Wachusett Travel Basketball

Program Information & Philosophy

The Wachusett Basketball Travel League operates as a private, non-profit organization that manages the winter pre-scholastic competitive basketball experience for Wachusett boys and girls in the fourth- through eighth- grade who reside in and/or attend school in Wachusett Regional School District. The program is operated to give the children of Wachusett the opportunity to play competitive team basketball in an organized league-style format.

Interest to participate in our program has grown to the extent, where at all levels, the demand to participate is typically greater than the number of players who will be placed on teams. It is important that everyone understands prior to registering that not all players who try-out will be selected for a team. With limited gym space and league openings, coupled with the overall competitive nature of this program, making travel teams “select” is a practice that we and virtually all other towns in the league follow.

Who is eligible to try-out for a Wachusett Basketball Travel League?

Players must live or go to school in the Wachusett School District.
Players must be in grades 4-8.

How are teams selected?

In grades four through five, the program will make every attempt to select a roster for each team so that the players can develop both individually and together as a team. Our goal is to create two equal teams. Players need to try-out each season as past participation does not guarantee a slot for subsequent seasons. Returning players who are selected should not expect to play for the same roster each season, and in cases with multiple teams in the same division, they should not expect to play for the same coach they did during prior season(s). That considered though, it’s not practical to mix things up too much from season to season and still maintain viable rosters. That means that in general, while rosters will change, the majority of returning players will end up on a team that is fairly similar to the one they played on last season.

In sixth, seventh and eighth grades, team selection will be much more talent focused, and we will attempt to pick the roster that will best be able to compete in a highly competitive game situation. Most players will have had up to three seasons of travel team experience to improve their skills to the point that is required to be selected for these teams.

With most teams, there will be independent evaluators (persons who are not coaching and do not have any children in that division) who will observe and in some cases, direct all aspects of the try-outs. These independent evaluators will then work with the head coaches of each division during the roster selection process.

Once teams are finalized, we ask that you respect the rosters. If your son or daughter was not chosen for a team, we are willing to offer feedback as to where your son or daughter could improve so they can try-out again in future seasons. Likewise, if your son or daughter is chosen for a team, the team that they are assigned to will be decided by coaches, directors, and evaluators only. Given the complications and controversies that will undeniably arise, specific discussions regarding player rankings and why rosters were made the way there were will not be discussed with parents. Final decision on player selection is up to directors, coaches, and/or others appointed by them.

Who will be coaching my son or daughter?

Our teams are coached by carefully selected men and women who have experience with basketball at the rec, AAU, high school and/or the college level. All coaches will be CORI’d through the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. Coaches will receive annual training, individual feedback, along with updates from our Board of Directors throughout the season.

Parents will be consulted by coaches and occasionally by directors on their child’s progress during the season. Should you find you have issues that are not being addressed by your child’s coach, you should always feel free to contact any or all members of the Board of Directors.

What is looked at during the try-out period?

First and foremost, it is important to understand that travel teams are select teams for kids who are dedicated to becoming better basketball players during the winter season. Our try-out evaluation looks for players with four main attributes:

Athleticism: Basketball is a very physically demanding and fast-paced activity. Above all, it is necessary for a player to be in good physical condition and to at least have the potential to be an above average overall athlete to do well in competitive basketball. A player who is in poor physical condition and who has not previously competed in team sports will probably not be selected for a team. This factor of evaluation is ranked very high at all grade levels.

Skill: Although the entire Wachusett Travel League considers itself a teaching program, travel teams beyond grade 5 will focus much more on skill refinement as opposed to skill introductions. At the lower age levels, coaches are not as concerned during the try-out period that players are familiar with all facets of basketball. However, as the age levels progress, players need to be able to understand and at least have a general familiarity with the rules and strategies of playing on a basketball team, both offensively and defensively, before they try-out.

Attitude: This is very important in any activity, not just basketball, and encompasses everything from the player’s availability during the winter season to how hard s/he hustles during try-outs to overall general personality. The expectation for every player in try-outs and league play is that he or she will exhibit a positive attitude.

Coachability: This is very important in any activity, not just basketball. Coachability means that the player listens to instruction and then attempts to apply the instruction. It means that the player accepts constructive criticism with good body language and facial expression. It means that the player demonstrates respects players, coaches, and referees.

Playing Time: We will do our very best to balance the playing time, and over the course of a game, the weekend, and the season the kids will get as close to equal playing time as we can manage. In 7th and 8th grade A teams, playing time will likely not be equal—the league supports more merit-based play in these programs, more typical of middle school and high school programs which are around the corner. However, in those programs, the coaches are encouraged to make every effort to provide meaningful playing time for all players. Exceptions at all levels can be made by coaches for missing multiple practices or games (except for medical reasons) or for particular behavioral issues. During the last 4 minutes of a very close game, coaches may exercise their discretion in determining the 5 players who they believe will give the team the best chance to win that game.

How many players will be selected for a team?

Again, we remind parents and potential players that travel teams are selective and that not all players who try-out will be chosen for a roster. Although the final roster size will vary from team to team, our teams have historically carryied between 10-11 players. Depending on overall talent, program resources, and interest, we will support 1 or 2 teams at each age level.

Two of the most common questions we face each fall are:

Why don’t we take more kids who try-out?

Why are there more boys teams than girls?

Wachusett supports more teams per age group than most other programs in Central Mass Youth Basketball League (CMYBL). While we are a teaching program, playing strategically in order to end up with a winning score is a main goal of a competitive team. Therefore, our mission is to balance the number of players we accept on teams with a strong end-of-season record that will best prepare these kids for high school basketball.

Although the trend has certainly started to swing in recent years, basketball is still a sport that is more popular among boys than girls with many more boys trying out than girls.

What is the appropriate parental role during try-outs?

Outside of supporting your child and not overwhelming him/her with excessive advice, we strongly recommend that parents take a “back seat” during the try-out weekends. Kids will generally find it to be more stressful if their parents sit in the gym during try-outs observing their play. Parents may want to consider just dropping their child off at the gym. If you do choose to observe a portion of try-outs, we insist that you do not interfere in any way. This rule is especially true with regard to interaction with coaches during try-outs. During try-out weekends, parents should not attempt to solicit feedback from coaches about how their child is doing, ask how many players the coach is planning on keeping, or use any variation of the line “my child just wants to make the team and isn’t worried about playing time.”

Can my child play indoor soccer, hockey, etc. in addition to travel team basketball this winter?

The vast majority of kids who play travel team basketball are basketball players only in the winter. However, a few families are able to make it work with two sports.

If you are considering letting your child play two sports this winter, keep in mind that it could be very difficult to go to all the practices and games and still have time left over for free time, family time, schoolwork, etc. Travel team basketball practice schedules vary from team to team and a coach cannot cater an entire team’s practice schedule around one player who has another activity three evenings a week. So, if you know your son or daughter is going to have indoor soccer practice a couple of evenings each week, an ice hockey game every Sunday afternoon, etc. this winter, you will probably not be able to play travel team basketball as well.

Additionally, some coaches may specifically choose to select players who are going to dedicate themselves to travel team basketball this winter over players who are trying to balance basketball with another scheduled activity. Because this is a select team activity, certain coaches may take a personal philosophy that it is not right to not select a player who is going to dedicate their time to basketball only (and as a result of not being selected, would not be playing any sports this winter) over another player who is going to try to balance travel team basketball with another sport at the same time.

If your son or daughter is selected for a travel team and you find out later that the schedule conflicts heavily with other activities you have planned this winter, coaches have the right to dismiss your son or daughter from participation after they have been selected and to replace your son or daughter with someone who was not selected for the team and can dedicate him/herself to travel team basketball this winter.

Schedule expectations

Practices

Within reason, players are expected to attend the duration of all scheduled practices. Coaches have specifically asked that we mention that every player should arrive at practice on time and remain there until the scheduled practice is over. The travel team practice schedule generally includes two practices per week, beginning when the teams are made and continuing through December, and then one or two practices per week in January and February. Our season ends after the first weekend in March. Some coaches may choose not to practice some weeks while others will choose to practice three times in a week. It’s up to them. Also, it is not uncommon at all for coaches to trade practice times. We ask that you understand that with the limited gym time in Wachusett, the need for flexibility will sometimes compromise the convenience of your schedule this winter.

Games

Most Wachusett teams play in the Central Massachusetts Youth Basketball League. Josh Hammer, one of the directors of the Acton-Boxborough program, is a commissioner in this league. Other towns that play in this league include Leominster, Nashoba, Hudson, Ayer-Shirley, Fitchburg, Maynard, and Groton. With exception to Quabbin (Barre) and Athol, all towns are within about a 45-minute drive of Wachusett, with the majority less than 30 minutes away. League games are played on Sunday afternoons, with a start time between 12:00-5:00, depending on the individual town’s gym availability. A league game will be scheduled every Sunday from mid/late-November until late-February, with the four Sundays during vacation weeks (December 23 and 30; February 17 and 24) excluded from the schedule. Note, there will be a league game during the long Martin Luther King Day weekend. Playoffs are typically during the first weekend of March, however they may be moved around by one week depending on weather cancellations or other extenuating circumstances. Playoffs are only one weekend and there be Saturday games during that weekend. Wachusett teams can expect 30-50% of their games to be played at home in Wachusett with the remainder of their games played at either the opponent’s gym or in occasional cases, at a neutral site. Neutral sites are sometimes utilized when the two opponents scheduled to play each other are on opposite sides of the map (e.g. if there is gym time available, a Concord versus Rutland game could be played in Shrewsbury if neither team has an available gym that week). With exception to the play-off schedule, the entire league schedule for the season will be published about 10 days before the regular season begins. .Additionally, most teams choose to participate in tournaments and non-league games. Participation in these events is left to the discretion of coaches.

As we hope the above information clearly explains, playing travel team basketball is a large (but also fun) commitment during the winter season. If you are new to this program, we encourage you to chat with other Wachusett families who can give you a first-hand account of what to expect in terms of a time commitment. You will find that the vast majority of travel team players do not participate in any other highly regimented extracurricular activities during the winter season, and if it came down to a “deal breaker,” coaches may choose a player who is dedicating him/herself to basketball over a player that is going to try to balance a busy travel team schedule with indoor soccer, hockey, etc.

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