Basketball Travel Teams Overview

About the program – Spring and Summer

Select Basketball NXTPRO Teams range from 14U-17U and will compete in tournaments in April, May, and July. Though the NCAA-certified events are constantly changing, they are a big focus of our season.

The spring is designed to further a player’s development and prepare them for the summer. Players and families may start the spring a little unsure of the competitive levels that are beyond their local area but will finish the spring with a much better idea of what competition looks like across the nation and will be better prepared to improve their game.

The summer is designed to further a player’s development and college recruiting. The younger teams will get an incredible experience traveling like a college program and learning the recruiting process. Older teams will start to take big steps toward their college recruiting, especially the 16U and 17U teams, which will typically compete in the top pools of all the tournaments we compete in.

Players and families that have not participated in the summer with one of our Select teams may be a little unsure of the competitive levels that are beyond their local area. However, players will finish the summer basketball season with a much better idea of what competition looks like across the nation and will be better prepared to improve their game.

Additionally, players will finish the basketball season knowing that playing for a Select team gives them the best chance to improve their game and get the most college recruiting exposure available. In fact, Select Basketball will create new opportunities that may not be available with other programs.

What you need to know about the Select Basketball program

Here are the answers to several of the questions we typically get about our summer basketball program

How do I make a team?

Players can make a travel team by attending a tryout and then being selected by a coach for their age group. We typically have multiple tryouts each year in various locations. To learn more about our tryouts, watch this YouTube video.

The tryouts are typically multiple sessions, giving players ample opportunity to showcase their talent.

If you are interested in seeing how teams are formed, you can watch this YouTube video.

How much does it cost?

The team dues for the basketball travel teams vary from year to year. The dues that each player pays covers the cost of tournament entry fees, facility fees, hotel rooms, and travel arrangements to and from tournaments as well as while we are at tournaments. To see more about how we determine the price, click here to watch this YouTube video.

Players will be expected to pay for travel expenses to and from tournament cities on their own. However, our coaching staff is more than happy to make arrangements to have players picked up and dropped off before and after the tournament ends.

How do teams practice and travel in the spring and summer?

The spring and summer basketball travel teams differ a lot in how they travel and practice.

Spring – March to May

Typically, in the spring, prior to our first tournament, teams will all gather in a convenient location to host a quick mini-camp. This is the best solution for everyone as our players come from all over the Northwest. At the mini-camp, teams put in basic offensive and defensive game plans while building chemistry as a unit.

During tournament weekends in the spring, players will get themselves to the tournament cities. With the exception of the Northwest Premier Invitational tournament, Select will make the in-tournament travel and lodging arrangements. This is very similar to a college experience. During tournaments, we will travel as a team, stay in the same hotel rooms, eat together and compete together.

Summer – July

In the summer, teams typically get together on a college campus to hold a 2 or 3-day mini-camp. At mini-camp, we practice twice per day and teams will put in their offensive and defensive systems while building chemistry as a team. To get an idea of how our practices work, we have created a YouTube video that you can watch here.

What type of development do players get?

Each age level has specific goals, though all teams have the overriding goal of helping players become better players, teammates, and people.

Competing with a Select team provides the highest level of overall development a player can get when it comes to preparing for the upcoming high school season and understanding how to compete at the college level.

For 14U and 15U teams we are trying to open their eyes to another level of competition and understand what it takes to succeed as an individual. Often times at this age, players have not experienced a high level of competition outside of their local area. They may also believe that they have already competed at the highest level. Additionally, players at this age are still learning what their maximum effort can be. Our coaches do an excellent job of presenting tough opportunities, teaching from mistakes, and getting maximum effort out of their players. The learning curve is steep but confidence and skill development at this level is often dramatic. For players at a younger age, the summer can be long so our coaches understand how to work with them in this new circumstance.

15U and 16U are evolving to the next level of becoming college-level players. They are starting to understand the amount of work it takes to be successful beyond their local area. But they realize they still have a long way to go. At this point, coaches are putting in more complicated schemes and expecting more production from their players. Off-season work has become critical. Some players will get passed up by harder workers while others continue to grind and move their way up the Select ladder. To learn about the highest level of play, click here for information on the PRO16 Teams

16U and 17U players are now really “getting it”. If a player is able to make a 16U or 17U Select team it means they now possess a skill or set of skills that make them incredibly valuable to a team. The recruiting process is now in full effect. Players are learning to make plays on their own within the structure of their coach’s philosophy. At this level, every player on Select rosters are the best of the best at their school. It is the small things they do on and off the court that will separate them from the pack.

Who should play Select Basketball and why?

Players that compete in for Select are committing to all of the April, May, and July events, including the mini-camp and all tournaments. This is a large commitment of time and money. If you aren’t sure you are ready for this level of commitment, our program may not be right for you at this time.

However, if you are a player that is ready to continue your development, work with the highest level of coaches, play with and against top talent, and truly want to give yourself the best opportunity to play college basketball then Select is the right fit for you.

Our players benefit tremendously from the variety of coaches that lead our teams and the reputation that our program has developed with college coaches over the last 25+ years. Playing for a Select team means that you will be developing your game. Colleges are considering you for their rosters because they know what they will be getting in a Select player.

Choosing a club program for travel basketball can be tough. To watch a video that describes what we do and why we do it, click here.