When does registration open and close?
Registration opens on October 1st. It closes in late October for travel teams, in late November for rec grades 1-8, and in early December (12/8/23) for high school rec after the Bacon teams are announced. We encourage you to not wait until the last days to register as it helps us plan how many volunteer coaches we need as well as scheduling gym times for practices and games. With this in mind we offer an early registration discount for grades 1-8 rec registrations received by Nov 15th.
Who is eligible to play Colchester Youth Basketball (CYB)?
Only Colchester, CT residents can play for CYB. They do not have to attend a Colchester school. They must play in the grade level program that corresponds to the grade they are in school.
What are the details on travel teams?
- there are separate boys and girls teams for grades 4-8 that play in the Connecticut Basketball Conference
- for players who seek a more competitive experience
- season runs from early November into March
- two team practices each week typically starting in early November
- most weeks have two games held on Saturdays and Sundays, usually one home game on Saturday and one away on Sunday
- teams may also compete in regional tournaments
- tryouts for each team typically held in late October
- there is no cost to tryout, payment is due if your player is selected for a team
- reversible uniform cost is extra and is estimated at $100. Players on returning teams can typically use their jersey from the previous year if it still fits.
- players can play for both a travel team and a middle school team without any game conflicts
What are the details on rec teams?
- open to boys and girls in grades 1-12
- separate boys and girls divisions for grades 1 & 2, for grades 3/4/5, for grades 6/7/8, and for high school
- new in 2023-2024 is Bitty Ball for grades 1 & 2 which includes game play to replace the instructional clinics used in the past
- typically one game each Saturday in January and February for grades 3-12 and Friday nights for grades 1 & 2
- Saturday games start around 9am for grades 3/4/5, mid-day for grades 6/7/8, and late afternoon and evening for high school
- one team practice during the week being planned to start the week of December 4th
- playoff games are held on the first 2 Saturdays in March
- player assessments are held the week after Thanksgiving for grades 3-8 and Friday December 8th for High School rec
- CYB uniform shirts for games are included in the registration fee
- per CIAC rules, players on a high school basketball team cannot play in our CYB high school program or participate in an open gym
Why are there assessments for rec players?
To help our coaches assess player ability in order to create as balanced teams as possible. All players make a team.
What should players bring to travel tryouts or rec assessments?
- a shirt with a number on it (if they have one)
- a basketball (if they have one)
- sneakers
- arrive at least 10 minutes before their scheduled time
My player has other activities that may conflict - can they still play?
Typically yes. Please read above for more details on game times for our programs and provide any conflicts during the registration process. For our rec programs, our coaches will try to place your player on a team that minimizes those conflicts with team practice times. We cannot schedule game times around player conflicts.
If schools are closed for the day or close early, what happens to the scheduled CYB activities?
All CYB events for that day are canceled. Practices and rec games are not usually made up as we use all of the gym time available to us. Travel games may or may not be rescheduled based on various factors. A rescheduled game may change from a home game to an away game or vice versa.
How does CYB communicate?
CYB sends out general announcements via bulk emails to all registered email addresses. After you register please make sure that the automated response from CYB wasn't sent to your junk folder. We also post on our Facebook page so please follow us there. Individual team communications will come from your player's coach.
Please be respectful of our schools and gyms.
CYB is dependent on the use of our school gyms to run our programs. Please help us maintain a good partnership with our schools by keeping the below in mind.
- no unattended children in the hallways or gyms
- no food or drink in the gym (besides water)
- no water bottles or other trash left behind
- no bouncing of basketballs in the hallways or off walls
- no smoking or vape pens on school property
I have a different question, a suggestion, or would like to know how I can help.
Please reach out to us via email at [email protected] or message us on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/ColchesterYouthBasketball/.
CYB is run by volunteers for the benefit of the nearly 400 kids in our program. We are always looking for additional help - board members, coaches and parents to work the clock or scorebook during games. Prior basketball experience is not a requirement for many roles! Board meetings are held on the first Wednesday of each month from August until April if you'd like to learn more.