EASTBAY BULLDOGS BASKETBALL

So 2024 is wrapping up.  And with that, 2025 will be the eleventh year of our year round Elite program.  With that, we have decided on a little makeover with a new name and a new uniform.  I love the ALPHA name but with it, there was confusion at some tournaments.  "Who are these ALPHA guys?  We are supposed to play the Bulldogs."  So with that, we are changing the name to BULLDOGS SELECT.  SELECT is our Elite program for the most skilled, most committed players in our program.  It an all inclusive Elite program.  SELECT is our year round program, from Mar 1 to the mid Feb of 2026.   We practice 2 to 3 times a week and do 2 tournaments a month.  Included in that are about 30 extra "SELECT Only" practices (10 in Spring / 10 in Summer, 10 in Winter).  SELECT also goes to Reno over Memorial Day Weekend for the largest AAU Event in the world and if there is parent interest, may go to Vegas in late July or Maui in early Aug.  

For 2025, we hope to have 8 Select teams, one team each in the 3rd to 6th grades and two teams in the 7th & 8th grades.  Signups and tryouts along with our SELECT Team Parent Mtg. will be in February, the 16th & 23rd.  See the calendar for updated info.  

So what makes these teams different from other year round or elite programs?  I think it is the teaching.  We are committed to teaching the skills needed to make HS basketball teams.  And SELECT is an 11 month program but because we play mainly on Saturdays, if in Winter you also want to play CYO, you can do both. 

So we will do SELECT tryouts and start practice in late Feb 2025 go to mid Feb of 2026.  The catch is, to be selected for the SELECT team in your grade, we need you to commit to the full 8 to 11 month program or if you start late, commit to the balance of the program from when you join to the end of the 2025/26 program.  We do this because we aren't interested in re-forming these teams every 3 months.  We want a truely Elite team with continuity from playing together for an extended period.

If the commitment for Bulldogs SELECT is too much for you, the Bulldogs will still offer their traditional Bulldogs seasonal teams you have all come to know from us. Those teams will still practice twice a week and play weekend games with all the excellent coaching Bulldogs teams are known for.

Someone called me yesterday and said "Is this a shift in philosophy for your program?".  No, not at all.  We will still play man, run motion and focus on fundamental skill development and building smart, hard nosed, tough players that play hard and have great attitudes.  Our goal will still be to help our kids improve and make their HS and hopefully, maybe college teams some day.  And we will still have White and Blue teams that play the four sessions of the year.  This is just a way for the player more committed to basketball to be with a group that feels the same way.

So if you are interested in being considered for one of these Select teams, contact Coach LeClaire at 925-570-1334 asap to get on the tryout list. There will be an email going out in early January with all the details about the program.  Then, tryouts and practice will begin in February.  Hope to see you out there,

Coach LeClaire