Jr. Cougar Basketball will hold Player Evaluation sessions during the summer to determine team placement.  Below is information regarding the Player Evaluation and Team Placement process. 

• Returning players should wear their uniforms from this past season.
• New players should wear a uniform or t-shirt with a number on it for easy identification by the panel.
• Check in with the Jr. Cougar Director 10 minutes prior to your session, and be READY TO START at your grade's designated time.
• Team rosters will be posted in the Teams section of the website as soon as they are available.
• 2nd GRADE: No tryout date  is established at this time.  We will confirm the number of players first and then determine if/when one is needed. 

This program only works by the dedication and availability of volunteer coaches. If volunteer coaches aren't available, we won't be able to have teams. Please consider coaching or assisting with your team.

Player Evaluation

Evaluations for team placement will be held for all players in the program. A panel of 3-5 experienced basketball individuals will help determine team placement for players based on performance demonstrated in the evaluations. This panel will consist of objective, non-grade related individuals with significant basketball experience who will evaluate the players based on specific criteria.

The panel will evaluate the players on the following individual skills and assign point values to each: Ball Handling. Shooting. Defense. The panel will also evaluate the players during 3-on-3 and/or 5-on-5 scrimmages and assign point values to these categories.  The panel's ratings will be averaged and totaled for each player.

Players must be present for at least one evaluation session and are strongly encouraged to attend all sessions (if more than one are scheduled) so the panel can get an accurate view of each player's skill level.

Team Placement

Depending on the number of players registered in each grade, multiple teams may be formed with a target number of 2 teams per grade level. The target team size will be 8 players.  In limited circumstances, exceptions may be made to allow a team up to a maximum of 10 players as approved by the Jr. Cougar Board.  Evaluation results will be used to form the teams in each grade as follows:

3RD - 8TH Grade: Team 1 will be formed with the top 8 players based on the evaluation results. Team 2 will consist of the next 8 players based on the evaluation results. .

All Grade Levels: Based on the evaluation results, the Jr. Cougar program will assist coaches in establishing developmental goals for practice, and help guide coaches to appropriate league and tournament competition.

Any player wanting to join the Jr. Cougar program after the evaluations have taken place but before the season has started will be assigned to a team if space is available. If all teams are full, the players will be placed on a waiting list until enough players are available for a new team to be formed.

Once the season has started, the rules above will apply but the final decision to add a player will be at the Board's discretion. Please see the Player Evaluations page in the Events section for more detailed information.

Registration

All players must be registered with the Jr. Cougar program PRIOR TO THE EVALUATIONS. NO EXCEPTIONS. Dates for registering players and ordering practice gear, uniforms (if needed), and other equipment will be communicated on the website.

Any player wanting to join the Jr. Cougar program after the evaluations will be allowed in the program per the criteria explained above in the Player Evaluation and Team Placement section.

Registration for the 2023-2024 season is now open.  The Jr. Cougar program uses an online registration system which can be accessed HERE.  Registration is open from May 24, 2023 through June 27, 2023.  All players must be registered prior to the Player Evaluation sessions.

2023-2024 Registration Fees: $225 per player.

To better represent the overall cost of participation in the Jr. Cougar Boys Basketball program, Jr. Cougar Basketball registration is $225/player.  The enrollment cost is a combination of registration fees and team participation fees. A breakdown of the $225 fee is as follows:

• Registration Fees - $75. This portion of the fee goes towards covering the numerous Jr. Cougar Basketball program costs including but not limited to practice gear, pictures, facilities insurance, year-end awards and banquet.
• Team Participation Fee - $150. At the beginning of the season, each team will receive $150 per active player to cover league and tournament registration costs.

Jr. Cougar team budgets can range from $1,000-$2,000 per season. The Team Participation Fee provides coaches with the resources to build a schedule and register for tournaments/leagues at the beginning of the season. Each team will determine if $150/player is sufficient to cover their team budget or if additional funds are required during the season. Coaches may also refund families for any unused team fees. The $225 Cougar registration fee is non-refundable after player evaluations.

The 2023-24 season will require all 1ST TIME Jr. Cougar participants to purchase a new uniform. Uniforms are an additional expense but ordered through the Jr. Cougar program.   Uniform designs change every 4 years (after 3 seasons of use). 2023-2024 uniform costs will be approximately $100 if ordered at the sizing dates. Sizing dates are yet to be determined, and will be posted in the News section of the site.