Anonymous
Post 10/15/2025 14:39     Subject: Cya select
Anonymous wrote:Really disappointed that only the top 20 or so kids out of a huge grow of 5th graders made it. Feeling like I set my kid up for failure because I thought he was pretty decent. How do they choose the kids? Anyone know? Would like to know what to work on for next year.



Lot of factors like height , skills , coach’s familiarity of a kid , Is your kid in a basketball circle in your area? The last 2 are somewhat important . Most coaches will pick kids they know unless your kid is 6ft elementary or significantly better than most kids at tryout .
Anonymous
Post 10/08/2025 17:01     Subject: Cya select
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:Really disappointed that only the top 20 or so kids out of a huge grow of 5th graders made it. Feeling like I set my kid up for failure because I thought he was pretty decent. How do they choose the kids? Anyone know? Would like to know what to work on for next year.


Know it's tough (esp. with only 2 teams) but as long-time travel coach, can tell you that selecting/cutting 5th graders may have been the worst experience of my coaching time. Just really tough - but you also don't want to take more than 10 per team because then the whole season is even rougher trying to get kids appropriate amount of playing time. Just tough business all around - hopefully kids don't view as end of the world, tell them to go hoop it up and dominate in rec(!). Also try to catch couple travel games so he gets better feel for how they're played.

As for selections, can tell you that travel selections (at least for this coach) usually came down to 3 things: 1) confidence - both on the ball (and especially under defensive pressure - kids that can ball handle/pivot/protect and keep their eyes up without panicking) and without the ball (are they moving/cutting hard to open space? do they look to set picks to free up others? or are they just saying "here, here"). 2) hustle/defense/rebounding - esp. at 5th grade level, can be bit chaotic so looking for kids who can play hard defense, hustle on loose balls/rebounds to get extra possessions. and then 3) overall shooting/looking to score the ball - honestly comes after other 2 things but you do have to put ball in hoop at some point. anyway, hope that helps.


This is good advice/feedback. One thing that I noticed as a long time basketball parent is that very little coaching focuses on handling the ball under pressure. If you can find training that focuses on that, it will help a lot.


Yep - really only way to get comfortable is with live reps with partner/parent. combination of technique (arm bar up, low crouch, pound ball into floor so gets back into hand quickly, pivot into defender to create space etc.) and pace (change speeds under pressure, feint/hesitate etc.) - all with eyes up. Can visualize somewhat solo but live 1-on-1 definitely helps.
Anonymous
Post 10/08/2025 10:08     Subject: Cya select
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:Really disappointed that only the top 20 or so kids out of a huge grow of 5th graders made it. Feeling like I set my kid up for failure because I thought he was pretty decent. How do they choose the kids? Anyone know? Would like to know what to work on for next year.


Know it's tough (esp. with only 2 teams) but as long-time travel coach, can tell you that selecting/cutting 5th graders may have been the worst experience of my coaching time. Just really tough - but you also don't want to take more than 10 per team because then the whole season is even rougher trying to get kids appropriate amount of playing time. Just tough business all around - hopefully kids don't view as end of the world, tell them to go hoop it up and dominate in rec(!). Also try to catch couple travel games so he gets better feel for how they're played.

As for selections, can tell you that travel selections (at least for this coach) usually came down to 3 things: 1) confidence - both on the ball (and especially under defensive pressure - kids that can ball handle/pivot/protect and keep their eyes up without panicking) and without the ball (are they moving/cutting hard to open space? do they look to set picks to free up others? or are they just saying "here, here"). 2) hustle/defense/rebounding - esp. at 5th grade level, can be bit chaotic so looking for kids who can play hard defense, hustle on loose balls/rebounds to get extra possessions. and then 3) overall shooting/looking to score the ball - honestly comes after other 2 things but you do have to put ball in hoop at some point. anyway, hope that helps.


This is good advice/feedback. One thing that I noticed as a long time basketball parent is that very little coaching focuses on handling the ball under pressure. If you can find training that focuses on that, it will help a lot.
Anonymous
Post 10/07/2025 17:06     Subject: Cya select
Anonymous wrote:Really disappointed that only the top 20 or so kids out of a huge grow of 5th graders made it. Feeling like I set my kid up for failure because I thought he was pretty decent. How do they choose the kids? Anyone know? Would like to know what to work on for next year.


You didn't set him up for failure. This is the nature of sports.
Anonymous
Post 10/07/2025 17:02     Subject: Cya select
Anonymous wrote:Really disappointed that only the top 20 or so kids out of a huge grow of 5th graders made it. Feeling like I set my kid up for failure because I thought he was pretty decent. How do they choose the kids? Anyone know? Would like to know what to work on for next year.


Know it's tough (esp. with only 2 teams) but as long-time travel coach, can tell you that selecting/cutting 5th graders may have been the worst experience of my coaching time. Just really tough - but you also don't want to take more than 10 per team because then the whole season is even rougher trying to get kids appropriate amount of playing time. Just tough business all around - hopefully kids don't view as end of the world, tell them to go hoop it up and dominate in rec(!). Also try to catch couple travel games so he gets better feel for how they're played.

As for selections, can tell you that travel selections (at least for this coach) usually came down to 3 things: 1) confidence - both on the ball (and especially under defensive pressure - kids that can ball handle/pivot/protect and keep their eyes up without panicking) and without the ball (are they moving/cutting hard to open space? do they look to set picks to free up others? or are they just saying "here, here"). 2) hustle/defense/rebounding - esp. at 5th grade level, can be bit chaotic so looking for kids who can play hard defense, hustle on loose balls/rebounds to get extra possessions. and then 3) overall shooting/looking to score the ball - honestly comes after other 2 things but you do have to put ball in hoop at some point. anyway, hope that helps.
Anonymous
Post 10/07/2025 12:56     Subject: Cya select
Anonymous wrote:Really disappointed that only the top 20 or so kids out of a huge grow of 5th graders made it. Feeling like I set my kid up for failure because I thought he was pretty decent. How do they choose the kids? Anyone know? Would like to know what to work on for next year.



Was he a top 20 player at tryouts? Did he do well during scrimmages and drills? Just work on basketball skills and play winter rec. When spring comes around, find a local AAU team. He'll be ready to compete next winter.
Anonymous
Post 10/07/2025 12:30     Subject: Cya select
Really disappointed that only the top 20 or so kids out of a huge grow of 5th graders made it. Feeling like I set my kid up for failure because I thought he was pretty decent. How do they choose the kids? Anyone know? Would like to know what to work on for next year.
Anonymous
Post 10/07/2025 09:32     Subject: Cya select
Anonymous wrote:It looks like CYA isn’t having more than two teams for any grade other than 8th grade boys. That stinks for kids who were on a third team last year/would make a third team this year.


Why does it stink? Play rec, watch him get better and more confident and try again next year. Honestly D3 isn’t much better than rec and many D2 teams in other orgs sandbag and register down as D3 so there’s tons of blowouts. Not great environment for the young ages.
Anonymous
Post 10/06/2025 20:35     Subject: Cya select
It looks like CYA isn’t having more than two teams for any grade other than 8th grade boys. That stinks for kids who were on a third team last year/would make a third team this year.
Anonymous
Post 10/06/2025 18:14     Subject: Cya select
Offers out for first team. My kid’s friend got
On and he didn’t so that sucks. Hoping for 2nd or 3rd division but unclear if there will even be one.
Anonymous
Post 10/06/2025 16:17     Subject: Cya select
What’s up with 7th grade boys? Still filling up teams?
Anonymous
Post 10/06/2025 11:58     Subject: Cya select
Anonymous wrote:Anyone get an offer yet?


We haven’t. They did say everyone would get an email whether they make a team or not. I suspect my kid is more Division 3 material at best after seeing all three nights, so hopefully they find two more coaches to field a full three teams. I know with my older son, they used to kind of go in order— send out 10 offers to fill first team, wait to see if there were any no’s and then fill in with kids who would have been D2, then wait for those offers, then send out full offers for D2 and so on.
Anonymous
Post 10/06/2025 06:50     Subject: Cya select
Anyone get an offer yet?
Anonymous
Post 10/05/2025 14:19     Subject: Cya select
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:Being tall might get him a spot on the C team just because he's tall.


This. Tall doesn’t equate to being good at basketball. There are a lot of other skills required. He needs to be fast and nimble.


He does not need to be fast and nimble in fifth grade. He needs to be able to get a rebound and make a layup.


Basketball is weird — it’s like pre-high school and high school and after are different sports. For youth basketball, small aggressive kids do well. Around freshman year, lots of kids who grew like crazy in middle school suddenly start to get more coordinated, fast, and aggressive. My now 6’5” kid went from being by far the slowest on every team he played on in elementary and MS to sprinting with the best 17U kids in drills as a 15U on a Nike team. Also went from playing big to playing guard b/c the team had some actual bigs (6’8”+).

There’s a complete re-shuffle of kids around freshman year. Good coaches know this and work to develop the big, slow kids too. Bad coaches just stick those kids under the basket in youth basketball.
Anonymous
Post 10/05/2025 13:09     Subject: Cya select
Anonymous wrote:They went out for the first team after tryouts.


False