Unless another order from the Governor comes in the next week or so we are excited to announce that we will be starting practices on January 4th!  Please take some time to read what the season will look like and decide if you would like your son/family to participate this winter. 

We are asking families who do want to participate to commit on or before January 3rd by using the registration link below to select your son’s jersey size.  There will be a final registration once the season gets started where you will make your payment.  If tournaments that your age group are registered for are cancelled, we will try to find a replacement tournament for those tournaments. 

Practices -
Our practices will be on Mondays and Wednesdays this season.  There will be some teams that may practice on Sunday afternoons and some Friday's as well.  Please be flexible with practice scheduling this year.  In the past we have given teams their practice schedules on a month-to-month basis.  With all the district activities being shuffled and rescheduled that will not be possible.  We will be releasing our teams practice schedules on a week-to-week basis via the Sports Engine App.  It is highly unlikely that you will be practicing at the same time each week. 

Each player will be responsible to provide his own basketball for all practices.  For grades 3 – 6 it’s a 28.5” ball.  For 7th – 8th it is a 29.5” ball.

Tournaments –
Unfortunately, most of the “local” districts (including ours) have decided to NOT allow outside communities in their buildings this winter so most teams will be playing all their games in the Twin Cities area.  We have tried to find as many one-day tournaments as possible so families can drive down, play games, and drive back on the same day.

Game days will certainly not be the same as in years past and although we do not have the MN Youth Basketball Alliance COVID guidelines, we are expecting a couple of things.  First, there will be no carpooling allowed to tournaments.  You will be expected to get your son to the games on your own.  If you are unable to drive your son on a weekend that he is scheduled to play, please let his coach know so a replacement player can be added.

Second, we are expecting tournaments to allow 10 spectators per team.  Only the players who are playing and their spectators will be allowed in the buildings.  When your son is not playing, you will be expected to wait for his next game outside of the building somewhere or in your car.  It is entirely possible that they may not allow any spectators.  We are hopeful that this this will not be the case.

Also included in the tournament Entry costs this year are “Gate Fees”.  Rather than taking money at the front door of tournaments and having to deal with long lines, tournaments are now charging “Gate Fees” on top of the tournament entry fee.  Where a tournament entry last year was $250.00 plus admission for anybody attending, this year it is an additional $150 - $200 gate fee with “free” admission for the spectators.

Each team will take no more than 10 players to a tournament.  Coaches at each grade level will decide which 9 or 10 players are scheduled to play in each tournament and will be given a set of recommendations from HYBA to follow.   They will rotate the kids to ensure that each player is scheduled in roughly the same number of tournaments.  They will NOT take your families personal schedule into account.  These volunteer coaches are going to have a tough enough time with the large group sizes and rotating players to games as well as in and out of games while playing.  As mentioned above, if you cannot make it to a tournament that you are scheduled for let your coach know as soon as possible so he can find a replacement player for that tournament.  It will be up to each coach to determine if it is possible to reschedule your son to another tournament.  It probably will not be.

There will be COVID guidelines form the District as well as the MN Youth Basketball Alliance that we will need to follow.  As soon as we know what those guidelines are, we will post them on the website and send out an email.

We need to order uniforms for each player this year.  With tournament entry fees higher than before as well as the gate fees that are being charged we have decided to order a reversible, mesh practice type jersey to keep costs as low as possible.  Your son can use the jersey for practices and games this year as well as practices for the next few years.  Jersey cost is $40.00 and is included in the fee listed below.

Rookies
We're still looking for coaches.  An email was sent out 12/23 asking for volunteers.  If we don't get a response the season may be cancelled all together.

3rd Grade
Cost to Play = $75.00 (Includes jersey)
- You will be practicing a minimum of once per week.  Most weeks you will practice twice.
- Along with the “skills and drills” type practices your son will be playing 3 on 3, and 4 on 4 during his scheduled practice times.
- We are working with Proctor trying to schedule some games with them.  District policies may not allow this.
- If possible, we are going to try to find a tournament or two to play in later in the winter.
- No parents will be allowed in the buildings for practices or any of the 3 on 3, or 4 on 4 scrimmages.

4th Grade
Cost to Play = $135.00 (includes jersey)
You will be practicing a minimum of once per week.  Most weeks you will practice twice.  Some practices may be on Sunday afternoons.

Tournament Schedule
1/23/21 at Forest Lake
2/13/21 at Mounds View
2/27/21 at St. Francis
3/6/21 at Grade State in Twin Cities

5th Grade
Cost to Play = $190.00 (includes jersey)
You will be practicing a minimum of once per week.  Most weeks you will practice twice.  Some practices may be on Sunday afternoons.

Tournament Schedule
1/17/21 at Blaine
1/23/21 at Orono
2/13/21 at Mounds View
2/27/21 at St. Francis
3/6/21 at Grade State in Twin Cities

6th Grade
Cost to Play = $190.00 (includes jersey)
You will be practicing a minimum of once per week.  Most weeks you will practice twice. 

Tournament Schedule
1/17/21 at Blaine (new tournament scheduled 12/30/20)
1/30/21 at Proctor
2/6/21 at Stillwater
2/20/21 at Roseville
2/28/21 at Big Lake
3/7/21 at Grade State in Twin Cities

7th Grade
Cost to Play = $200.00 (includes jersey)
You will be practicing a minimum of once per week.  Most weeks you will practice twice.  

Tournament Schedule
1/10/21 at Sartell
1/17/21 at Blaine
1/23/21 at Orono
2/20/21 at Anoka
2/27/21 at St. Francis
3/6/21 at Grade State in Twin Cities

8th Grade
Cost to Play = $0.00 (No Jersey)
As of today, we will be scheduling your practice times.  Your head coach will work with you to determine tournaments.  You will split the tournament costs evenly.

January 3rd is a HARD deadline to register as jersey’s need to be ordered on January 4th in order to get them to teams as soon as possible.

If you have any questions, please feel free to contact HYBA.

Hermantown Youth basketball is committed to player development:  improving technical skills and developing a love of the game.  We provide 2 programs each winter:

The Rookie Basketball Program is for boys and girls in Grade 1 and Grade 2.  The program takes place on Saturday mornings and teaches players basic basketball rules and fundamentals.

The Youth Boys Basketball Program provides coaching, skills development, and tournament play in both local and highly competitive tournaments for boys in grades 3-8.  

The Arrowhead League is a less competitive league with less travel.  Teams practice 2-3 nights per week and will participate in 5-6 tournaments in the Arrowhead League each season.  Tournaments are typically on Saturdays, and within 50-60 miles of Duluth.

Our Tournament Teams are competitive teams with more travel.  Teams practice 2-3 nights per week, and will participate in seven or more tournaments per season.  Tournaments can be on Saturdays, or a full weekend with an overnight stay, and can be further in to Wisconsin, in Northern MN, or in the Twin Cities.