- 1). Put someone in charge. In a street pickup game, choose two captains who divide the players into two teams. Have rotating captains, or use set criteria such as the players with the most seniority or the high scorers from the previous game get to be captain. Recreational leagues often have drafts where the coaches pick the players they want.
- 2). Assess the talent level. Try to split up the best players. Most players want to be challenged in games as opposed to winning in a rout against lesser opponents. So let Team A pick the best player, while Team B gets the second-best player. Continue the process until the teams are filled.
- 3). Distribute the positions. Basketball has five standard positions--point guard, shooting guard, small forward, power forward and center--that are based on different skill sets. You don't want five point guards playing against five centers. In pickup games, it's harder to distribute the positions because it depends on who shows up. Still, captains should consider the player's positions when dividing teams.
- 4). Consider dividing teams by age group and gender. Certainly, there are cases when girls are better than boys and younger people can compete with older players. The teams should be decided on a game-by-game basis. However, a 15-year-old may have trouble competing with men in their 30s. Organized leagues on the youth and adult levels often have rules that divide teams by gender and ages.
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