Junior Hilltoppers Youth Basketball

About the Program

Who: 4^th – 8^th Grade Boys (in 2026-2027) split by ability level. Every boy who tries out will be offered one of the four opportunities described below. See “Team Assignments” and “Eligibility” sections below for more details.

When: Fall/Winter of 2026-2027 Season (with optional summer league at an additional cost). Tryouts to be held on Sunday, Aug. 30 and Saturday, Sept. 5 at MUHS (details below including link to register). No cost to tryout. Register for tryouts here: https://forms.gle/URZkJTMATDfjuaPQ6

What: Team Practices, Skills Clinics, Scrimmages, WYBL (Wisconsin Youth Basketball League) or WPYBL (Wisconsin Premier Youth Basketball League) Games, Round Robin Play-Ins, and/or Tournaments Against Other High School Junior Basketball Programs.

Cost: 4 Options
NOTE: NEW IN 2026/2027. Every family will be asked to indicate their preference, but only option 4 will be a guaranteed option for all players. Boys must attend tryouts and be selected to receive an opportunity to play on a team that follows options 1-3. There will be a limited number of spots available per grade for options 1-3. The volume, talent, and commitment level of players along with the number of spots we receive in the WYBL will determine how many teams follow each format in each grade. However, there will be a max of 3 teams per grade across all options.

1. PERFORMANCE (Practices, WYBL, and either 3-4 Tournaments OR WPYBL)

• This option is for the most advanced and most committed players.
• The target roster size will be 10 boys, but rosters will be no less than 8 & no more than 12 boys.
• The boys who are selected to play on these teams will be expected to make this team a priority during the basketball months with a minimum of absences due to other commitments.
• The cost will be $400 per player + uniform fee if needed. Uniforms must be purchased but can be reused for multiple seasons if they still fit your son. This fee will cover games in the WYBL league including the end of season league tournament and EITHER 3-4 tournaments OR the Saturday based WPYBL league.
• Decision on whether teams enter into tournaments or the WPYBL will be determined on a team-by-team basis and will be communicated before the rosters are finalized.
• These teams may seek out opportunities to have an additional practice some weeks.

2. COMPETITVE DEVELOPMENT - SMALL ROSTER (Practices, WYBL + 1 Tournament OR Tournaments Only)

• This option is for players who are advanced enough to play on a competitive basketball team. However, they may not be one of the top 10 players in a grade and/or are looking for an option with a smaller investment of time and money.
• The target roster size will be 10 boys, but rosters will be no less than 8 & no more than 12 boys.
• Boys on teams who follow this format will still be expected to make this team a priority during the basketball season relative to other commitments. However, with less basketball volume, that is expected to be easier to manage.
• The cost will be $325 per player + uniform fee if needed. Uniforms must be purchased but can be reused for multiple seasons if they still fit your son. This fee will cover 1 tournament per team in addition to the WYBL end of season league tournament. If the WYBL does not give this team a spot in the league, they may play in an equivalent number of tournaments instead.

3. COMPETITVE DEVELOPMENT – LARGE ROSTER (Practices, WYBL + 1 Tournament OR Tournaments Only)

• This option is for players who are advanced enough to play on a competitive basketball team. However, they may not be one of the top 20 players in a grade and/or are looking for an option with a smaller investment of time and money.
• The target roster size will be 15 boys, but rosters will be no less than 12 & no more than 20 boys.
•  Boys on teams who follow this format will be afforded more flexibility in choosing when they want to attend practices and games.
• The team will play in the same number of games as the “Competitive Development – Small Roster” teams. However, no more than 10 boys will be rostered per game. All boys will be offered an equivalent number of opportunities to play in games first leveraging player availability to determine game rosters.
• The cost will be $250 per player + uniform fee if needed. Uniforms must be purchased but can be reused for multiple seasons if they still fit your son. This fee will cover 1 tournament per team in addition to the WYBL end of season league tournament. If the WYBL does not give this team a spot in the league, they may play in an equivalent number of tournaments instead.

4. DEVELOPMENTAL/PRACTICE-FOCUSED (Practice Player Only)

• Players will practice as their own group or mix in with teams at their grade based on ability level. When possible, attempts will still be made to allow all players in a grade to practice at the same time.
• If similar ability level teams are ever very short on players, these boys may be given opportunities to be substitutes for games.
• The cost will be $100 per player. No uniform is required, but the boys will receive a reversible practice jersey.

We want to ensure that the program is not cost prohibitive for any family. We are happy to discuss financial assistance on an individualized basis.

Team Assignments: We will offer four formats for families this year as described above, and we request that you provide us with your preference during the tryout registration process. Given the increasing interest in our program, it may not be possible to guarantee the preferred option as outlined above for every player. However, every boy who attends tryouts will be given the opportunity to participate in one of the four options, and we will not “cut” any boys. 

Team assignments will be based on skill, athletic ability, effort, attitude, coachability, and commitment level as determined by performance at tryouts, prior program participation, anticipated league placement, and volume of boys in each grade at various ability and desired commitment levels.

We will not have more than 3 teams per grade. The top team (Blue) in each grade will generally always follow the format of Option 1.  The format of the other teams in each grade will depend on multiple factors including the number of boys, the talent level of the boys, and the interest level of the families as indicated during registration for tryouts. The format each team will follow will be communicated when your son is offered a spot on that team.

Ultimately, the goal is to have all players face the level of competition for which each player is best suited. The leagues in which we compete make no guarantees on where each team will be placed. However, we will request placement in the divisions and tournaments that we believe provide the best development opportunities for each team. There is precedent with the WYBL league that MUHS enters 3 teams in each grade with 1 team at each of the High A or Low A (Z), High B (Y) or Low B, & C levels. However, we have had cases where we have not received placement for 3 teams in every grade level, in which case those teams only compete in tournaments.

Tryouts: We request that players participate in at least 1 day of tryouts to be considered for a team. They may attend both days, but only 1 is required. Any boy intending to be considered for the program must register for tryouts by no later than Aug. 23. For those who select Option 4 (DEVELOPMENTAL/PRACTICE-FOCUSED), attending tryouts is not mandatory. However, you must still complete the tryout registration and indicate that preference by the Aug. 23 deadline: https://forms.gle/URZkJTMATDfjuaPQ6

Tryouts will be led by coaches from both our high school and junior programs, and they will involve a combination of drills and live competition. They will be held at MUHS on the following dates/times:

Sunday, Aug. 30

• 4^th Grade: 12:30-1:30PM
• 5^th Grade: 2:00-3:00PM
• 6^th Grade: 3:30-4:30PM
• 7^th Grade: 5:00-6:00PM
• 8^th Grade: 6:30-7:30PM

 Saturday, Sept. 5

• 4^th Grade: 8:00-9:00AM
• 5^th Grade: 9:30-10:30AM
• 6^th Grade: 11:00AM-12:00PM
• 7^th Grade: 12:30-1:30PM
• 8^th Grade: 2:00-3:00PM

Additional information including team offers, eligibility, physical examination form and financial assistance can be found here:  

Information Sheet & Program Overview

Questions can be directed to: jrhilltoppersbasketball@muhs.edu