The HBA offers a traveling basketball program for girls in grades 3-8. The traveling basketball program runs from late October through February. Tryouts take place over two days/evenings in September. Each team typically practices 2 nights per week and each practice is typically 90 minutes.
3rd grade teams will be split evenly based on ability. 3rd grade teams will participate in five tournaments through the season.
4th & 5th grade teams will be split evenly. All teams will participate in 7 weekend tournaments throughout the season. ****4th grade teams will not be created until early November. 5th grade teams will be announced the week after tryouts. ****
6th, 7th, and 8th grade teams will be created based on skill level into A/B/C teams based on tryout evaluations. ****6th, 7th, 8th grade teams will be announced the week after tryouts. ****
HBA Traveling Try Out Information
The Traveling Handbook outlines a spectrum of topics for the HBA traveling program. Please review as there is a lot of relevant information that applies to team formation and tryouts such as philosophy of the organization, decision-making process, etc.
Link to Traveling Handbook: https://www.hudsonhoops.com/page/show/5834224-hba-traveling-handbook-guidelines
Eligibility
To be eligible to play on an HBA team, the player MUST reside in the Hudson school district or attend a school within the Hudson school district.
Must have paid all applicable tryout fees.
Participation
A player must participate in all scheduled tryout sessions unless an excused absence is granted prior to the start of that session by the Traveling Director. Attendance will be taken at the beginning of each tryout session. A player that is absent, without being excused, may not be eligible to be placed on a team. Extenuating and unusual circumstances will be reviewed on a case-by-case basis.
Policy on ‘playing up’. Players are allowed to tryout for the grade above to be placed on a team. The player can possibly be added to the team only if they are in the top 2 ranked players of the grade level they are trying out for. Any player wishing to ‘play up’ must attend both the tryout session for their own grade and the session for the higher grade.
Injury or Illness Absence
A player who has registered for tryouts and cannot participate due to an injury or illness will be excused, prior to the start of the tryout session. A player excused due to injury or illness must present a signed doctor's release indicating that the player is medically fit before he/she will be allowed to participate in any HBA Travel Program activity.
It is not the Hudson Basketball Association Program’s intent to prohibit players experiencing a short-term injury from playing in the Hudson Traveling Basketball Program. All reasonable accommodations will be made to determine an injured player’s skill level and place them on the appropriate team. Items used in determining skill level may include a modified tryout, a specially scheduled tryout, and/or the previous year’s player history.
Player Identification
Each player will be identified by a number assigned at the tryout sessions.
Player Tryout Evaluation
Every player’s basketball skills will be evaluated and scored based upon their performance & proficiency in a series of basketball drills and/or game play. The HBA Traveling Director and/or members of the HBA board will select a group of evaluators who are known to possess the knowledge necessary to evaluate a player's skill level. Potential evaluators could include members of the Hudson High School coaching staff, individuals from outside of the HBA program and Hudson community, or individuals of the Hudson community who are deemed to have proficient knowledge of the game that no longer have a player in the HBA program. It is the intent of the program to utilize external & impartial evaluators whenever possible and under no circumstance will the parent of a player be selected to evaluate players who are in the same grade level as one of their children or another close relative. Prior coaching experience is preferred when candidates are selected.
Team Selection
Players will be placed on a traveling team based on a combination of tryout score, player history in the HBA program, and/or previous year’s coaches’ feedback.
The HBA program will strive to maximize the number of players who are able to participate in the travel program at each age and level. However, it is still possible that some players participating in tryouts will not be placed on a travel team. The primary reasons for not being placed on a travel team are:
A player is not able to demonstrate a ‘travel-ready’ proficiency in the game of basketball. ‘Travel-ready’ proficiency will be determined by evaluators selected by the HBA board, in consultation with the Traveling Director. If a player is not considered ‘travel-ready,’ we will recommend that player participate in our In House or Hudson School District programs. We believe that the In House and Hudson School District programs will provide such players a better opportunity to enjoy the game of basketball and to develop their basketball skills.
The number of potential players is not readily divided into 8-10 players per team, which is the target for HBA Traveling teams.
HBA Basketball is unable to accommodate additional travel teams due to facilities constraints.
Players, parents, and family members are prohibited from contacting HBA Board Members, Evaluators, Traveling Directors, or Coaches during the tryout, evaluation or selection process for the purpose of talking about player selection or tryout scores.
Upon the completion of tryouts and team selection, team rosters will be posted on the Hudson Traveling basketball page as soon as possible. Typically, rosters will appear on the website within 5-7 days of the completion of the tryouts.
Common Questions:
Do I have to tryout?
Yes. In order to be placed on a traveling team, you have to try out. We encourage you to try out for all available times for your age group.
What should I bring to the Tryout?
Basketball Shoes and proper attire. Water Bottle. There will be a check in table where you will get a numbered practice jersey and a basketball. If you have a 2nd try-out, please wear your same practice jersey and check in prior to tryout.
When should I arrive?
Arrive at minimum 15-30 minutes prior to the scheduled try-out in order to get checked-in, put on your practice jersey, change and warm up.
Can parents watch the tryouts?
No. Parents will not be allowed to attend or watch tryouts. This is to help provide an equal opportunity for all players, and limit distractions for the evaluators and players.
Why are tryouts so early, or so late?
We time our tryouts for Mid-September in order to provide lead time for uniform orders. More importantly, this timing allows us to register for tournaments. Good tournaments fill up very quickly in late summer, and we need to have an accurate account of how many teams we can make and also the respective level of competition that is appropriate for each team. These factors help us to provide the best experience for the teams, players, coaches and parents.
Peer programs have try-outs as early as mid-July, and others as late as Mid-October.
Why is there a $25 Try-Out Fee?
Helps to offset the costs of practice jerseys, basketballs (which players keep), and gym rental fees that are paid to Hudson School District.
Why do 3rd & 4th graders not have a formal tryout evaluation?
With the philosophy of 3rd and 4th grade being equal split teams, and equal playing time, we feel it is most fair at this level to allow the coaches and players to practice together numerous times to get a better sense of equality across the available number of teams. Having coaches input into this process is very important with players new to the traveling program.
Can a player back out of traveling after teams have been formed?
There is a “Registration” period of 4-7 days after try-outs and team announcements. The try-out fee of $25 is non-refundable. You can choose NOT to register and note play traveling basketball. Once the “Travel Registration” closes, those who have registered will move forward to travel and those who have NOT registered can have the opportunity to play Rec In-House or Middle School basketball (7th and 8th grade).
Timeline:
IMPORTANT: After registering for the full travel season, and 9/25 deadline has passed you are committed to the traveling team and program. Drop Outs will be handled on a case-by-case basis and the maximum refund would be $375. This is due to the $125 uniform cost that is non-refundable.
Can a player join traveling after the season has started, without tryout and registration?
No. Once the 9/25 deadline has been passed, we cannot add new players into the program. There are a variety of reasons in terms of tryout results/ ratings, balance of numbers for teams/ tournaments, scheduling.
There may be case-by-case exceptions based on the circumstances, timing, and existing number of players in the subject grade.
Girls Travel Director
Phone: 651-342-3180
The Registration "Girls Traveling Basketball" is not currently available.