Yes. You must pre-register your child prior to tryouts. Walk-ins are not permitted. Once pre-registered, all players are placed on a “wait list” until after tryouts are completed. Once teams are selected, families may complete registration online and pay the registration fee at that time.

Players must purchase travel uniforms if you do not already own one from the previous season. For 4th graders, players new to the NYB program or players who have outgrown their uniform, you may order a new uniform from the Natick Outdoor Store. Uniforms cost approximately $80 per child. This is an additional cost and is not included in the registration fee. The only other required equipment is a pair of indoor gym sneakers. Most coaches also ask that the players bring a ball to practice when possible for individual drills, but this is not required. NYB provides each coach with a bag of basketballs for use during the season.

The registration fee for the season 2023-24 season was $450 per child. There is a family discount for each additional child that participates on an NYB team (i.e., fee is $400 for second child). The registration fee covers the cost of gym rentals for practices and games, league fees, scorekeepers, and referees for all Metro West Basketball league games and playoffs, insurance and equipment. Financial assistance is available. Please contact president@natickbasketball.com to find out more information. NYB’s belief and goal is to enable all children to play regardless of their financial situation.

There will be a minimum of two tryouts per grade. If there are a substantial number of players in a grade, there may be call backs for the next tryout. If there are call backs, the Tryout Coordinator will notify the group at tryouts and players will be notified prior to the next scheduled tryout session. If a player is not called back for the next tryout, the player will be placed on an intramural team roster.

Yes. Players in all grades are required to attend tryouts if they wish to play on one of the NTB teams. If a child who played on an NYB team last year does not attend tryouts, it is assumed that they have decided not to play on an NYB team this upcoming year.

We strongly recommend that a player attends both tryouts to afford the Independent Evaluators the best opportunity to evaluate the player’s performance. It is expected that a player will attend tryouts rather than participate in another sport activity. If a player is ill, injured or otherwise cannot attend tryouts, you must contact the Tryout Coordinator or an NYB board member prior to the scheduled tryout. Any player not attending tryouts due to injury, illness or other conflicts will receive appropriate consideration when the NYB teams are selected using all the data available to the Independent Evaluators. NYB compares our tryout schedule against the school calendar to minimize conflicts with school related activities, but cannot guarantee non-conflicts with all sports and extracurricular activities.

Team rosters will be announced within two weeks of the final tryout session for that grade/gender. NYB will notify families via email when team rosters are available.

No. Due to the large number of participants and our commitment to balanced, competitive teams, we are not able to accommodate requests for specific coaches or teammates.

There will be an assigned Tryout Coordinator, 3-6 Independent Evaluators, and coaches from the prior season in attendance at each of the tryouts.

• The Tryout Coordinators organize and manage the tryout process, allowing the Independent Evaluators to focus solely on evaluating the performance of the players.  The Tryout Coordinator could be a coach from the previous year.
• Independent Evaluators evaluate and rate the players, and make recommendations regarding team formation. The Independent Evaluators participate in both nights of tryouts, and do not currently coach nor have a child within that age group.  There are typically between 3 – 6 Independent Evaluators at each tryout, many of whom are former college players, current or former high school coaches, and current or former youth coaches.
• Head coaches from the prior season are asked to attend both nights of tryouts as well, typically in the role of Tryout Coordinator. The coaches know most of the players and help organize and facilitate drills and scrimmages–to allow the Independent Evaluators to focus on evaluating the players. The
  coaches are also available to answer any questions the Independent Evaluators may have.

Each tryout session will last between 1 to 2 hours and will focus on basketball skills, team play, court awareness and scrimmaging. Younger grade tryouts will spend more time on basketball skills, whereas older grade tryouts will spend more time on scrimmaging.

Parents are not allowed in the gym during the tryout process to keep the players relaxed and focused. We understand that parents enjoy observing the tryout, but have found it better for the players not to have sideline coaching or unintentional distractions during the tryout.

NYB travel teams will not have more than 11 players per team. The NYB board may, in its discretion, adjust the team roster and roster sizes due to the skill level and number of players trying out at any given grade level. Selecting team rosters and team sizes is a very difficult task, and the Independent Evaluators, coaches and NYB board members do the best they can. As a reminder, everyone involved is a volunteer; we ask that you please be courteous regarding the difficult decisions made during the team selection process.

Unfortunately, there are typically more players trying out for NYB travel teams than we can accommodate, so please be aware there is a possibility that your child may not make an NYB travel team. Please note that if your child does not make an NYB travel team roster, all players are welcome to participate in the town’s intramural program. See below for more information.

Our goal is to have a minimum of an A and B team for each grade and gender. Please note that the teams for Grade 4 may be blended by skill level. If numbers and talent warrant a competitive third team in any grade/gender, we will evaluate the opportunity and welcome the additional participation.

The number of travel teams in each grade in any given year may vary based on the skill level and number of players trying out in conjunction with gym space and other financial resources. Due to our desire to include as many younger players as possible, deference may be provided to the creation of additional teams at the younger grade level versus the older grade levels. The decision to include or exclude a third team in any grade/gender will be made at the discretion of the NYB board.

Independent Evaluators develop numeric ratings for the players using consistent skill-based and game play criteria over the course of the two tryouts. There are then two primary inputs for the team selection process: (i) the compilation of the numeric ratings from the Independent Evaluators for player performance during the two tryouts; (ii) prior year head coaches’ input based on a player’s performance during the prior season. The team rosters become final after the NTB board votes to approve the proposed team rosters for each grade. Our goal is to form competitive teams that are balanced by position, in each grade, gender and division.

Coaches are selected shortly after the tryouts are completed. Anyone interested in coaching (parent or non-parent) should contact an NTB board member. Individuals new to the NTB program will be interviewed by the NTB board shortly after the team selection. If there are multiple candidates for a coaching position, each candidate will be interviewed by the board and the board will vote on the individual deemed most appropriate for the coaching spot. If the previous year’s coach wishes to continue to coach and is unopposed, then the board will approve that coach for the upcoming season.

If your child does not make a Travel Basketball team, we encourage him/her to participate in the Intramural Basketball program now run by NYB.

NYB now offers Intramural Basketball programs for 3rd-8th grade boys and girls during the winter months. This is a great program to develop players’ skills and improve comfort levels on the court while improving their overall basketball abilities. The programs are open to players with all abilities.

Additionally, in the fall and spring there are opportunities to play Amateur Athletic Union (AAU) basketball. There are a number of AAU programs in the surrounding area. Tryouts for fall programs typically start in September and tryouts for spring programs typically start in early January.

Players who earn a spot on an NYB travel team are expected to make basketball their primary winter sport. As noted below, each NYB travel team will have 2 practices and 1 game each week. Games are generally held on Sundays. Players are expected to attend each practice and game. We appreciate that injury, illness, school activities, or other personal circumstances may force a player to miss a practice or game. However, to ensure fairness for all players participating on an NYB travel team, players who choose to skip an NYB travel practice or game to participate at another sporting activity may be benched for part, or all, of a game at the coach’s discretion. For repeated occurrences, further action may be taken by the NYB board.

Most teams play 12 regular season games over the course of 12 weekends, plus playoffs, from early December through late February. The league recognizes the Christmas and New Year’s weekends as holidays, so in past years those weekends have been avoided if the holiday falls near them. The league normally holds games on Martin Luther King weekend and both weekends of February vacation. Home games will be played in Natick at either the Natick High School, Kennedy Middle School, Wilson Middle School, or occasionally at the Community Center or Charles River School in Dover. Away games will be played at any number of towns that participate in the Metro West Basketball league, typically the suburbs west and south of Boston. Team schedules are maintained at the MetroWest Basketball.

All NYB teams usually participate in the NYB Turkey Shootout held on the Friday, Saturday and Sunday of Thanksgiving. In addition, depending on the individual NYB team head coach, additional pre-season or holiday week tournaments and games may be scheduled during the season. NYB does not charge its teams to participate in the Turkey Shootout. Other tournaments organized by the coaches may require additional registration fees.