Youth Basketball Roundup - March 16

RBA ends season

The Superior/Douglas County Salvation Army hosted a season-ending awards night on Monday for the players, coaches and other volunteers of the Rookie Basketball Association. Local media personality Pat Puchalla served as master of ceremonies for the event which took place in the Performing Arts Center at Superior High School.

All players received a certificate of participation and a medallion and got to keep their jerseys. Trophies were presented to the players and coaches of the winning teams in the three-tiered tournament and to the second and third place teams in the upper level of competition.

The Wizards won the Friendship Games portion of the tournament and the Cavs were the winners of the Gunnar V Tourney. In the top tier of play, the Knicks captured third place, the Magic finished second, and the Nets were crowned the RBA Champions.

Troy Frechette was selected as the Volunteer of the Year; Bud Brand received a Quincy Cor Quarter of a Century Award for 25 years of volunteer work with the RBA; and two players, Aiden Kroeplin and Paris Kilgore, each won a bicycle in a random drawing sponsored by an endowment funded by the family and friends of Gunnar Velin.

Traveling team tryouts

The Superior Basketball Association traveling team tryouts are scheduled for early April in the Superior Middle School.

The cost to tryout is $80. The fee is refunded to those that don’t make a team. Those trying out should wear basketball shoes and workout clothes. No traveling team jerseys or shorts will be allowing. Basic skills tested will be dribbling, shooting and defense.

Tryouts are necessary as the traveling teams are playing against other cities top players. Tryouts allow for evaluators to determine if a child is of traveling team caliber.

Traveling teams are teams of 8-to-10 players that travel around the states of Wisconsin and Minnesota (usually within a couple hour drive) to play at least four games of basketball per tournament. Practices are up to three times per week at local school gymnasiums.

Traveling teams enter up to 10 tournaments per year. This totals at least 40 games of basketball in one season. Practices will start in October.

The cost varies from team to team. Typically costs will range from $150 to $200 or more per player. This does not include gas, food and other necessary items associated with the traveling.

For more information about traveling teams, call Rich Tunell, 218-590-6753.

More information may also be found at www.superiorbasketball.org.

Tryout Schedule

Boys 7th and 8th grade teams (current 6th and 7th) — 7 p.m. Wed. April 11 at SMS Gym 1 and 2.

Girls 6th & 7th grade teams (current 5th and 6th) — 7 p.m. Thur., April 12 at SMS Gym 1 and 2.

Girls 5th and 8th grade teams (current 4th & 7th) — 7 p.m. Friday, April 13 at SMS Gym 1 and 2.

Boys 5th and 6th grade teams (current 4th and 5th) — Monday, April 23 at Northern Lights Elementary School: 5:30 to 6:45 p.m. for current 4th grade boys trying out for 6th grade team; and 7 to 8:30 p.m. for current 5th grade boys trying out for 6th grade team.

Tags: sports