Dear Holliston basketball families,
Holliston Youth Basketball Association would like to give an update regarding the travel basketball program and the Metrowest League season. As a reminder, due to the current COVID situation, Holliston Youth Basketball Association is not able to offer a Town program this year. We are looking at the possibility of offering a spring program with improved weather and/or court time and will update our website accordingly.
Travel basketball is for Holliston 4th – 8th graders who are interested in competitive basketball and includes playing towns outside of Holliston through the Metrowest Basketball League. The Metrowest League is planning on moving forward with their season and is scheduled to begin on January 2nd, 2021 and run for an 8-game regular season with playoffs; the season is typically 12 weeks but has been shortened this year due to a later start date.
Registration for the upcoming season is now open and active on the HYBA website, https://www.hollistonbasketball.com/ . For any support questions regarding registration, please visit Registration support for assistance.
We are opening registration with the goal of determining the interest level of Holliston families given the impact of COVID guidelines and restrictions this year. Therefore, it is important that families who opt to register are 100% committed to playing basketball and that the players’ participation is a priority over other sports and activities during the upcoming season. Registration will be open from 11/18/20 to 11/22/20. Teams will be based on team size(s) and coaching availability; registration does not necessarily ensure placement on a team.
We understand that it may be difficult to make that decision without knowing what to expect this season and have included as much information as possible below to help you make an informed decision.
Overview:
- Teams may need to be determined without tryouts, as we do not have access to gyms within town for our typical try-out process. If we are unable to hold try-outs in person, HYB will create teams based on registration numbers, team rosters from last season and coaches’ evaluations. We are currently evaluating the specific need for 4th grade try-outs; if you have a 4th grade son or daughter who is interested, please register and we will provide updates for the 4th grade try-out/team selection process once we have a better sense of the number of interested players.
- Games may be played on weekday evenings or on weekends; there will be NO home games in Holliston. Our current understanding is that games will be played in neutral basketball facilities such as Foxborough (Mass Premier) and Stoughton (Dana Barros).
- There will likely be no practices. HYB is evaluating alternative venues to hold practices, however availability is limited and the price for private gyms is significantly more than our usual rental fee. Therefore, the fee for travel basketball will be announced later, though we do not expect that it will be more expensive than previous year’s fees given the shortened season and no town-ball requirements (there is no fee to register).
- Masks will be required for players during the game; this means that players will be wearing masks both on the bench and on the court while playing.
- While spectator guidelines have not been finalized, it is likely that games will be played with a limit of 1-2 parent spectators and all attendees will be required to wear masks at all times. It is also highly likely that each family will need to have a form filled out in advance of each game for COVID contract tracing purposes.
- If you are interested in coaching, please contact HYB at [email protected]
Please note, we will be strictly following state, CDC, and Metrowest guidelines as well as implementing our own procedures and protocols to protect the safety of participants. Participation in Holliston Youth Basketball programming during the COVID-19 pandemic is a risk. Parents and guardians of HYBA participants as well as coaches take sole responsibility for their risk.
The season could end at any time due to state guidelines or based on the discretion of the HYBA Board of Directors. There will be a defined refund policy. Please see additional information provided by the state of Massachusetts around COVID policies and guidelines pertaining to youth sports:
https://www.mass.gov/doc/sports-activity-level-assessment-framework/download
https://www.mass.gov/info-details/executive-office-of-energy-and-environmental-affairs-eea-covid-19-guidance-documents#youth-and-adult-amateur-sports-activities-
The online Store through Tri-Valley Sports in Medway is now open to purchase Spirit Wear items available for players and families. The online Store will only be open from November 18th until November 22nd. The link provided below will direct you to the Online Store.
https://trivalley.tuosystems.com/stores/hollyb21
If you have any questions, please contact HYBA at [email protected]
We understand that everyone needs to decide about participating that is best for your family; please use your best judgement.
Stay safe and healthy,
Holliston Youth Basketball Association
[email protected]