Travel Basketball is available to players in grades 3 through 8. Travel Basketball is an option for players who have played organized basketball in the past and have developed beyond the basic fundamentals. Travel Basketball is also a greater time commitment than Rec (OYBL). Players practice a minimum of twice per week and play multiple games on the weekends. Travel Basketball is our competitive option that offers the opportunity for more advanced competitive play with teams from the Madison area and surrounding communities.
Travel practices start in late October or early November. Tournaments and/or games typically run November through early March. Players who choose to play Travel Basketball will need to go through an evaluation process. Not all players that try out for Travel Basketball will be placed on one of the Travel team(s). Following evaluations, players who have stronger fundamentals and skills will be offered an opportunity to play on a Travel Basketball team. When forming teams, evaluators will be looking for a 'natural break' between groups of players. The number of players on a Travel Team and the number of Travel Basketball Teams in each grade will vary from year to year and grade to grade. Players who are not extended an opportunity to play Travel Basketball will be referred to our Rec program (OYBL) or encouraged to play Oregon Middle School basketball.
Travel Team Selection Process
It is the policy of Oregon Youth Basketball that all players that choose to play Travel basketball play on a team in their current Grade level. Players are not allowed to play up or play down grade levels. However, if Oregon Youth Basketball does not provide Travel basketball at your grade level, players are allowed the opportunity to attend the grade level above their current grade Travel evaluations and try out for that Travel team. These players will only be extended an offer to play Travel if they evaluate as one of the top 3 overall players at the evaluation. IF a player is extended an offer to play Travel, and that player chooses to play Travel again the following year (in a grade level where Travel is offered for their age) they would return to their own grade level. NO EXCEPTIONS. Where Travel is offered in other grade levels, players MUST play within their own grade level, and not have the option to play up or down.
Players must attend their respective grade level evaluation. The player evaluation process is coordinated by the Oregon Youth Basketball Board, however, no members of the Oregon Youth Basketball Board assist with or perform any of the player evaluations. Evaluators are selected by the respective varsity basketball coaches and youth board. They may consist of the varsity coaches, high school coaching staff or other qualified evaluators. No parents of any youth players will be allowed to evaluate or are allowed in the gym during evaluations. Parents are not allowed to see any of the player scores for the players that tryout. Evaluations must be attended by all players; make-up tryouts will only be accommodated under specific circumstances such as illness, funerals, etc. A player may request an alternate tryout, but it will need to be approved by the Oregon Youth Basketball board.
Teams are constructed of players in the same grade level. The number of players on a Travel team and the number of Travel teams in each grade will vary from year to year and grade to grade. We will make every attempt to split 3rd and 4th grade Travel teams evenly. If there are enough players to form three competitive teams at 3rd or 4th grade, then there will possibly be TWO evenly split teams and a third recreational level travel team. This is at the discretion of the evaluators and the OYB Board. We will tier (traditional A/B/C teams) in 5th - 8th grade (possibly at 4th grade at Board discretion if applicable).
Once evaluations are complete and teams are formed, they are assigned a color. The color of each team represents the team’s level. The following applies to all teams (except grades that have no tiering designation or are evenly split)
• Orange team is the top, or "A" team
• Black team is the "B" team
• White team is a second "B" team or the "C" team
Travel Team Practices
In general, Travel teams practice twice per week. Younger grades typically will practice from 5:30-7:00 p.m. and older grades typically will practice from 7:00-8:30 p.m. These times may vary. Practices can take place at any of the OSD school gyms. OYB cannot accommodate requests for specific practice nights. Practice schedules are determined by OYB based on gym space availability and coach availability. Players are expected to attend ALL practices. If there is a conflict that comes up, it is the responsibility of the player to notify the coach ahead of time if there will be an absence. Players are responsible to provide their own basketball. Girls teams use a 28.5” basketball. Boys teams in grades 3 – 6 use a 28.5” basketball, and boys teams in grades 7 – 8 use a 29.5” basketball.
Travel Team Competition and Schedule
League Information
Oregon Youth Basketball places most of our teams into a regional basketball league called the Badger Developmental League (BDL). The BDL is a privately run league that consists of teams from Dane County and the surrounding area. Player registration fees are used to cover the entry cost for teams to participate in the BDL.
Each Travel team will at minimum play a regular season schedule that consists of 5 weekends starting sometime between late November and ending in early February. On game weekends, your team will play multiple games (two games for 3rd grade, three games for all other grades). Games are scheduled so that all of your games on a given weekend are played on the same day. You will not play on a Saturday and a Sunday in the same weekend.
The typical frequency of games is roughly every other weekend with a few longer breaks around the winter holidays. Third grade teams will play 10 games (5 weekends, 2 games per day). 4th through 8th grade teams will play 15 games (5 weekends, 3 games each day). There is also a 6th weekend reserved for an end of the year tournament in late January or early February.
The dates, times, and locations of all BDL games are set by the BDL. Oregon Youth Basketball is typically informed of tentative scheduled dates in mid-November. Sometimes these dates are changed due the gym space availability or weather cancellations. The exact times for games is typically determined 1-2 weeks in advance of the first weekend of games. Oregon Youth Basketball has no control over the BDL schedule, but we do our best to get the information to coaches and parents as soon as possible. BDL games are played at different host communities. On weekends when games are scheduled for your team, you will be required to find transportation for your child to the games. There are over 30 communities in the BDL, so travel times can vary. Most locations are within 30 minutes of Oregon (Waunakee, Verona, Mt. Horeb, Stoughton, etc.). Some locations can be up to 60 minutes away (Fort Atkinson, Monroe).
Tournament Play
Oregon Youth Basketball also hosts our own tournaments. Each year OYB typically hosts four (4) tournaments – Boys A, Girls A, Boys B and Girls B. Typically, our “Orange” teams will play in the A tournaments, and our “Black” and “White” teams will play in the B tournaments. At the 3rd and 4th grade levels where teams are not tiered, those teams will typically play in our A tournament. We want to ensure our teams are competing against similarly structured teams to give them the best chance possible to learn, grow, and succeed. Our home tournaments typically take place during the BDL season and there is a chance a scheduling conflict might arise with BDL and our home tournaments. In those instances, our Travel teams will participate in our home tournament and not their scheduled BDL games if this occurs.
OYB relies on parent volunteers to help us run our home tournaments. There is a requirement is that parents/guardians volunteer a minimum of TWO hours, per player in the program, during their tournament weekend.
In addition to the BDL and our home tournament(s), OYB Travel teams may choose to participate in other non-BDL based tournaments. Tournaments can be played on non-BDL weekends, or after the completion of the BDL season. Not all of our Travel teams will participate in non-BDL based tournaments. The decision to play in non-BDL tournaments is made by the coaches and parents and must fit within the allowed budget allocated by the OYB Board for each team and if the team’s schedule allows. There are situations where an OYB team may forego playing in the BDL and play exclusively in tournaments. This decision would be made by the OYB Board and HS coaches. In this situation, the BDL fees allocated for that team can be used for tournament registration fees.
Travel Team Coaches
Travel coaches are selected from those who have indicated a willingness and interest to coach during registration or non-parent coaches selected by the HS coaches and OYB Board. To ensure a safe environment for the players, all coaches will be required to submit an OSD background check which will be used by OYB to approve the coaches. Any concerns with coaches during the basketball season should be discussed first with the respective coach and then brought to the Oregon Youth Basketball board if necessary. Common sense and appropriate consideration should be used to determine the best time to approach a coach. Please remember that all coaches are volunteering their time and have the best interests for the program.