Summer tryouts
Summer tryouts have completed. We will have tryouts again in March of 2023 for our spring teams.
About the summer program
Select Summer Basketball Teams range from 14U-17U and will compete in tournaments in July. Though the NCAA-certified events are constantly changing, they are a big focus of our summer.
The summer basketball teams are 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 leave the summer 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 summer basketball program
Here are the answers to several of the questions we typically get about our summer basketball program
How do I make a summer basketball team?
Players can make a summer travel team by attending a tryout and then being selected by a coach for their age group. We typically have two tryouts each summer, one in Montana and one in Idaho. They take place in mid to late May. To learn more about our tryouts, watch this YouTube video.
Registration for tryouts will usually open in April.
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 summer 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 each summer, click here to watch this YouTube video.
Players will pay for their own food while we are traveling. Additionally, players that choose to stay in the dorms during our mini-camp will need to cover that expense. We get a fantastic rate through the college, usually less than $20 a night.
How do teams practice and travel in the summer?
The spring and summer basketball travel teams differ a lot in how they travel and practice.
In the summer, we bring all teams together on a college campus to hold our 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.
Players that are coming in from out of town have the option to stay on campus in the dorms at an affordable rate. Details on this usually come out after teams are selected.
Following the mini-camp, all teams will travel together to our first tournament on our charter buses. The buses will also bring players back to the campus as well as take players to the next series of tournaments. Players also have the option to return directly home if they choose to make those arrangements.
What type of development do summer players get?
Each age level has specific goals, though all teams have the overriding goal of helping players become better players, teammates, and people.
A summer 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.
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 summer ball and why?
Players that compete in summer ball for Select are committing to all of the summer events, including the mini-camp and all tournaments. This is generally about three straight weeks of competing, practicing, traveling, and staying in hotel rooms. If you are not prepared to put in the effort, the Select summer teams may not be for you.
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 20 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 summer basketball can be tough. To watch a video that describes what we do and why we do it, click here.
2022 Summer Schedule
Tryouts
May 28 – Owyhee High School (click here to register)
May 30 – Montana Western (click here to register)
Team Schedules – Summer 2022 (tentative, updated 6/20/22)
Men’s Teams
July 4-6, Mini-camp, Azusa Pacific
July 7-10 Cali Live Summer Showcase (Irvine, CA)
July 15-17 James Johnson Invitational (Auburn, WA)
July 17-20 College of Idaho (Dorms available, click here)
July 20-24 Bigfoot Las Vegas Live or The Big Time (Las Vegas, NV)
Travel Specifics
Men Flights (to be used as a reference) updated 6/15/22
July 4 – Boise to LAX – United UA5247 – Depart 8:15AM
July 4 – Boise to LAX – Alaska 3496 – Depart 12:10PM
July 10 – LAX to Boise – United UA5977 – Depart 6:58PM
July 10 – LAX to Boise – Alaska 3382 – Depart 8:25PM
July 24 – Las Vegas to Boise – Southwest 2718 – Depart 6:30PM
Men Hotels (Updated 6/20/22)
Team hotels – parents are welcome to stay here but we do not have room blocks set up
July 4-10
Players will also stay at Azusa Pacific all week
July 15-17
Hampton Inn & Suites Seattle/Federal Way
31720 Gateway Center Blvd S
Federal Way, WA 98003
253-946-7000
July 20-24
Golden Nugget Hotel and Casino
129 East Fremont Street
Las Vegas, NV 89101
702-386-8378