What happens at tryouts; what is the tryout process and next step after tryouts?

Each season we hold tryouts / evaluations to provide every player the opportunity to join our program and to ensure we place our athletes in the best position to improve and to develop as a player. That is what we are about, development, improvement, and competition, all while in a fun environment. During each tryout, our professional coaches will evaluate each athlete during a skills and scrimmage session (with more focus on new players we do not know as well). Time may be permitted to hold a brief parent meeting to answer general questions not contained herein.

Does everyone make a team?

We have development opportunities for every player. Players who are ready for tournament play at the AAU/Club level are invited to participate in our team program. Team programs include EVOelite National teams, as well as Club/Local Teams. We also offer development programs (Skills, Clinics, Camps, Private & Small Group lessons) for players both in our team program and for players who are not placed in our team program.

When will we find out next steps and if we made a team?

We typically hold several tryout sessions each season. Within 24 hours of the 1st tryout, we will begin reaching out to our first round of players / families that we feel are the right fit for our team program. Your spot is secure for 24-hours, and then we will begin reaching out to the next round of players on our waiting list. Players should make a decision within 24-hours, and confirm by registering online via a direct link sent via email, and by submitting either their initial deposit ($300, non-refundable) or season tuition in full (qualifies for a $25 credit to future programming).

How many teams do you have and how are they made?

We generally offer 2-3 teams seasonally for each grade for boys and girls. Players are selected to teams as a result of tryout evaluation, returning players, positional needs, potential and commitment level. Rosters are created to position players in the best opportunity to contribute, develop and enhance ability / confidence. For any players who don’t make a team, we have many player development programs available year-round to improve skills, build confidence and have fun while getting better for future seasons.

What is the team format & schedule?

Team formats are typically 10-11 players per team. Each team is coached by a head coach and most teams also have an assistant coach. Teams will practice and participate in skills weekly. We also offer a pre-season camp for our players to get ready for each season. Teams play in tournaments on Saturdays & Sundays. Tournament times are released on the Thursday before each tournament weekend. A tournament list will be sent to you by your coach and may be subject to change. Practices are typically held Tuesday, Wednesdays and / or Thursdays. Skills nights are typically Mondays.

What are the practice & tournament times & locations?

Practices & Skills will be held in Stoneham, Reading, Lexington, Woburn or within 10-15min of surrounding towns. Times are typically between 5:30p and 9:30p for most teams. Younger teams / grades skills / practices are generally early in the evening. Tournaments will begin within 2-3 weeks of the first practice. Tournament locations are generally within 45 minutes of Woburn, including Danvers, Westford, Hanover, Boston, Mansfield, Foxboro or as north as Nashua/Hampton NH. Top teams may travel out of state on one or a few occasions. Significant travel likely for top 7th-High School top teams in Spring and Summer seasons.

What apparel is required/recommended?

Every player must have a full EVOLUTION Uniform, reversible jersey & shorts. Upon completion of tryouts and roster building, players will be notified of our Apparel Sizing & Ordering process, likely at our Family Day & Orientation prior to the first week of skills / practice. Apparel Packages are MANDATORY for some teams, and recommended for all players, includes pre-game shooter shirt, practice jersey and EVO backpack or duffle bag.

How much does it cost? What is the difference between Seasonal Membership vs. Annual Membership

Season fees range from ~$500-$1000 per player per season for team fees. You may pay seasonally. However, by popular demand (from our families), and with so many of our players participating year-round within our program, we now offer a simple Annual Membership option for families to register, budget and save.This option can help save hundreds of dollars over the year while getting all the benefits of EVOLUTION Basketball for one monthly charge of $199 a month (12-month commitment required).

ANNUAL MEMBERSHIP BENEFITS

Seasonal Team Fees included ~ Skills Academy & Player Development Programs included ~ Guaranteed Spot on a Team

Standard Manageable Monthly Fee spread out over year (no big payments each season) ~ 50% off Individual Lessons

Easy Seasonal Registration ~ SUMMER Unlimited Player Development Pass

Ask us for details about our Annual Membership options today! Must Register online with credit card, 12-month commitment required.

SCHEDULE CHANGES / Weather & Town Programs

It is important to note, during March & early April, our schedules will likely fluctuate due to weather-related conflicts affecting school gym availability (especially during the start to Spring HS & MS sports seasons). School & Town programs have precedence to use the gyms if fields are not ready/in good condition/available for use. So, until the snow melts, fields are dry & weather cooperative, we make every effort to adjust schedules for the good of our players & program. We expect our schedule to standardize in early/mid April (assuming no late snow storms or heavy rain weeks). We will communicate on a week-to-week basis on any changes & disseminate information as soon as we are made aware. If the weather is on our side, we should be good to go!

Weekly Practice Schedules:
A new link to this schedule will be sent to you weekly, generally by Monday at Noon, but will always be available on our website. Skills typically are on Mondays and the times and locations stay consistent. Daily changes, school events & weather can impact our schedule. We always suggest before leaving your home for practices/skills, check your email for any late changes. Follow us online as well @evohoops to stay up to date on all things EVO.

RELEASING TEAM ROSTERS, PRACTICE SCHEDULE & TOURNAMENT SCHEDULES

Your Team Info (Roster, Coach) & Team Schedules (Skills, Practices, Tournaments) will be released prior to the start of the season after agreed by the team coach. We work with Coaches to plan practices & choose the tournaments for their specific team.

Information about roster, coach and team details will be sent by your coach prior to the first week of the season or sooner. Your team code will be provided and you will be able to find your team name/code by Grad Year and Coaches Initials (i.e. EVOelite 2022 (RB)) on Weekly Practice & Season Tournament Schedules. You will meet your coach personally at your first practice or Skills & Drills unless your team begins practice early or is invited to a Class/Team Pre-season event. Some coaches will also reach out prior to the start of the season to introduce themselves to you via email.

Rosters for our top teams (i.e. Showcase / National Teams) can and do fluctuate during the course of a season. This is to ensure we have the flexibility to offer the most possible development opportunities for our players (this could include moving a player up, down or over within a grade group). For example, players deserving for additional opportunities (as determined by EVO Program Director & Coaches) may be offered the opportunity to play with another team if there is a need. That said, players have their primary team that they will always practice and play with.

NOTE: It is important to highlight that rosters can fluctuate during the season, and especially during the 1st few weeks of the season (this includes roster and coaching changes). There are a number of reasons for this, but they are to ensure the best experience, fit and development opportunity for the player and rosters for each team. We, of course, do attempt to maintain a consistent roster for all teams within each season, however, in some cases, these changes can occur. Any adjustments and changes, should they occur, will be communicated with players, family, coach and administration.

SEASON DURATION & GENERAL SKILLS & PRACTICE SCHEDULE

Spring:  Second Week of March thru Memorial Day
Summer:  After Memorial Day thru mid-August
Fall:  After Labor Day thru early Nov
Winter:  Early Dec thru mid-Feb

Typical Weekly Schedules:
Mondays | Skills & Drills | Included for all team players
Tuesdays, Wednesdays or Thursdays | Team Practices
Fridays | No team practices except in special circumstances; There are a few occasions where a tournament may have games on Friday nights, but this is rare
Weekends: 5-6 weekends per tournament schedule
Tournaments | Spring Teams will participate in 5 or 6 tournaments (see tourney FAQ below)

TOURNAMENTS | KEY INFORMATION

Spring Teams participate in 5-6 weekend tournaments. Teams start and end tournaments on different weekends & all teams will receive their allotted # of tournaments (make-up weekends include 5/18 & 6/2). Tournament Game schedules are made available the Thursday before each weekend (we do not control these schedules, but do have great relationships & some influence on ensuring games are close together in both time and proximity); however, WE DO NOT SCHEDULE TOURNAMENT GAMES. This is handled by a independent tournament organizers. We do our best to influence game times & locations to be as convenient as possible for our teams, coaches & families. However, most tournaments have 300-400 teams, so we need to pick our battles the best we can and we do that better than any club organization in the region. We also ask that you WAIT TO RECEIVE WEEKEND TOURNAMENT SCHEDULES DIRECTLY FROM US (even though the schedules may be available separately online). We know schedules are confusing, can and do change, and having 500 people checking tournaments schedules takes time for all. We compile a master schedule for you and do it once saving hundreds of hours of time every week for our families and organization. So please be patient, and if you must peek, please use that as an opportunity to cross check our schedule.

IMPORTANT: We are participants in tournaments, not the organizer. EVO is not responsible for the conduct, planning or scheduling of games each weekend and game times vary from weekend to weekend. We do work closely with tournament organizations to get the most convenient times and locations for EVO for all of our teams, however this is something that is OUTSIDE of our control. Games can be scheduled at times that may or may not be convenient in time or location. Again, we do our best to make games as close to each other as possible. Weekend game-times are not available from tournament organizers until the Thursday of that week.

Can I join a Summer Travel Team?

Tournaments for Showcase/National teams can include stayover tournaments. Non-Summer or Non-National Teams will be given “Power Up” opportunities to play into Summer or add a travel tournament to their schedule. We will provide this to you as the season progresses. All players have the opportunity to join a Summer team via Summer tryouts.