County Select League (FCYBL)
Program Description
NOTE: KIDS TRYING OUT FOR SELECT TEAMS MUST REGISTER AND PAY FOR THEIR GRADE APPROPRIATE VYI HOUSE LEAGUE BEFORE THE FIRST COUNTY TRYOUT.
VYI offers those players with a higher skill level an opportunity to participate in the county-wide Fairfax County Youth Basketball League (commonly known as Travel or Select). The players who make county teams are usually the players who will go on to play in high school at a very competitive level. During tryouts held in the first two full weeks of October, the Division I coaches, select 10 players for their team from among all those who attend the tryouts.
If sufficient interest is shown and a coach has volunteered prior to tryouts to handle a Division II team, and is accepted by VYI, 10 of the remaining players will be selected by the Division II coach. The number of teams per age group is determined by the talent available at tryouts, in the discretion of the Division I coach (with a maximum of 2 teams per age group). All other players who do not make either of the County teams in their age group will be asked to play in the House league and will be eligible for house play and all star consideration. Most players who are not selected for County teams will be the #1 or #2 draft choices in their league and will play a very important role for their team.
County practice begins as soon as the teams are selected. This program requires a greater time commitment from participants for practice (3 hours per week, sometimes more before the first game in December) and games (1-2 per week). BECAUSE OF THE COACH TIME COMMITMENT, VYI EXPECTS COUNTY PLAYERS TO MAKE EVERY PRACTICE AND EVERY GAME REGARDLESS OF OTHER ACTIVITIES, unless the activity entails an in-season sport such as football. Football players are excused from attending County basketball practices while football games are still in progress, but must tell their basketball coach in advance that they will miss a certain practice. Regular season and post-season play may be restricted at the coaches discretion if players do not attend all basketball practices following the completion of games for an in-season sport.
Teams play a ten to thirteen game regular season and sometimes coaches put teams in Thanksgiving or Christmas tournaments around the area. The top eight seeds after regular season play go into a single elimination tournament. Most games are played at gyms across Fairfax County and in Falls Church, Arlington, or Alexandria.
Programs are offered at the fifth, sixth, seventh, and eighth grade levels for boys and girls. Two zip code exceptions outside the VYI area are allowed per team.
NOTE: County rules allow each club to select two players for each of their teams from "out of zip code area". This means that each club is assigned zip codes (22180,22181,22182, 22027, 22031, 22043 and 22124) in the case of VYI and only two players may be selected who do not reside in these areas. This rule is in place to ensure clubs do not recruit County players from other areas.
County League Tryouts
Season tryouts for County basketball are open to anyone interested and on-line registration and advance payment of House fees is required prior to tryout. If a player is not selected and intends to play House basketball, the leagues will be adjusted and parents will be assured of the discounted rate available for early registration.
County teams are selected based on the performance of players during the tryout period, and team makeup is solely up to the discretion of the coach. County players are not selected based on play in the summer leagues. However, some coaches watch these games, and game situations are a better indicator of a player's ability than practices or tryouts.
Tryouts are held on different days for each age group during the first two full week period in October. During this period a team will be formed usually with 10 players. Players must attend tryouts to be eligible for selection unless they have the advance approval of the County Commissioner or the Division I coach to miss part of the tryout.
SPECIAL CONSIDERATION: VYI is limited in the time frame to hold its tryouts to the two week period mentioned above and there are no alternatives. Anyone who informs the coach they intend to miss 2 tryouts for the Jewish holiday, which occurs during this period, will be provided a team status related to whether or not they made the Division I team after the second tryout.
If not chosen for Div I and therefore in the Div II pool, the coach will evaluate the player on the basis of the first two tryouts, only if the coach receives a specific request to miss the last two tryouts from the player for the express purpose of the Jewish holiday, but VYI cannot guarantee that someone will not shine in the last two tryouts to beat out that player, but that could happen whether the player is present or not.
The fee for playing Division I or Division II County basketball is the same and includes two high school quality uniforms with two pairs of shorts, two shirts, and a shooting shirt (Players buy their own each year and retain them at the end of a season), professional referees, higher quality basketballs, premium gym space in the area for practice two nights a week, and the Fairfax County Youth Basketball League fees.
A completed on-line registration and the fees for House league play are due in advance of trying out and in no event later than prior to the second tryout.
