Welcome to the West Hartford Girls Basketball League
Watch our live stream of the 2025 WHGBL Seniors Division Championship Game
Congratulations to Alice Araya - Winner of the WHGBL 2025 University Scholarship!
On Friday, March 7, the Scholarship Committee convened and awarded the $1,000 WHGBL University Scholarship to Alice Araya. In Alice’s essay, she mentioned how the West Hartford Basketball League gave her some of the best sports experiences where she enjoyed the friendly competition, the skill building and the team comradery. She credits the league for giving her the ability to have a positive outlook, support teammates, have a strong work ethic, and show respect and sportsmanship to others.
Alice will be attending Concordia University to play Division II women’s soccer in the fall.
Watch our live stream of the WHGBL 2025 Awards Ceremony
Watch our live stream of the 2025 WHGBL Juniors Division Championship Game
WHGBL COACHES, OFFICIALS, BOARD MEMBERS ATTEND ANNUAL APPRECIATION DINNER EVENT
Tuesday, March 11, 2025
On Tuesday, March 11, the West Hartford Girls Basketball League held its annual dinner event in appreciation of the league’s coaches, officials and board members at the Pond House Cafe in West Hartford. During the event, league President, Shawn Daly provided a “State of the League” address outlining successes and challenges of the past season, as well as items of discussion for the future landscape of the organization. There were great conversations with feedback from attendees about strengths and opportunities for the league. Shawn also recognized former league Registrar, Jorge Valdez, as recipient of the 2025 “Person of the Year - President’s Award.” He also recognized Alice Araya who was awarded the $1,000 scholarship as part of the league’s University Scholarship program. Shawn recognized and thanked each of the board members for their contributions and especially recognized Bonnie McFarland, the league’s Secretary for putting together the dinner event. Shawn also thanked the management, chefs, and waitstaff of the Pond House Cafe for their impeccable service. Below are some photos from the evening’s festivities.
SPARKS, GEORGETOWN WIN WHGBL SENIORS, JUNIORS DIVISION CHAMPIONSHIPS
Sunday, March 9, 2025
The Juniors Division and Seniors Division Championships were held on Sunday, March 9, at Conard High School. The Juniors Division saw the #3 seed Georgetown face the #1 seed Syracuse team that was undefeated in the regular season. To reach the finals, Syracuse defeated the #4 seed Villanova 27-16, and Georgetown defeated the #2 seed Pittsburgh 20-16, in the semi-finals. For coach Jonathan Small of Georgetown, this was his fourth trip to the Juniors Division finals and it was coach Dan Graham’s first trip to the finals for Syracuse. Both teams fought hard in an exciting game and in the end Georgetown defeated Syracuse 33 to 16.
For the Seniors Division, the #1 seed Dream played the #2 seed Sparks in a rematch from the 2023 - 2024 season. The Dream finished the regular season with a record of 7 wins and 1 loss and had to erase an 8 point deficit, coming from behind to defeat the #4 seed Wings 23-20 in a very tough semi-final game between both teams. The Sparks finished the regular season with a record of 6 wins and 2 losses and defeated the #3 seed Liberty in the semi-finals, 25-13 to reach the championship game. In the finals, the Sparks were just too much, defeating the Dream 38-17 to take the title.
Team Georgetown holds the Juniors Division Championship Trophy
Team Sparks holds the Seniors Division Championship Trophy
PTSMC Proudly Sponsors the West Hartford Girls Basketball League!
In a commitment to fostering community and supporting youth sports, PTSMC is thrilled to announce its sponsorship of the West Hartford Girls Basketball League.
Building Community Through Sports
At PTSMC, we believe in the importance of community engagement and the positive impact of sports on youth development. Basketball not only teaches players about the game but also instills important life lessons such as resilience, teamwork and leadership.
Supporting Health and Wellness in Youth Sports
At PTSMC, our dedication goes beyond merely supporting the league; we are deeply invested in the health and well-being of our young athletes. We're focused on educating players about injury prevention and assisting their recovery from sports-related injuries. We understand that engaging in sports such as basketball fosters physical fitness, which is essential for healthy growth and development.
Katie Redman: Doctor of Physical Therapy & Director of the PTSMC West Hartford Clinic
BE A HERO: DONATE TO OUR SCHOLARSHIP PROGRAMS AND OUR FEE WAIVER PROGRAM
Did you know that the WHGBL has two scholarship programs? The league has a University/College Scholarship Program and a Basketball Camp/Clinic Scholarship Program!
The University/College Scholarship Program
The first program provides a $1,000 scholarship to any qualified high school senior in West Hartford who will be attending a university, college or post-secondary technical school.
The WHGBL would like to increase the scholarship program. Rather than increase registration fees, the league would like to ask for donations to the program.
Click to learn more about the University/College Scholarship Program
The Basketball Camp/Clinic Scholarship Program
The second program provides a scholarship for a partial or full payment of registration fees, up to $500, for any basketball camp/clinic of choice. The basketball camp/clinic must be held between March 10, 2025 and December 1, 2025.
The WHGBL would like to increase the scholarship program. The league seeks donations to the scholarship fund to help with this effort.
Click to learn more about the Basketball Camp/Clinic Scholarship Program
Support Girls Basketball By Donating to Our:
No Earrings, No Necklaces, No Bracelets, No Exceptions
The WHGBL makes player safety one of its highest priorities. In addition, as mentioned above, the league follows NFHS basketball rules. Players are prohibited from wearing any jewelry of any kind at any WHGBL practice or game.
THERE ARE NO EXCEPTIONS TO THIS RULE.
Parents should NOT have their daughters pierce their ears during the season if they are concerned the piercing will close up upon removal of earrings for practices and games. There is absolutely NO workaround for this. Players may not tape over earrings or leave studs in. A player must remove all jewelry prior to stepping onto the court for any practice, exhibition game, regular season game, playoff or championship game. All coaches, league administrators and referees are trained to monitor this. This includes but is not limited to “friendship bracelets” rope bracelets and similar items. Definitions of jewelry are at the discretion of coaches, league administrators and referees.
PLEASE NOTE: Medical ID bracelets and necklaces are NOT defined as jewelry. However, a referee, coach or league administrator may require that a Medical ID bracelet be taped down if the item is too loose on a player.
Action Photos from the WHGBL 2025 Season
Coaches, visit our new Training Resources Page!
Watch Our President's Welcome Message!
Eligibility to Participate in the West Hartford Girls Basketball League
To be eligible to participate as a player in the West Hartford Girls Basketball League, one of two criteria must be met:
The player must reside in the town of West Hartford; or
The player must attend either a public, private, or parochial school in West Hartford
In addition, the player must be currently a student enrolled in grade 3 - 8.
Production Day: Our Training Video Shoot
The West Hartford Girls Basketball League is dedicated to providing a positive and development-focused environment for young athletes. One of the ways we ensure that our coaches are equipped with the knowledge and skills necessary to effectively teach our players is through certification training videos.
We organized a video shoot on June 7th, 2024 at Sedgwick Middle School to record training videos for our coaches. The purpose of these videos is to provide a standardized curriculum for all coaches in our league, ensuring that each player receives consistent instruction regardless of their team. By certifying our coaches through these training videos, we can guarantee that they have the necessary tools to help players develop their skills and reach their full potential.
Our focus on teaching the fundamentals of the game sets us apart from other leagues. We believe that building a strong foundation in basic skills such as dribbling, shooting, passing, and defense is crucial for player development. By using players from our teams in these training videos, we are able to demonstrate proper techniques while also showcasing the talent and dedication of our young athletes.
Having certified coaches who are knowledgeable in how to develop players' skills not only benefits the individual player but also contributes to the overall success of our league. When coaches are well-trained and confident in their abilities, they are better equipped to create a positive and supportive learning environment for their players.
We are thrilled to be partnering with Productions for Change, a non-profit video production company that specializes in working with non-profits, for our training video project. The benefits of working with local experts in non-profit video production are immense. Not only do they understand the unique needs and goals of organizations like ours, but they also bring a level of passion and dedication to their work that is truly inspiring.
Tom Mazzarella, the founder and lead producer at Productions for Change, has many years of experience in the field and has been instrumental in leading the entire process from start to finish. His expertise and creative vision have helped us bring our training videos to life in a way that is engaging, informative, and impactful.
Working with Productions for Change has allowed us to tap into a wealth of knowledge and resources that we may not have had access to otherwise. Their commitment to social change and community development aligns perfectly with our mission at the West Hartford girls basketball league, making them the ideal partner for this project.
Collaborating with Productions for Change has been an incredibly rewarding experience. Our board has forged a valuable partnership that will continue to benefit our organization in the future. We are grateful for the opportunity to work with such talented professionals who share our passion for making a difference in the lives of young athletes.
WHGBL has 3 Divisions
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Minor Division: 3rd and 4th Graders
Teams: Bantams, Bears, Blue Jays, Bobcats, Bulldogs, Cardinals, Hawks, Stags, Terrapins and Tigers
Practices are scheduled for a one 1-hour session per week with a start time between 5:00 pm and 7:00 pm, Monday through Friday. Each Head Coach in conjunction with town facility availability chooses the date and time of their team’s practice. There is no practice when the West Hartford Public schools are closed for the day or the week. All games are played on Sundays starting the first Sunday after New Year’s Day at Conard High School. Games start at 9:00 am and end at 12:00 pm.
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Junior Division: 5th and 6th Graders
Teams: Georgetown, Marquette, Notre Dame, Pittsburgh, Providence, Seton Hall, St. Johns, Syracuse, UConn and Villanova
Practices are scheduled for two 1.5-hour to 2-hour sessions per week with a start time between 6:00 pm and 7:30 pm, Monday through Friday. Each Head Coach in conjunction with town facility availability chooses the date and time of their team’s practice. There is no practice when the West Hartford Public schools are closed for the day or the week. All games are played on Sundays starting the first Sunday after New Year’s Day at Sedgwick Middle School. Games start at 11:00 am and end at 4:00 pm.
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Senior Division: 7th and 8th Graders
Teams: Dream, Liberty, Lynx, Mystics, Sparks, and Wings
Practices are scheduled for two 1.5-hour sessions per week with a start time between 6:30 pm and 7:30 pm, Monday through Friday. Each Head Coach in conjunction with town facility availability chooses the date and time of their team’s practice. There is no practice when the West Hartford Public schools are closed for the day or the week. All games are played on Sundays starting the first Sunday after New Year’s Day at Conard High School. Games start at 12:30 pm and end at 4:00 pm
