We have compiled a list of teams in the Greater Toronto Area and beyond that you can find in the "Rep Teams" section of this blog.
Unless your area only has a couple of teams, choosing a Rep Basketball team to try out for can take some consideration. If you live in a major city centre, it's quite likely that a couple of the Rep Basketball teams you want to try out for are holding tryouts on the same day and time.
Most teams schedule tryouts for a weekend in September, or a bit before, which is right around the time many players are heading back to school. Plenty going on, and schedules are tight, so you will want to plan ahead so that your player is ready to perform without the stress of threading the needle on 20 consecutive errands in Saturday traffic.
So how to pick the right Rep Basketball team for you? This depends on your player.
If you're just starting out, and there are enough local teams, you may want to stay close to home to limit the driving during tryouts, and the season. You and your player will also likely see familiar faces from the neighbourhood or school.
If your player has played with a team and is maybe not finding their fit, and therefor not seeing enough court time, it may be time to try out with a new group and a new coach. Maybe it's worth taking a year off from playing to hone skills in a Skills Development Program. We believe a great deal is learned from playing games, so consider the training option when you are switching positions from forward to guard or guard to centre etc. Our player had to make that choice when he "sized out" as a forward and need to really focus on dribbling, play-making and perimeter shooting.
If your player is an elite athlete, and they're developing past the level of play of the Division their team is in, you may want to look for teams competing at a level more suited to their skills.
We like to stay at least somewhat local. We live in the west end of Toronto, so we looked into teams out here and found a few solid clubs, with good coaches, and multiple teams (A & B) in most age groups. We visited their website, asked friends with players on those teams about the program, and paid attention to the coaches demeanor during tryouts.
Another great resource for looking into teams to try out for is last years rankings for your local league. For example, we checked the OBL rankings here in Ontario while looking for a club that offers skills development as well as team play. Check out the OBL Rankings Here
You'll see it broken out by age group and division (skill level within the age group).
Next: Check out our blog post about preparing for the tryouts!
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