For those players, 5th - 8th grade, looking for a playing experience at a higher level of competition can sign up for the RCYBA traveling program. The traveling teams are based on tryouts and will be are formed by skill level.

Tryouts for the 2023-24 season will be SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 17, 2023

Players that are assigned to a travel teams (A  or B level), will NOT be participating in league. The only exception to this is the will be for 3rd & 4th grade girls and boys they will participate in the league program and then if there are enough players wanting to continue to play RCYBA will form a Late Travel team (see the Late Travel Team tab for more information).

Playing on a traveling team is not only a high level of competition; it is also a larger commitment for the player and parents. Players will be expected to:

• attend ALL practices each week
• travel 2-3 weekends a month between mid-November and mid-March for tournaments.

Parents will need make to make sure they can get their players to and from practices and all tournaments (most tournaments are in the Minneapolis area).  

Parents should also be aware that there are additional costs during the season besides the cost of registration and uniforms such as;

• travel expense to and from the tournaments
• meals 
• possibly hotel expenses
• some tournament charge gate fees for fans 

There is no financial assistance for the ADDITIONAL costs associated with the travel program.

If you are a girl or boy in grades 5th - 6th and do not wish to travel please sign-up for the league program.

• Teams are formed at 5th ,6th, 7th, 8th grades for boys and girls by high school boundary.  
• Historically, many 8th grade girls can be called up to the high school programs making it difficult to form teams at that grade.  
• Occasionally, one or two boys will be called up.
• Teams are organized as A and B. Hence, the importance of evaluations. The Twin Cities teams split their teams A and B, and, therefore, we do too in order to play their tournaments.
• Practice time for travel teams is up to 3 hours per week; usually two 1 1/2 hour practice.
• Travel practices begin mid October to the first week of November depending upon the year. Traveling program ends in early to mid March.
• A minimum of 8 players is needed to form a team with 9 to 10 being optimal.

• Placement on a traveling team is based on evaluations during tryout sessions.
• We strive to involve the high school coaching staffs with tryouts.  However, coaches/volunteers also assist in the tryout process, but are excused when their child’s grade is evaluated.
• Parents are not allowed to watch the tryout.
• The evaluations are typically held in either one or two days on a weekend(s) in early to mid-September.
• Players should arrive at the tryout with a numbered reversible jersey and their own ball.  Boys begin using an official sized basketball in seventh grade.
• Evaluations are heavily skill based (dribbling - both hands, shooting, passing, etc.However, some combination of one on one, three on three and/or full court scrimmaging is also employed.
• If a player is injured or cannot participate in a tryout, then the player’s previous history of performance is taken into account.

• 5th grade girls and boys: players will receive equal playing time during each tournament.
• 6th-8th grade girls and boys: Middle school traveling basketball is played at a competitive level. Which will require coaches to manage playing time based on individual game situations and skill level. This will mean that playing time may not be the same for each player per game. Coaches will make every effort to play each player at least 2 minutes per half. For those players that may not see a lot of playing time in a game or tournament, coaches will attempt to make up playing time in different games during the tournament or at another tournament, when possible. Players will earn minutes based on; practice attendance, demonstrated skills, positive attitude, teamwork and have given full effort as determined by the coach.
•  As with all team and player issues we encourage parents to approach their coach at an appropriate time and manner to discuss playing time. Please refer to the “Communicating in RCYBA” in the Parents Guide for additional information

The cost for a travel uniform is in addition to the published registration fee. Depending on how much a player grows from one year to the next, a new travel uniform may not need to be purchased every year.

Uniform ordering dates: September 18-25

Order link: TBA

• tournaments are scheduled by the RCYBA high school coordinators.

• RCYBA will schedule 10 travel tournaments for each team. These tournament fees are factored into a player’s travel registration.

• Any associated traveling costs (hotel, meals, gas, etc.) are not a part of registration.

• Through the years, RCYBA has gathered a lot of intelligence on which tourneys are the best. Many teams will do a few to several tourneys in the Southern Twin Cities suburbs.
• We also consider the closer, local small town tournaments.
• Plus, we have a couple Rochester based tourneys; the Early Bird Tournament in November and the RCYBA Tournament at the end of the season.
•  RCYBA requires teams to attend the tournaments assigned to them, weather permitting.

Additional Tournaments

• Traveling teams can choose to participate in additional tournaments.  The team will be responsible for the cost and registration.
• If a team is going out to additional tournaments they must use the roster that is assigned to them at the start of the season. A coach CAN NOT add players from other teams. Under MYAS this is considered a rogue team and cannot participate in MYAS and most other winter tournaments.  
• Violations to this policy may result in dismissal of the head coach and/or from the RCYBA Tournament in Feb./Mar. 

Short a player for a Tournament

While team rosters have sufficient numbers to be competitive if a player or two are missing for a tournament, there are times it may be necessary to supplement your roster with a “borrowed” player. Per the following rules it is acceptable to bring in a player not on your roster if you’re going to be short players (less than 8) for a tournament.

Rules for temporally "borrowing” a player:

1. The temporary player must be in the RCYBA program.
2. The player must be from the same high school district. If you’re a Century coach you cannot pull from a JM team.
3. The player needs to be from the same grade level. At no time is it allowed to pull a player down a grade, i.e. 8th grade to play at 7th grade.  A player may be allowed to play up a grade. However this will require applicable RCYBA School Liaison approval along with the approval from those listed in bullet #6.
4. The player being brought in cannot be playing in the same tournament for another team.
5. Any request to bring in a temporary player MUST be decided on by the player’s assigned coach AND approved by the RCYBA Administrator.
6. Finally and most important; the player MUST HAVE APPROVAL from their parents/guardians.