kids. A 4th grader who is labeled as a “B team” player may be likely to become discouraged.

  This can lead to decreased motivation or even quitting basketball altogether. It is especially dangerous to “track” players prior to puberty, as they still have significant physical development ahead of them.

• Increased Skill Development For All

  When you have an A team, the best 2-3 players are likely to get almost all of the ball handling and decision-making opportunities. That leaves the other players standing around and watching, rather than developing.

  Splitting evenly gives more players chances to have the ball in their hands and make decisions. And that’s how players improve!

Right Level, Faster Growth

There are also good reasons for having A & B teams. . . 

• Develops Your Likely Varsity Players

  Through grade school, my daughter’s class had 20 girls playing each season. In middle school, they have 16.

  If I were guessing, I’d say there will be 2-4 by the time they are seniors. Every time the level of play goes up, the number of players decreases.

  So while it’s great to think we should be developing all 20 or so players on both teams, the odds are that only a handful will persist through high school.

  Keeping your best players together allows the coach to “teach to the top,” increasing development & setting up the high school program in the long run.

• Creates A Better Practice Environment For Both Teams

  You know what’s not fun—being the 17th best player in a grade and having to go against the best player. It’s no fun not being competitive.

  The inverse is also true. It’s not much fun for the best player to go against someone who’s at a much lower level of skill and ability.

  With A/B teams, practices are more competitive for BOTH teams, and all players have a chance to develop appropriately.

• Makes Youth Coaching Easier

  Coaching youth basketball is challenging, no matter how you split teams. However, when you split them evenly, it becomes tough to run great practices.

  Why? Because you have to meet the needs of players all across the developmental spectrum. When you’re a volunteer coach trying to run a practice by yourself, that’s not easy.

  Grouping players by ability allows coaches to target their teaching, making planning easier. This results in higher quality coaching.

Top Team or Total Growth?Share Your Experiences

So, what do you say?

I’ve thought quite a bit about this, and I really see the benefits & drawbacks of both approaches.

Please reply to this email with your thoughts - should youth teams split A/B or evenly?

Comments Most Likes First   Oldest First   Newest First LGriff13 says: 1/23/2026 at 11:21:53 AM I ran a town travel b-ball club for 10 years, with a bunch of AAU in there too. There are so many "it depends" in the answer to this question. How competitive are you in the leagues you play in? Do they have A/B divisions? If your even split teams are non-competitive in your A league, then even-split is a non-starter. Non-competitive teams serve nobody's best interest. Where do your coaches come from? If they're parents, from my experience, it was difficult to find good B team coaches. This can be a good argument for even split. How many kids do you get trying out for teams and how many do you take on a roster? One thing I am sure of, it is almost always better for individual player development to be a top 2-3 player on a B team than the 9-10th player on the A team (unless A has an exceptional coach). Like     login   register

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