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Travel

What's the differences between In-House and Travel leagues?

Elk River Boys Youth Basketball Association (ERBYB) traveling program focuses on the more competitive fourth through eighth grade student athletes, who make a larger commitment of time and effort. Traveling teams are formed through a tryout process that creates a minimum of two teams, which are tiered to form an “A” and “B” team. If there are both a sufficient number of interested players and talent, a third tier, or “C” team may be added. The ERBYB traveling season begins in mid October, and runs through mid-March. Traveling teams typically practice twice weekly, and will play in approximately 10 weekend tournaments over the course of the season.

Inherent to the success of the ERBYB traveling program is the level of dedication and commitment of the participants. Participation in the ERBYB traveling program DOES REQUIRE A GREATER LEVEL OF COMMITMENT than ERBYB house league basketball. We strongly recommend both parents and potential players consider their schedules and conflicts before trying out for traveling basketball. If players and parents have a clear idea of the level of obligation the traveling program demands, and are able to plan ahead to meet those obligations, it alleviates the stress caused to both the player and the team when a player misses practices, games or even tournaments. Please keep in mind that attendance at practice is as important as tournament games. Participation in another non-school traveling program during the season should be secondary to travel basketball.

All travel families are required to volunteer some time during the classic tournament to avoid the travel check deposit.

House and Travel Schedules

House games are played Saturday mornings at a local Elk River school. Practices are also local and are generally consistent, but this also depends on your team's discretion and gym availability. 

Travel tournaments are played weekends, with only the Elk River Classic tournament held locally. Other tournaments are determined by the travel director in coordination with the travel coaching staff. 

The schedules for current and prior travel tournament involvement can be found here and used as a guideline of the commitment.


Travel Program House Program
Additional Expenses Warm-ups, tournament gate fees and one out of town tournament. Registration is all inclusive
Competition Level Competitive level - play to win while continuing to develop team and player skills. Emphasis is on skill development.
Game Locations Most tournaments entered are located in the north metro area. There might be one or two out of metro tournaments. All games held at a School District 728 school (e.g., Salk, Vandenberg, Lincoln Elementary, etc.)
Games/Tournaments 10 weekend tournaments (generally Saturday and Sunday) 8 regular season games played on Saturdays. 2 tournament weekends (mid and end of season) played on Saturday and Sunday at ISD 728 gyms.
Parent Volunteer Requirements Mandatory Volunteer Requirements at the Classic Tournement - $300 refundable deposit.There is now an option to pay $300 online and opt out of your volunteer obligations. Volunteer time required to score games, set up chairs in gyms, and run clocks.
Play time Play time may NOT be equal Grades 1 thru 6 equal playing time
Practice Time Practice 2 to 3 hours per week Practice 1 to 1.5 hours per week
Practice night/time Varies-Determined after registration is closed and teams are selected Vaires-Determined after registration is closed and teams are selected
Practice locatoin Any school within Elk River Any school within Elk River
Season Length 5 month season (mid-October through mid-March) 3 month season (December - February or early March)
Uniforms Uniform expense is approximately $145 Included in registration fee.
ERBYB Summer Skills and Camps Included in registration fee Included in registration fee.


KEY DATES FOR THE 2024-2025 TRAVEL SEASON

  • Try-outs - September 2024
  • Practices begin-October 2024
  • Elk River tournament- December 4-5th, 2024
  • 4th-6th grade state tournament-March 1st-2nd, 2025
  • 7th-8th grade state tournament -March 9th-10th, 2025

Here is a link to a good article for all of us parents on how we might better support our player and represent our organization.

16 Rules for Basketball Parents

While not all of these "rules" apply to youth basketball parents, there are many good tips we can all use to improve our experiences.