Travel Basketball is an optional program for those children interested in pursuing more competitive basketball. Travel teams are available to boys and girls in grades 4-8, participation levels permitting. While all players are welcome and urged to attend travel tryouts, all players should be aware that team sizes are limited and that cuts are an unfortunate part of the tryout process.
Travel Basketball tryouts will be held on Sunday, September 22, 2019 and the week of September 23. 2019. A detailed schedule for Travel tryouts is below. While it is recommended that players attend both tryouts, players MUST attend at least one tryout to be eligible for the program.A detailed memo on the tryout process can be found by clicking here. Please note that parents are NOT allowed to attend tryouts. Players should be dropped off and picked up at the respective tryout times.
Schedules, standings and directions are available on the Metrowest Basketball League site: www.metrowestbball.com.
The 2019-20 Travel Basketball season runs from December 7, 2019 through March 1, 2020. Playoffs are scheduled for the week of March 1, 2020.
Travel teams play games on Sundays and practice one to two nights per week.
Please note that while SYBA highly encourages all travel players to play town basketball, especially at the younger grades, for the 2019-2020 season,SYBA will NOT require travel players at ALL grades to play town basketball for this season.
All travel tryout players must be previously registered for town basketball in order to attend a travel tryout or be named to a team, unless specific permission is otherwise granted.
Southborough's Travel Basketball program is part of the Metrowest Basketball League, an independent organization which operates and governs all teams and games in its programs. Parents should be aware of the following aspects of Travel basketball:
Travel is a competitive league for players of higher skills. While all players are welcome and urged to attend tryouts, all should be aware that team sizes are limited and that cuts are an unfortunate part of the tryout process.
SYBA has a minimum playing time rules for each grade. For 4th grade teams the minimum playing time is half the game. For 5th through 8th grades it is approximately 40% of each game or 12 minutes per game. The travel games are more competitive and the coach has discretion on playing time.
Travel Basketball players are required to pay an additional fee for participation in the program, as outlined in Registration. This fee covers costs of the Metrowest Basketball League, fees for use of our school gyms and costs of referees. Individual coaches may enter teams in area tournaments at additional fees.
Each Travel team generally plays 12 games, with about 6 at Southborough gyms. The remaining games are played in area towns and may require travel time of up to 45 minutes or more each way. Southborough does not control scheduling, and all games are on Sundays. Younger players tend to be scheduled for games in the mornings or early afternoons.
Coaches are selected from parents of children on each team, wherever possible. This occurs immediately after Travel teams are selected. Any parent interested in a coaching position should alert SYBA's Travel Coordinator,
. Please provide an email with a description of a) your coaching experience, if any; and b) your goals and philosophy as a youth basketball coach. Coach selections will be made from among qualified applicants by a sub-committee of the Board of Directors.
