First Methodist Basketball

02/16/2026

2026 FMC Basketball postseason tournament brackets

12/05/2025

While we have had 2-3 additional people agree to volunteer to coach teams in the past week, we're still not there. We have reached a critical juncture in our ability to stage a successful church basketball season. The time has come for us as a committee to make difficult decisions.

We are still 2 volunteers short to coach in Boys Juniors. A draft schedule must be released by this evening to prevent further delay of the 2026 FMC Basketball season. If we can't secure 2 coaches by 5 p.m. today, we'll have no choice but to cancel both the Boys and Girls Juniors League for this season and all games will have to be played in the younger groups 4th grade and below. 6 teams and approximately 55 players will be affected by this decision.

Due to time constraints and the feasibility of nightly game scheduling, we're presented with limited options at this point. If you know anyone who can help or may be interested, please let us know immediately. Canceling games and leagues is and has always been a last resort option. Unfortunately, we're very near that outcome. Thank you for your understanding.

First Methodist Church Basketball Committee

12/04/2025

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Let us know immediately if you know anyone who may be interested.

11/15/2025

Registration for the 2026 season of First Methodist Basketball is extended one final time through Monday, November 17th. We will not be able to accept any sign-ups past this point.

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Welcome to our new website!

09/22/2025

Attention Parents & Guardians,

We are excited to announce the return of First Methodist Basketball for the 2026 season. First Methodist Basketball is celebrating 30+ years as a youth outreach ministry of First Methodist Church in Bennettsville. The members of First Methodist Church and the First Methodist Basketball Committee would like to thank everyone who made our return season last year a success.

Registration will be open September 20th through October 31st for a fee of $35.00 per player. An early bird discount discount of $10.00 will be offered through September 30th using code: EARLYBIRD10 at checkout.

All player registration will be submitted online at the basketball program's dedicated website, www.firstmethodistbasketball.com . All communications with parents, guardians, and other interested parties will be via text message, emails, and website submissions. Game schedules, practice schedules, team records, game results, game photos, announcements, videos, and a social media feed will all be posted on the website. Our plans are to update the Facebook and Instagram pages with content and announcements for the league more regularly. Business and individual sponsors will receive recognition online and in the Family Center again this year.

The Basketball program will be open to 4-year olds attending 4-K Preschool through 10th graders this season. Raymond Sides will be leading our Co-Ed Beginners League again this year. There will be 8 different leagues in the Basketball program this year including the new split Co-Ed Instructional Leagues. The classes are as follows:

1) Beginners League(Co-Ed) 4-K Preschool

2) Primary League (Co-Ed) 5-K Kindergarten & 1st Grade

3) Intermediate League (Girls) 2nd-4th Grade

4) Intermediate League (Boys) 2nd-4th Grade

5) Juniors League (Girls) 5th-7th Grade

6) Juniors League (Boys) 5th-7th Grade

7) Seniors League (Girls) 8th-10th Grade

8) Seniors League (Boys) 8th-10th Grade

If you have any questions about registration, coaching/volunteer opportunities, or league configuration send them to: [email protected] . While digital communications will be our preferred method of communication, the committee realizes there will be questions that require a phone call. Don't hesitate to call or text Heath Harpe @ 843-439-1182 (or) Raymond Sides @ 843-439-4178.

Remember to add the discountcode: EARLYBIRD10 at checkout on the registration form to receive a $10.00 discount for each player registered through September 30th. See you all on the court soon!

Welcome to our new website!

02/06/2025

01/21/2025

Parents & Volunteers,

ALL games for tonight(Tuesday, January 21st) have been postponed due to the threat of inclement weather. We will notify you of the makeup date at a later time.

No decision has been made yet for Wednesday's games. We are monitoring the situation and will inform you as soon as possible.

Please drive safely and stay warm!

FMC Basketball Committee

11/13/2024

This is your FINAL CHANCE to register players for the 2024-25 First Methodist Basketball League. We have opened one final period to make sure every player interested gets their chance to register.

Teams will be selected by the coaches next week. THERE WILL BE NO SIGN-UPS ALLOWED AFTER FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 15TH AT 12:00 MIDNIGHT.

We will continue to accept registrations for boys and girls of all ages through the deadline. We would like to specifically request for more girls to sign-up in every division.

Please encourage your kids to play. We don't want to see anyone disappointed later because they didn't sign-up. Tell them to put that cellphone and tablet down to come fellowship and play basketball with their friends this season.

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11/09/2024

We have decided to open a LATE Player Registration period for 3 days due to requests from several parents who missed the deadline yesterday. This late registration period will close Monday, November 11th. This should help fill out some teams or create new teams in some leagues. Please reach out to anyone you or your child knows who still may be unaware or has been on the fence about playing. Hopefully, any existing questions or uncertainties will be answered below.

We also want to answer some frequently asked questions(FAQ) that we have been asked recently.

1) Q. My child is in Pre-K and is very small. Your smallest jersey size listed is Youth Small. Can my child get a Youth Extra Small (Y-XS)? A. Yes. Please send a text to: [email protected] to request any changes to your child's registration form.

2) Q. When and where are games played? A. All regular season games and playoff games will be played at the same place in the Family Life Center at First Methodist Church in Bennettsville and will be completed during the months of January & February. The games will begin on January 2nd, 2025. Game times are 6:00, 7:00, and 8:00 p.m. Younger kids play the earliest games while the older kids will play the later games. Beginners League(Pre-K) will play once per week at 5:00 on Monday or Tuesday. All schedules will be sent via text and email to everyone on the contact list.

3) Q. When will they practice & how long are practices? A. Practice schedules will be set as soon as registration closes, coaches select teams, and rosters are set. Coaches plan their own practices based on the availability of their players and available time slots. Practices generally last 1 hour. Practices begin in late November to early December, again depending on the coach. All schedules will be sent via text and email to everyone on the contact list.

4) Q. My other child would like to play, but they already have other obligations on certain nights such as dance lessons, piano lessons, horseback riding, travel ball, recreation sports, school sports, church youth group, etc. How do I know if they'll have scheduling conflicts? A. Every effort will be made to avoid scheduling conflicts whenever we're sorting out the game schedules. We will use the sports schedules of local schools and recreation leagues to avoid conflicts wherever possible. If your child or children has a regularly scheduled practice or game event you'd like us to know about, please email us their name, time and type of event to: [email protected] . We will try to accommodate all requests whenever possible.

5) Q. Does my child have to live in Bennettsville or Marlboro County or South Carolina? A. No, ALL kids locally and from surrounding areas in North or South Carolina are welcome to play in this program provided they are in 4-K Preschool through 10th grade.

6) Q. My child has never played basketball before or doesn't have the confidence to play because he/she isn't good. Can they still register? A. While many kids become great players, this isn't a superstar league. Coaches are used to teaching fundamentals of the game and the necessary skills to succeed. Many kids who play in other leagues love to play in our league to get guaranteed playing time, physical fitness, fellowship, and to sharpen their skills for the other league. By the time your child graduates our program, he/she will "come out of their shell" and become a better player simultaneously. Many come back to coach their own kids in this very league later in life.

7) Q. Can my child play in another recreation league or for their school team while playing for First Methodist Basketball? A. Absolutely! This program is in place to help your child grow physically, emotionally, and spiritually. We only want to compliment their other established activities.

Please register your youth players for church league basketball today! You and your child won't regret the decision. If you have any additional questions, please forward them to: [email protected] (or) use the message feature on our page.

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11/05/2024

PARENTS & GUARDIANS- WE NEED YOUR HELP!

Let us start by saying a heartfelt thank you to everyone who has registered your child for this season of church basketball. Thank you for believing in this program! We also thank you for your generous donations and your kind words to our board members, church members, and church staff for restarting this youth program in our community.

With the program's 3-4 year layoff, we realized there would be a strong need for instruction and development at every level. This is why we expanded the old Instructional League into a Beginners and a Primary League. We also limited every league to have a maximum of 3 age groups. We have many volunteers, past and present, who have committed their time and efforts to establish a great foundation of fundamentals for a healthy program for many years to come. Our goal is to field multiple competitive, balanced teams in every league. Late sign-ups after the deadline hamper this process, especially when kids beg to play after teams have already been selected by coaches. Although allowed case-by-case in the past, our goal is to eliminate late sign-ups.

This is where we need your help. We need you to tell all of your family, friends, and co-workers with kids to register immediately. While registrations in the younger groups have been robust, we especially need more players to sign up in the Juniors(5th-7th grade) and the Seniors(8th-10th grade) groups. Tell your kids or other's kids that this League is about fun and development. We knew some kids would need extra encouragement to play again after the layoff. They don't need to be scared to play due to their perceived lack of abilities. Help us motivate the kids and parents who are on the fence about playing. Tell them about all the great memories you had of yourself and/or your kids in this program.

We are in the stretch run as sign-ups end this Friday, November 8th. Remember to bring your kids out to our OPEN GYM & REGISTRATION DRIVE tomorrow(11/6) for some fun playing basketball and enjoying free pizza and refreshments.

You can always help if you FOLLOW our First Methodist Basketball page and LIKE & SHARE our current and previous posts.

11/01/2024

🏀 DISCLAIMER- This message is intended to be tongue-in-cheek. If this offends you, lighten up and laugh with us. We just want your kids to play church basketball. 🏀

Are you tired of the negativity associated with political campaigns & local sports teams? Well, First Methodist Basketball is the solution for you. You can enjoy watching your child, grandchild, or even your neighbor's kid play basketball and fellowship in a Christian environment at First Methodist Church in Bennettsville.

Since we're in the time of political promises and guarantees, First Methodist Basketball promises the following:

1) Your child will get to play in EVERY game while learning the fundamentals of basketball while practicing and playing in a Christian environment.

2) Every player in the league will have confirmed eligibility, and no players will be recruited or paid. They won't even have to sell candy or fall decorations to participate.

3) All coaches and volunteers will be thoroughly vetted by the basketball committee and be of the utmost integrity and character. Oh, and the basketball committee's reputation is as clean as a country girl's wedding dress.

4) You will be able to come to First Methodist Church to enjoy watching these youth players having fun 5 nights a week. Admission is always FREE, and you can avoid those late night road trips eating McDonald's happy meals in the car. You can even skip cooking dinner at home with the expanded meal options from our canteen(think spaghetti and chicken bog to go along with the traditional canteen staples like hot dogs and pizza).

5) Your child will have lifetime memories of this program, and you will be there to witness it and have the photos to share with their kids and grandkids. You can also make a keepsake quilt with all of their jerseys from multiple seasons and get to look at their trophies on your mantle while you're reminiscing when they are off to college.

Do you know how to ensure all of these promises come true? Register your child/children for First Methodist Basketball today! Time is running out. Sign up by next Friday, November 8th, to experience everything our program has to offer.

Also, please join us to worship every Sunday at 11 a.m. Whether you are looking for a church home or just want to visit for a change of scenery, we'd love to have ALL of you!

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