PLEASE NOTE THE NEW PROCESS FOR TRAVEL REGISTRATION:  Players interested in travel should register for the house league program and indicate in the questionairre your player's desire to tryout.  Once the teams are selected, the registration will be transferred to the Travel Program and the additional fee will be collected at that time.

Philosophy

I want to welcome you to the MLBL Travel Program.  MLBL is committed to developing a high quality travel program that will prepare the advanced players for the next level of play.  We are excited to partner with the Freedom High School Basketball program again this season, and the coaches at FHS are committed to helping our program grow and prosper

Overview

The travel/select program is a more competitive level of basketball.  Playing time is earned with hard work, dedication, and development of skills.  Playing time will be determined by the coach.  Players should not expect equality in playing time.  In addition to this, the coaches will evaluate the player’s ability to fill certain roles on the team.  The player who grabs 15 rebounds a game, or steals 10 balls and defends well is just as important to the team.

About the Teams

We will field at least one boys team and one girls team at each grade level (5th - 8th) to play in our travel/select program.  In some cases, the Travel Commissioner may make the recommendation to field an additional team at a certain grade level.  There is a minimim registration amount that must be met before a second team is formed.  Additional factors that go in to the recommendation for a second team include the evaluation of the potential talent level of the group of kids and their ability to remain competitive at the higher level of play.  A second team, if formed, will only be done after the selection of the initial squad has been completed.    

Financial Commitment

The registration fees cover the officials for the league games, equipment, and a portion of the uniform costs.  Each season, the travel players are asked to pay an additional fees (somewhere between $100 and $125) to offset the cost of the travel uniform package and tournaments.  In addition to this travel fee, travel/select players and parents will be asked to participate in fundraising events throughout the season.

Player Commitment

We are asking for our travel/select players to be committed to developing their basketball skills.  With the help of the Freedom High School Staff, our travel coaches are dedicated to improving the skills of our players.  We have put together an exciting program for our players this season – one that will help MLBL develop the kids.  The following is what is expected from the travel players:   

-         Practices:  The travel teams will practice twice per week.  For the most part, the practice slots will be scheduled on consistent days; however, the schedules are subject to change based on gym availability.  The travel teams will also be partnering with the FHS teams on extra skill development sessions, and the coaches will be encouraging players to participate in these sessions throughout the season.

-         Games:  The travel games will be on Saturdays or Sundays, beginning in December.  The regular season continues through February and the playoffs will run through mid-March.  

-         Tournaments:  In addition to the regular season, the travel teams will be participating in several tournaments, including:

o       Thanksgiving Tournament 

o       Holiday Tournament 

-         OffSeason:  The MLBL program forms summer league teams for travel players to play in the Fairfax Stars program.  In addition to this, there are several other opportunities to build skills through AAU programs and other tournaments.  The off-season programs are not included in the winter registration fees.

Parents Commitment

Parents, there is a level of commitment at your level as well.  At each home game, volunteer scorekeepers are needed, and volunteer timekeepers are needed at each away game.  In addition to that, you are expected to help your child maintain a schedule that will allow them to succeed both academically and athletically.  It is imperative that the kids maintain their school work.  At the high school level, kids who do not maintain their grades do not play high school sports period.  We need you to help facilitate this environment so the kids can prepare themselves for the next level.  In addition to this, please review the commitment discussed in the paragraph above. It is crucial to the team that all players are committed to making all of the practices, games and tournaments. The kids and their teammates will be counting on you to get them to their basketball!  Remember, the coaches are volunteers who are giving their time to improve the skills of your child – please give them the respect by making every effort to meet this commitment.  

Practices and Games

Two practices per week including  are required.   Practice times are set by the league at the team's coach preference.  Additional skills training may be scheduled as well.  Players are expected to attend all practice sessions. Games are played on weeknights, Saturday (all day) and Sundays (1-6pm).  Home games are played in local gyms (Mercer or Freedom HS) and away games are played in Fairfax County or other gyms.

Tryouts

Three tryout sessions will be scheduled between October 1 and October 10.  In order for a player to be considered for the team, they MUST attend at least one tryout session.  It is strongly recommended that the players attend all tryout sessions in order to be properly evaluated.  If you are planning to make the commitment to travel, plan accordingly to be here during the tryout process. 

Grades

Players are expected to maintain their school work.  School work comes ahead of any extracurricular activities.  In High School, minimum GPAs are required.  While the league cannot enforce grade exceptions (due to privacy concerns) we strongly encourage the parents to monitor the player's grades and work with the coach should grade be affected.