The core offering of Edgemont Hoops is Tri-County Basketball League travel teams. Please see below for Q&A.


WHAT IS THE MISSION OF OUR TRAVEL PROGRAM? Travel basketball offers Edgemont children an opportunity to learn basketball from experienced professional coaches, build skills, play competitively, and enjoy camaraderie with friends and neighbors in a serious, fun, positive, and team-oriented environment. Edgemont Hoops believes in the “modern” (i.e. position-less) game where every child–regardless of size, athleticism, or prior basketball experience:

-Masters all individual fundamentals and team concepts;

-Achieves a satisfying level of personal proficiency; and

-Develops a lifelong love and respect for the game of basketball.

WHO ORGANIZES, FUNDS, AND ADMINISTERS EDGEMONT TRAVEL BASKETBALL? Edgemont travel is organized and overseen by Edgemont Travel Basketball Inc. (d/b/a Edgemont Hoops), a New York State nonprofit corporation run by volunteers who reside in the community. Click here to learn more about the organization.

WHO COACHES THE TEAMS? All teams and clinics are coached by experienced professionals (not parents).

WHO IS ELIGIBLE TO PLAN ON EDGEMONT TRAVEL TEAMS? Children who reside within the legal borders of the Edgemont Union Free School District (including children who live in Edgemont, but attend school elsewhere) are eligible to participate in the Edgemont travel program. Also eligible are students who reside outside of the school district but “tuition in” to attend Edgemont schools.

HOW MUCH DOES A TRAVEL SEASON COST? The per-player cost for a season is typically about $675, but can vary year-to-year depending upon on the total number of participants, whether players require a uniform that season, and other factors. All program payments are allocated to expenses which are broken down roughly as follows: head coaching fees (50%); skills training fees (20%); collective fees such as gym rentals, insurance, and equipment (12%); referee fees (11%); and Tri-County league fees (7%). As volunteers are responsible for organizing the program, we incur no administrative costs.

WHAT DOES THE FEE INCLUDE? There are approximately 40 total basketball events over the course of an Edgemont travel season, including (roughly) 15 games, 15 to 20 team practices, and 5-10 skills sessions.

IS EDGEMONT TRAVEL AN AAU PROGRAM? No. Edgemont’s travel teams, and the teams against which we compete, draw players solely from their own communities. AAU (or club) allow players from multiple communities to try out for their teams.

WHY DOES THE EDGEMONT TRAVEL PROGRAM ONLY USE OUTSIDE COACHES? Competitive basketball requires difficult decisions regarding team selection and playing time, among others. Edgemont travel believes these decisions are best made by individuals who have no conflicts (or appearance thereof).

I AM A PARENT AND WOULD LIKE TO COACH OR OTHERWISE BE INVOLVED IN YOUTH BASKETBALL IN EDGEMONT. WHAT ARE MY OPTIONS? All travel players are required to play Edgemont Recreation basketball, which relies on parent coaches (contact Jen Frain to volunteer). Also, parents can run “open gym” sessions in Edgemont facilities (contact Jon Lewis for an available gym slot).

Parent volunteers can also help out travel teams in a number of ways, including (but not limited to):

-Overseeing extra gym time (e.g. team shootarounds, informal open gym, etc.);

-Accumulating uniform information;

-Handling certain administrative tasks (e.g. gathering player information) required by the league;

-Sending out team communications including reminders; and

-Assisting at the scorer’s table.

WHY ARE TRAVEL PLAYERS REQUIRED TO ALSO PLAY EDGEMONT RECREATION BASKETBALL? Edgemont travel is not intended to replace or compete with our recreational program. In fact, travel and rec have long worked in close partnership to ensure there is a basketball-playing option for every interested Edgemont child. For travel players, rec offers a great opportunity to get additional playing time and enjoy a less competitive, more relaxed setting.  NOTE: the programs coordinate schedules to avoid conflicts (i.e., travel and rec practices will not be on the same night. Further, rec games are on Saturday mornings and no travel games will be scheduled during rec games).

CAN I JUST SIGN MY CHILD UP FOR REC TO MEET THE REQUIREMENT, BUT HAVE HIM/HER SKIP MOST REC EVENTS? No. All travel players are required to fully participate in Edgemont Recreation basketball.

WHAT’S THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN EDGEMONT’S TRAVEL AND REC PROGRAMS? Travel is more serious and requires far more preparation for games (and therefore a much bigger time commitment), and is designed for boys and girls who love basketball and for whom basketball is the primary winter sport. Travel begins in late September/early October and teams will have approximately 12-15 hours of practice before their first game, while rec doesn’t start until early December. Travel games are played against teams from other towns and school districts located up to 30 minutes away, while rec games are played at one nearby location. There are no cuts in rec, but travel teams require tryouts.

IN WHICH LEAGUE DOES EDGEMONT TRAVEL PARTICIPATE? WHEN AND WHERE ARE THE GAMES? Edgemont teams compete in the Tri-County Basketball League. Most home games are on Sundays between 12pm and 5pm; some are on Saturday afternoons after rec games. All weekend home games are at Edgemont HS.

Some home games for our younger teams are held on Mondays, Wednesdays, or Fridays at Greenville. Away games may be on any day, but are usually not on Mondays through Thursdays. They are rarely more than a 25-minute drive from Edgemont.

DOES THE TRAVEL PROGRAM PRIMARILY FOCUS ON WINNING? Travel teams in the Tri-County Basketball League play to win, and Edgemont’s program is no exception. However, we do not take a “win-at-all-costs” approach. Our coaches seek to achieve a reasonable balance of player development and strategy while ensuring that all players, regardless of skill level, have an opportunity to contribute.

MY CHILD IS PRETTY BUSY. HOW BIG IS THE TRAVEL COMMITMENT? The travel program requires a significant commitment, but is phased in.

During the fall soccer season, there is 1 mandatory basketball event per week and 1 optional event, neither of which will conflict with travel soccer. As travel soccer winds down in early November, travel basketball increases to 2-3 events per week. After Thanksgiving, rec basketball begins, so travel players can expect 4 total basketball events per week on average during December, January, February, and sometimes into early March.

Once basketball season is in full swing in November, in fairness to all players, participants may not “split time” with other programs, leave Edgemont travel practices/games early to participate in other programs, or attend another Edgemont travel practices in lieu of their own team’s practice.

MY CHILD PLAYS FALL AND WINTER AAU BASKETBALL. CAN HE OR SHE STILL PLAY EDGEMONT TRAVEL? Yes, provided that Edgemont travel is prioritized in the event of a conflict. However, please note that it can be challenging to manage 3 winter basketball schedules (AAU, Edgemont travel, and Edgemont rec). We generally recommend that competitive players join their community travel and rec teams in the winter and play AAU in the spring.

CAN MY CHILD PLAY EDGEMONT TRAVEL SOCCER AND TRAVEL BASKETBALL? Yes. While Edgemont travel basketball starts while fall travel soccer is in season, events are scheduled to avoid conflicts with travel soccer games and practices. However, in the winter (i.e. during basketball season), Edgemont travel basketball players are expected to prioritize basketball over soccer.

CAN MY CHILD PLAY NON-EDGEMONT “ACADEMY” SOCCER AND TRAVEL BASKETBALL? It depends on the extent of the winter select soccer commitment. A once-per-week soccer program that doesn’t conflict with travel basketball practices can work, but a heavy schedule that continues through the winter (e.g. multiple weeknight practices and weekend games/tournaments) is not feasible. In those cases, rec basketball is likely the more suitable option.

WE SKI FREQUENTLY IN THE WINTER. CAN MY CHILD STILL PLAY TRAVEL? No. Travel basketball requires a heavy weekend commitment from December through early March (although there is no travel basketball during the Christmas and mid-February school breaks).

CAN MY 4TH- THROUGH 6TH-GRADE SON PARTICIPATE IN EDGEMONT WRESTLING AND TRAVEL BASKETBALL? Yes. Please contact Pete Jacobson, head of the wrestling program, for more information about the wrestling commitment and his program’s compatibility with travel basketball. Please keep in mind, however, that the combination of travel basketball/rec basketball/wrestling is quite demanding.

CAN MY 7TH- OR 8TH-GRADE CHILD PLAY BOTH AN EHS MODIFIED SPORT AND TRAVEL HOOPS? Yes. Travel basketball practices and games are scheduled to avoid conflicts with Edgemont High School’s modified sports program (which is limited to weekdays and typically concludes by 6:00pm).

WHAT IF MY CHILD MISSES A LOT OF PRACTICES AND GAMES? Some conflicts are inevitable, but players are expected to make as many games and practices as possible and prioritize Edgemont travel basketball during the winter season. In fairness to teammates and coaches, families are expected to determine, as early as possible, potential conflicts (vacations, family obligations, religious observances, etc.) and communicate them to the coach and/or team manager. Missed practices will likely result in less playing time in games.

IS PLAYING TIME EQUAL IN TRAVEL BASKETBALL? No. Due to the competitive nature of travel basketball, playing time is earned based on each player’s performance in both practices and games. During practice, every player will be given the same instruction. In games, coaches will do their best to distribute playing time fairly while a) attempting to win the game; and b) ensuring that children are placed in competitively appropriate situations where they have a reasonable chance to succeed and help their team.

Conversations regarding playing time should be directed to the program administrator rather than the coach.

HOW MANY PLAYERS WILL MAKE EACH TRAVEL TEAM? As a general guideline, travel teams have 10 players.

WHAT CRITERIA ARE EMPLOYED TO SELECT PLAYERS? Deciding who should make each team is not an exact science. The coaches, with the assistance of additional evaluators attending the tryouts, will do their best to identify the best players for each team, which need different types of players to be successful. Factors considered by the coaches include skill-level, experience, position, basketball IQ, hustle, athleticism, coachability, selflessness, role/potential to contribute, enthusiasm, attitude, sportsmanship, and body language.

WILL THERE BE CUTS?, It depends on tryout attendance, which can vary significantly from year to year. If, for example, 10 kids attend travel tryouts and the coaches and commissioner believe that the team could be reasonably competitive, there would be no cuts. But if a larger number of children try out, cuts are possible.

There is no guarantee that each grade will field a boys and a girls team every year. The number of Edgemont teams in any given year is not predetermined, but rather will be driven by interest, commitment, and ability. As a small district, we are sometimes unable to field an appropriately competitive team for every grade/gender.

WILL THERE BE MORE THAN ONE TEAM IN AN AGE GROUP? In general, the program fields only 1 boys team and 1 girls travel team per age/grade level. Exceptions may be considered on a case-by-case basis in the unusual instance where the depth of talent and potential in a particular age group allows us to field more than 1 team at an acceptable competitive level.

WHY HAVE CUTS AT ALL? WHY NOT JUST HAVE VERY LARGE ROSTERS AND/OR B AND C TEAMS? Cutting kids is not preferred, but unfortunately there are practical limitations on how many kids can participate at the travel level. Large rosters are not manageable and dilute the experience for all. Further, Edgemont is a small community, so historically our B and C teams have not been competitive and are better suited for in-house and/or recreational-level play.

Note: unlike travel soccer leagues, the Tri-County Basketball League does not have “developmental” divisions. It has AA, A, and B divisions which are intended to match up roughly with school district size. B divisions are competitive (as they include teams from significantly larger communities) and the league expects participating programs to field competitively appropriate teams.

As noted, Edgemont B teams will be formed on a limited, exception basis provided that the professional tryout evaluators believe the group can provide an appropriate level of competition to opponents in the Tri-County Basketball League. In recent years, our B teams have not been competitive:

WHY DO GAME OUTCOMES MATTER AT THIS AGE? They don’t, as long as a team has the opportunity to play a reasonable number of competitive games over the course of the season. We’ve found that playing on a non-competitive team is not conducive to developing skills or a love of the sport.

IF THERE ARE TWO TEAMS FOR A GRADE, CAN MY CHILD TRY OUT FOR A SPECIFIC TEAM OR REQUEST A COACH? No. All players in a grade must attend grade-wide tryouts. Players/parents cannot request an individual coach or team.

IF MY CHILD PLAYED ON A TRAVEL TEAM LAST YEAR, WILL HE/SHE AUTOMATICALLY MAKE THE TEAM THIS YEAR? No. Each season starts with a “clean slate” for all players. Rosters will be determined based on many factors and no spots on any team are guaranteed.


HOW WILL I BE NOTIFIED IF MY CHILD IS SELECTED FOR A TEAM? WHAT HAPPENS NEXT? After an travel team spot is offered, families will be expected to reply promptly, as the process of selecting teams is difficult and stressful. Offers to other interested players may be contingent upon whether those initially offered a spot accept or turn down their offer.

ARE REFUNDS AVAILABLE IF MY CHILD DOESN’T ENJOY HIS OR HER EXPERIENCE? No. Fees are set based upon an assumed level of participation such that the program can cover its team-specific (e.g. coaches) and fixed (insurance) costs. Once teams are selected, payments are due and we cannot offer refunds.

IS TRAVEL BASKETBALL AGE-BASED OR GRADE-BASED? CAN KIDS PLAY UP A GRADE? Edgemont travel is grade-based and kids must play with their grade (unless the youngest team needs additional players in order to field a team).

WHAT OPTIONS DO I HAVE IF MY CHILD DOESN’T MAKE A TRAVEL TEAM? In addition to Edgemont Recreation basketball, the travel program organizes clinics and open gym sessions for kids seeking to improve. Further, there are many other nearby opportunities to join teams and develop skills both in-season and during the off-season.