We are just coming to the end of our 2nd basketball season with NYS Mesa. It will be our last.
The teams and coaches have been fantasic, and all of the male refs are fabulous. Lonnie Kent is a rockstar with the kids they love him. Seriously the best ref ever! If you decide to join this basketball league, I would make sure your coach requests one of the male refs.
The refs are the only issue with this basketball league. And made our experience not a good one. In particular the blonde highschool girl. She refuses to give out her name. She doesn't know the rules or follow them as laid out for the 6/7 age groups. The young blonde ref plays favorites with coaches and can't remember which team has possession. Every game she asks the coaches who should have the ball for inbound. When the coaches told the ref last game that things were getting rough on the court when kids on the other team were knocking each other over and grabbing jerseys of kids on our team, her response was "It's a physical game." Even though both of those things are against the guidelines for the age group playing. When the coaches followed up to make sure they heard her right, she then said "I will only break it up when it gets out of had." Our coach responded that if I am telling you it is a problem, then it is already out of hand. These kids are 6 and 7. It is not a physical game at this age or per league rules.' Then she just walked away.
When parents called the league last season to share these things nothing changed. It is sad to watch. The kids don't want to play when they walk in an see her on the court.
Overall the coaches and kids are awesome! But be careful who your ref is, as the female ref seems to have no love for little kids and is super confrontational.