OVERVIEW

The BYBA Travel Program (Belmont Travel Basketball), is for players in grades 4 through 8 seeking a higher level of commitment and competition, playing in a competitive league against teams from other towns. Travel teams generally have 1-2 practices per week with 1 to 2 games on the weekends.

In order to run an effective Travel program and maximize the number of players in the program, both players and parents should recognize that “Travel Basketball” requires a significantly higher commitment level than the In-Town program. For players who cannot fully commit to the travel program and will have competing priorities over the winter should register for our In-town program. 

All travel players are automatically registered to play on an In-Town team, although it is understood that there may be conflicts from time-to-time with the Travel program. If your travel player would like to opt-out of the In-town basketball season, please contact info@belmontyouthbasketball.com no later than October 15th. The cost of the In-town program is included in the Travel fee and does not change if your child decides to opt-out. We encourage all players to play In-town if at all possible. 

Travel Basketball requires a commitment from players and parents to attend practices and games. Because rosters are small, teams are disrupted if players are unable to make the necessary commitment. Players who routinely miss practices or games may realize less playing time during games. Basketball should be your child’s primary sports commitment during the winter season.

If you have constraints and are not able to fully commit to Travel Basketball as described on this page but still want to play, please let us know so we can properly place your child on the right team. This will make it easier than having to move players during the season.

ELIGIBILITY

In order to participate in Belmont Travel Basketball a player must reside in or attend school in the town of Belmont during the school year.

REGISTRATION and FEES 

Please see our Registration and Fees page for complete details.

UNIFORMS

A standard uniform (reversible jersey and shorts) is required for all Travel players. All new Travel players must purchase a reversible jersey and shorts. Travel jerseys are also worn for In-town games.

Please note that BYBA uniforms tend to run large, so you may consider ordering true to size or a size down than what your child typically wears. 

TEAM SIZE

Over the past several years our Travel Program has seen tremendous growth. Belmont has one of the largest Travel programs among the 70+ Metrowest League member towns. (In 2022 we had 24 teams participating.) We find it absolutely wonderful that our town has so many children that have the desire to play Travel Basketball. At the same time, we struggle with many challenges such as gym space, finding competitive teams to play against our lower level teams, having an inadequate number of players in a grade which results in having teams of less than 10 players or having to combine grades and the availability of qualified coaches.

As we assess the number of registered players this year we will take care in ensuring that the team structure is set up so we are able to run an effective travel program. Please be aware there is a possibility your child may not make a travel team. If your child does not make a travel team they will play solely in our in-town league.

TRY-OUTS

Belmont Travel Basketball requires all players be registered and fully paid to attend try-outs.

Try-outs for each grade level are expected to be held the last week in September and the first week of October.

All players must try out for their respective grade's teams. To properly and fully assess each player, we may conduct two (2) nights (3 focused hours in total) of placements performing skill drills and game situations. It may be determined that a 3rd try-out is necessary, if a group has too many players to run an effective try-out in two sessions. For grades with limited enrollment, the Board may determine that only one try-out is necessary. Belmont Travel Basketball may utilize fully independent evaluators that do not have a child in the grade they evaluate. All evaluators have been involved in youth basketball for many years playing, coaching and/or officiating experience at multiple levels including AAU, high school or college.

In cases where a player cannot try out because of a documented injury, but is expected back in time for the season, Belmont Travel Basketball will use its sole discretion in placing that player on a team and may use any information it deems suitable including prior year placement information or other information from coaches, etc. However, a non-injured player who fully participated in placements will have priority over a player who was unable to participate in placements in those cases when the players are deemed “equal” in the placement process.

Prospective players are encouraged to attend all try-out sessions. In the event a player cannot attend try-outs due to a family or other special circumstance and upon reasonable prior notice, Belmont Travel Basketball will use its best efforts to find an alternative placement session (likely at the next higher grade level) in order to obtain as reasonable an assessment as possible.

If for some reason you do not want your child to be placed on the first team please contact us at . Please be aware that if your child is assessed highly at placements we may not be able to honor these types of requests.

NOTE: TRYOUTS WILL BE CLOSED TO PARENTS.

PRACTICES

Travel teams will practice up to twice a week beginning in early November. Practices may be held on any night of the week, including Saturday in the event there are no games scheduled. If your child can not make two practices per week and they are placed on a team that is practicing twice a week, they may be moved down to another team.

GAMES

Games are generally held mostly on Sundays, with some Saturday games as well. Games run from the first week of December through early March. Games will be scheduled on both weekends of February vacation and over December break. Again, please consider the increased time commitment for practice and games when deciding whether your child will participate on a travel team.

TEAMS & LEAGUE PLAY

Most teams will participate in the Metrowest League which consists of a twelve-game schedule, with playoffs following the regular season. Teams will play additional "non-league games", which may vary on a team-by-team and grade-by-grade basis.

TOURNAMENTS & ADDITIONAL GAMES

All travel teams playing in the Metrowest League will qualify for the Metrowest's post-season playoffs that begin in early March. Additional tournaments and games may be scheduled during the season (i.e. during December or February vacation) on a team-by-team basis, largely at the discretion of the coaching staff. Some tournaments and games may be an additional cost for an individual team. This will be based on the total number of games scheduled for each team.

PLAYING TIME

As this is a competitive program, the minimum playing time in grades 6 through 8 is 25%, grades 4 & 5 the minimum playing time shall be 40%. It is very important that parents and players alike are ready to accept that they may only play 25% of the time (40% for 4th & 5th graders). EXACT PLAYING TIME MAY VARY GAME TO GAME.

TWINS/SIBLING PLACEMENT

Twins/siblings in the same grade will be evaluated and placed independently. Prior to the evaluations, parents may request twins/siblings to be placed on the same team. In the event that there is a request for siblings to be on the same team both players will be placed on the lower of the teams the players were evaluated for.

TRAVEL TEAM COACHES

Belmont Travel Basketball typically has more than 20 teams. With such a high number of teams, our biggest challenge is to find enough volunteers to coach at each level.  If we do not have a coach for a specific team, we will be forced to cancel that team's season.  Please register to coach if you have an interest in coaching.  

NOTE: Coaches will not be selected for a specific team until after placements are finalized. We will not move a player down to a lower team just to fill a coaching vacancy.  If we do not have enough coaches to run the program, we will have less teams.

After the teams have been created through the evaluation process, Belmont Travel Basketball will identify and select the coaching candidates amongst that team. Coach selections are then based on the candidate's expertise and experience in basketball, coaching, and other youth-related leadership activities, as well as overall credentials, approach, and if applicable, prior year parent feedback. We recognize that having consistency in coaches year to year is valuable, but not necessary, and it can also be very positive for the children to experience different coaches as part of their basketball careers and development. For this reason, Belmont Travel Basketball's coaching staffs will consist of one head coach and one assistant coach, unless circumstances warrant an additional coach. Coaching candidates will be asked to submit an online registration through the Registration page. All coaches will be required to complete a CORI check prior to participating in the program.