Fairfax Police
Youth Club

Select Overview

FPYC Select/Travel Basketball

Welcome to the FPYC Select/Travel Basketball Program which participates in the Fairfax County Youth Basketball League (FCYBL) (www.fcybl.org), commonly known as "Travel". FPYC is committed to developing a high quality travel program that will prepare the advanced players for the next level of play.

Overview
The Select/Travel program is a more competitive level of basketball. The Select league is for those kids with more experience and/or a higher skill level. Generally, these are the kids that are developing their skills so that when they reach high school, they will be able to compete for positions on their high school teams. We will field at least one boy’s team and one girl’s team at each grade level (5th - 8th) to play in our travel/select program.  In some cases, the Select Director may make the recommendation to field an additional team at a certain grade level.  We will determine the number of teams and the level of play AFTER the tryouts have been completed..  A second team, if formed, will only be done after the selection of the initial squad has been completed.    

My child plays another sport in the Fall? What do I do about conflicts with the Travel tryouts or practices?

FPYC basketball understands that many of its basketball players may be playing soccer, football, baseball, or other fall sports as well as participating in the FPYC Select basketball program. Regarding the tryouts, FPYC basketball asks you to ask the other sports to allow your child to be released to attend at least two of the basketball tryouts. Once a player has been selected for a Select team, FPYC basketball understands that their first commitment is to their Fall sport team. You should inform your FPYC basketball coach of any conflicts that may exist and try to make as many basketball tryouts or pre-season games as possible. Starting in November and during the Winter program, Select Basketball should be considered the primary sport.

Tryouts

Tryouts are held on four different days for each age group during the first two full week period in October. During this period a team will be formed usually with 10 players. Players must attend two of the four tryouts to be eligible for selection unless they have the advance approval of the Select Director and Coach to miss part of the tryout. 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. The coach may choose to perform an initial cut after each tryout to get the numbers of players trying out to a more manageable level.  

Select teams are formed based on the performance of players during the tryout period, and team makeup is solely up to the discretion of the coach. Select players are not selected based on play in the summer leagues. However, some coaches watch these games, and game situations can be a helpful indicator of a player's ability.

Player Commitment/Expectations
Commitment is necessary to ensure that all players on the team receive the benefits of playing select basketball.

Select basketball for the winter season must be the priority activity for any child selected for the team once practice begins. FPYC expects Select/County players to make every practice and every game regardless of other activities unless you receive specific approval to miss an activity. Some leeway may be given at the start for players finishing up fall sports, but the coach must be informed in advance. Playing time will be adjusted for unexcused absences.

We ask for our travel/select players to be committed to developing their basketball skills. Our travel coaches volunteer their time and are dedicated to improving the skills of our players from the fundamentals through game skills. The following is what is expected from the travel players:
- Practices: The travel teams will practice twice per week and will start in mid October immediately following tryouts. For the most part, the practice slots will be scheduled on consistent days; however, the schedules are subject to change based on gym availability. Players are expected to attend all practice sessions.
- Games: Our Travel teams play in the Fairfax County Youth Basketball League (FCYBL) and games are scheduled at gyms throughout Fairfax County. The travel games will be on Saturdays and/or Sundays for younger teams and may be during the week for older teams, beginning in late November or December. Players are expected to attend all games.

- 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.