Traveling Basketball Home

How does ETB determine how many teams to form at each gender and grade?
Since the tournaments in which our teams hope to play begin taking registrations over the summer, it is necessary for ETB to determine the number of teams which will be offered at each gender and grade level and enter them in tournaments before tryouts occur. To do this, ETB uses registration numbers and past participant numbers at each grade and gender to determine the number of teams formed at each grade and gender.

Why do some teams have 8 players and some have 10?
There are pros and cons to 8 person teams and 10 person teams. The ETB board has listened to coaches and parents/guardians on this issue, both in person and in the end-of-season parent survey. Currently, ETB plans to continue the practice of forming some 8 person teams and some 10 person teams. In determining the makeup of teams, feedback from parents/guardians with children in each level has been considered separately. In addition, the talent level at each grade and gender is considered. ETB seeks to accommodate a maximum number of committed participants for whom we can maintain a positive and competitive experience.

How are coaches chosen?
Individuals interested in coaching during the 2003-2004 season are encouraged to express their interest during Spring signups. Otherwise, coaching candidates must contact Michele Vyvyan at Tbasketball@eaasports.org by June 13, 2003. Candidates will fill out an application and be contacted in late June regarding an interview to be conducted in late July. If the candidate has coached in our program in the past, evaluations of that coach are considered. Interviews are conducted by a combination of the Girls and Boys ETB Coordinators, the ETB director, one or more representatives from the Eagan Athletic Association board of directors, and outside evaluators such as former coaches from our program.

After the interviews, candidates for each grade and gender are ranked. At tryouts in September players are first placed in skill-level pools A, B, and C. Later during tryouts the director and boys and girls coordinators look at which skill pool the coach candidates’ children have been placed in. Within each pool the position of head coach for each team is offered to the coaching candidate with the highest rank after the interview process.

What kind of training and feedback do ETB coaches get?
Coaches participate in an informational meeting in early September prior to tryouts, and in a coaching clinic during the pre-season. Evaluation of coach performance will occur mid-season, with feedback provided to coaches by the director and Boys or Girls Coordinators. Summary feedback regarding coaches from the end-of-season parent survey will be provided to coaches requesting it. Requests can be made to Michele Vyvyan at Tbasketball@eaasports.org

During the season, coaches wishing guidance can contact director Michele Vyvyan at Tbasketball@eaasports.org. ETB wishes to support its coaches and can pair up experienced coaches with new ones for assistance as needed.

How are tryouts conducted to ensure independent, objective, and appropriate decisions?
ETB makes use of the following strategies during tryouts: 1) equal opportunity; 2) team play and skill assessments; 3) independent evaluation.

1. Equal Opportunity: All players are asked to wear white tee shirts without their names or past basketball team/camp/clinic participation on them. Each player receives a tryout jersey. Throughout the tryout players are referenced by number only. In addition, team groupings for scrimmages during tryouts are changed several times so that each player will play with and against many different players. An effort is made to equitably distribute height on the scrimmage teams.

2. Team Play and Skill Assessment: Drills are used to provide an opportunity for evaluators to observe basic skills. Scrimmages give evaluators a chance to observe skills, along with a player’s abilities to use these skills in a game-like situation. Scrimmages also allow evaluators to observe a player’s approach to team play.

3. Independent evaluation: An independent evaluator hired by ETB, along with the three top-ranked coaches from a different grade, use the drills and scrimmages to place players into skill-level pools. These pools model the team levels (A, B, C).

How are teams formed?
Once the skill-level pools have been formed (see above question), the ETB director and boys and girls coordinators look at which skill pool the coach candidates’ children have been placed in. Within each pool the position of head coach for each team is offered to the coaching candidate with the highest rank after the interview process. Coaches then place players onto available teams for the grade and gender based on pool placement.

Should parents/guardians observe their child during tryouts?
Attending tryouts is a matter of personal choice.

The bylaws of the Eagan Athletic Association specify that parents are welcome to view tryouts. A parent/guardian’s presence there in no way affects the outcome of the tryouts or their child’s chance of making a team. Parents who observe tryouts must stay in a designated area and have no communication with players.

Why are so many more boys than girls cut at tryouts?
As we support and advance the place of girls in traveling basketball, we comply with Title 9 and make every effort to allow interested and qualified girls to participate in ETB. The number of girls who try out for ETB teams and who participate on ETB teams is significantly lower than the number of boys.

How can I get more information about what tryouts will be like?
There will be an informational meeting about tryouts for parents in early September. Time and place will be posted on this website.

Why can’t we have more practice time?
This is a function of the large number of kids who participate in ETB, and the limited gym time and space available to us. Our program forms around 28 teams, while the Eastview program has approximately 23 and the Rosemount program has approximately 19. Eagan and Eastview and Rosemount all share district 196 facilities. In addition our program competes for gym time with Adult Rec sports, in-house basketball, and other community groups and classes. We do rent some gym time outside of the district and are continually looking for more. Contact us with any leads!

Why is traveling basketball so expensive?
The largest portion of the ETB fee goes to renting gym time. Even though the district 196 levy passed last year, the cost of gym time did not go down. The other major expense is tournament entry fees. Fees for ETB are in line with metro-area traveling basketball associations. ETB supplements the fees paid by ETB participants with the Eagan Basketball Tournament in early November, and the sale of ETB clothing items during tryouts, signups, and our tournament. These revenue sources ensure that ETB can continue to offer quality basketball experiences for its participants.

Beyond the registration fee, deposit, shooting shirt, and optional Fall Ball, what other costs can I expect during the season?
Just as the Eagan Basketball Tournament is a fundraiser for our program, so are the other tournaments attended by our teams fundraisers for the host organizations. Therefore fans, including parents and siblings, can expect to pay an admission fee for each day that they attend any given tournament. This is usually $3-4 per person; less for students and seniors. In addition, many families find that the time and distance demands of tournaments lead to additional driving and convenience food expenditures.

Most ETB teams participate in the Rochester Tournament in early March. Many families stay in a Rochester hotel for the weekend, though this is not required.

Some teams may opt to play in additional tournaments. Cost of these tournaments are the responsibility of the team’s parents/guardians.

What’s the deal?
After years of exceptional tournament director leadership, the Eagan Basketball Tournament has become tremendously popular with teams from all over the metro area. It is known for being well-run and competitive.

This year the Eagan Basketball Tournament is November 7 - 9, 2003. This is ETB’s major fundraiser. In order to maximize profit for this event and keep ETB registration fees under control, the tournament is staffed as much as possible with volunteer parents/guardians/friends of the program. This is why the $75 deposit check collected at signups is cashed if a parent/guardian does not work the allotted shift(s) and does not secure an alternate adult volunteer. This money is then used to hire teenagers to fill in.

What can I expect regarding schedules for weekend tournaments throughout the season?
At the beginning of the season, coaches know most or all of the tournaments in which their team will participate and will provide this information to each family. Games may take place any time from Friday eve to Sunday evening on tournament weekends. Coaches generally receive the brackets for each individual tournament anywhere from 10 days to 2 days before that tournament. Since most tournaments use a bracket format, the first game time and location will be identified, along with the possible times for the remainder of the tournament games based on wins and losses of the team.

Sunday morning games are a fact of life in traveling basketball. Tournament hosts all face the challenge of fitting in the required number of games in the gym space and time which is available to them.

How can I get involved helping ETB?
Other than coaching, there are several ways to become involved in ETB.

Each team benefits from having a team parent. This person is responsible for distributing information throughout the season, gathering information as necessary, making calls and emails regarding changes or updates to the team’s schedule, organizing the volunteer workers for the Eagan Tournament, etc. Talk to your child’s coach about this opportunity.

Prior to and during the Eagan Tournament, November 8-10, 2002, there are many “special jobs” which need to be filled in addition to the regular shifts filled by parent volunteers. These include: Site Coordinators, Concessions Coordinator(s), and Site Concessions Coordinators, as well as other positions. People who volunteer for these jobs generally work most of the weekend and therefore do not have to work a regular shift to fulfill their commitment to the program. Directions and information about this is provided, and these volunteers attend a meeting prior to the tournament to go over specific job responsibilities. This is an exhausting and fun weekend! Interested folks should contact Leanne Adkins or Jill Veres at Tbasketball@eaasports.org.

Anyone with an interest in becoming a member of the ETB board of directors can make their interest known to Director Michele Vyvyan at Tbasketball@eaasports.org.

I’ve heard that some kids play on AAU teams in the spring. How do I find out about this?
ETB does not sponsor or organize spring AAU teams. However, many of our participants do play AAU in the spring, either on club teams which draw from the entire metro area, or on teams formed by local parents/guardians for their kids. Ask around. For information on forming your own spring AAU team check out the MYAS website at www.myas.org

My child didn’t make a team, or has decided not to tryout. How do I get a refund for ETB?
Refunds of all fees paid, except for a $10 tryout fee, will automatically be issued for players who do not make a team. All fees paid will be refunded if requested from Larry Abbas, ETB Treasurer, at 651-688-9037 by September 5, 2003.

8^th Grade- Minimum of 35% of game 7^th Grade – Minimum of 40% of game

6^th Grade- Minimum of 45% of game 5^th Grade – Minimum of 50% of game

Since the beginning of traveling sports, this has been one of the biggest points of contention. The guidelines shown above and explained in more detail below are not intended to have parents using stopwatches to verify playing time. In an attempt to clarify the ETB’s position, we have decided to provide the following guidelines to both parents and coaches:

1) 5^th and 6^th Grade Divisions – At these two divisions the program has a mandate for almost equal playing time (see slight % difference for 6^th grade). This can be accomplished in a couple of ways:

(a) Most games consist of four – 7 minute quarters. On 10 player teams, many coaches will substitute five new players every 3 ½ minutes.

(b) When there are 8 players on a team, this requires more creativity on the coach’s part, but equal playing time is still required.

2) 7^th and 8^th Grade Divisions – As the participants become older, the ETB program allows for “Fair” playing time rather than “Equal” playing time. The guideline given to the coaches is that over a two game period, all participants must play a minimum of 35-40% of the time. The concept of “Equal” is much easier to define than is the concept of “Fair”. In order to give our players the best chance to succeed in game situations, coaches may be required to put certain players on the floor during certain times relative to the opponents’ lineup, size matchups, etc. In order for our teams to be competitive, some flexibility about playing time must be left to the coaches’ discretion. This being said, ETB still mandates that all children be given a fair opportunity to play.

3) Players must start a fair number of games and should not, in most cases, be sitting an entire quarter.

4) Traditionally, coaches have been given broad flexibility in who is on the floor in the last three minutes of a close game. ETB believes that fairness dictates, over the course of a season, all players be given an opportunity to be on the floor in the closing minutes of a game.

5) Coaches may deviate from following the above guidelines under “extenuating circumstances or situations” such as a participant repeatedly not coming to practice, behavioral problems injuries, etc.

We understand that by adhering to the spirit of these guidelines we run the risk of our teams being less competitive in some games. Traveling Basketball is a more competitive program than In-House Basketball and we still want our coaches to put their teams in a position to win basketball games. We simply want the coaches to do so while allowing all participants to feel they are contributors to the team.