• 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.

Players are required to purchase their own RCYBA approved uniforms.  If a players uniform from previous years still fits you do not need to purchase a new one.  

Shooting Shirts are optional.

2024 Order Dates: September 15-22

Link to order: TBA

• 4th & 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

• 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.

• Teams are formed at 4th, 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.