The Middleton Basketball Club offers a competitive league for boys and girls in grades 3 thru 8. Our competitive league offers the opportunity for competitive play with teams from the Madison area and surrounding communities.

The focus for our 3rd and 4th grade teams is to learn about the game of basketball and develop the core skills required to be a successful player.  We want players to become familiar with the basics of dribbling, shooting, passing, and court awareness. Players will develop these skills in a fun environment that promotes the development of all the players on the team.  We want our teams to be successful on the court, but our primary goal at this age level is for players to have fun and continue to play basketball in the future.

In 5th and 6th grade,  we are focused on the continued development of basic basketball skills.  Players will continue to develop their skills in dribbling, shooting and passing.  We also want to begin to develop the ability to make sound judgments and quick decisions on the basketball court.  Players will be introduced to higher level concepts such as transition offense, transition defense, basic motion offenses, and zone defense (6th grade).

In 7th and 8th grade, it is our intent to begin to prepare players for high school.  Players will refine their individual offensive and defensive skills so they can succeed at multiple positions on the court.  They will also continue to work on more advanced team concepts that will allow them to adapt to a variety of offensive and defensive systems.

Registration for the 2023-24 Season is Closed

3rd through 8th Grade - $325

What are the registration fees used for:

Gym Rental

The MBC is not affiliated with the MCPASD, so we have to rent gym space from the school district.  

Uniforms

We use registration fees to cover the cost of the uniforms.  The uniforms are yours to keep, but make sure to hold on to them as they will be used for a minimum of 2 years.

Size Chart

League Fees

Our teams play in the Badger Developmental League.  We use registration fees to cover the league entrance fee for each team.

MBC offers scholarships to players in the MCPASD who qualify for free or reduced school lunch/breakfast

Players attend evaluation dates for their grade and are placed on teams by a group of independent evaluators. Evaluations consist of skills stations (ball handling, shooting, lay ups, defense), 3v3 and 5v5 scrimmages. Attendance at evaluations does not guarantee that a player will be placed on an MBC team. The evaluators may determine that an athlete is best suited for the Middleton Recreational program to further his/her skills prior to competitive play.

3rd and 4th grade

All players will attend the first week of practices in early/late November.  The parents who have been selected to be coaches for this season will observe the players for 2-3 practices.  The purpose of the first week of practices is to allow the coaches to evaluate players and form teams that are equally balanced.  

At this age level, we understand that the overall experience for the players is often times enhanced by playing with their friends or classmates.  We do allow players to have a friend request. We will do our best to honor friend requests, but we cannot guarantee that all friend requests can be accommodated.  While we do not place all children from the same school on the same team, we do make sure that each team has several players from the same school.

5th and 6th Grade

Starting in 5th grade, players will attend a 2 day evaluations and be assigned to teams based on their basketball ability.   Players will attend a evaluation session with other kids in their grade to determine their team placement. 

7th and 8th Grade

7th and 8th grade players will attend a 2 day evaluation and be assigned to teams based on their basketball ability.   Players will attend a evaluation session with other kids in their grade to determine their team placement.  Teams are formed based on the player rankings at the end of evaluations .  Due to the fact that all teams are formed based on their basketball ability, players are not able to submit a friend request.

The Middleton Basketball Club (MBC) places our teams into a regional basketball league called the Badger Developmental League (BDL).  The BDL is a privately run league that consists of teams from Dane County and the surrounding area. Player registration fees are used to cover the entry cost for teams to participate in the BDL. 

Each team will play a regular season schedule that consists of 5 weekends starting sometime between late November and ending in early February.  On game weekends, your team will play multiple games (two games for 3rd grade, three games for all other grades). Games are scheduled so that all of your games on a given weekend are played on the same day.  You will not play on a Saturday and a Sunday in the same weekend. 

The frequency of games is roughly every other weekend with a few longer breaks around the winter holidays.  Third grade teams will play 10 games (5 weekends, 2 games per day). Fourth through eight grade teams will play 15 games (5 weekends, 3 games each day).  There is a 6th weekend reserved for an end of the year tournament in late January or early February.

The dates, times, and locations of games are set by the BDL.   The MBC is informed of a tentative schedule in mid-November. Sometimes these dates are changed due the gym space availability or weather cancellations.  The exact times for games is normally determined 1-2 weeks in advance of the games. The MBC has no control over the BDL schedule, but we do our best to get the information to coaches and parents as soon as possible.

Games are played at different host communities.  On weekends where games are scheduled for your team, you will be required to find transportation for your child to the games.  There are over 30 communities in the BDL, so travel time can vary. A majority of locations are within 30 minutes of Middleton (Waunakee, Verona, Mt. Horeb, Stoughton, Lodi ,…).   Some locations are up to 60 minutes away (Fort Atkinson, Monroe).

3rd and 4th Grade

We expect that players have a basic knowledge of how to shoot and dribble.   If your child plays basketball at school with friends, shoots around in the driveway with mom or dad, or has attended a basketball camp in the past, then they should have all the necessary experience. 

If you’re child has never picked up a basketball, has difficulty dribbling, or cannot shoot the ball to the rim, then the Youth Basketball Program offered by the City of Middleton Rec Department might be a better choice to help introduce your child the game.  We are a competitive basketball club, so we will be playing other communities and some players are quite advanced. We want to make sure that your child is going to have a positive experience.

5th and 6th Grade

We expect that players have played in some type of basketball league in the past.  Players should be able to dribble with both hands, shoot a jump shot, and have an understanding of the key rules of the game.  If your child has not had past experience with the game of basketball, then the Youth Basketball Program offered by the City of Middleton Rec Department might be a better choice for your child.

7th and 8th Grade

We expect that players have played multiple seasons in a competitive basketball league.  Most players at this level attend basketball camps in the summer to help improve their shooting and dribbling.  Players should be proficient at dribbling, shooting, and playing man to man defense. Players should also be familiar with zone offensive and defensive strategies.

Teams typically start practice 2-3 weeks before the first weekend of BDL games.  Grades 3-4 practice 1-2x/week depending on coach and gym space availability. Grades 5-8 typically practice twice each week. Practices take place at MCPASD facilities.  Which day your team will practice will be determined when gym space that is available and also by player/coach availability.   

Grades 3-5 typically practice earlier in the night ( 5:30pm - 7:30pm).  Grades 6-8 will practice later in the night (7:00pm-9:15pm).

Players are expected to attend all practices.  We realize that other conflicts will come up, so we ask that the player’s parents inform the coach if there will be an absence.

Players are expected to bring their own ball to practice.  Girls teams use a 28.5" basketball.  Boys teams in grades 3 through 6 use a 28.5" ball.  Boys teams in grades 7 and 8 use a 29.5" ball. 

Each team is required to have a head coach and an assistant coach.  The MBC is a volunteer organization, including our coaches. Coaches typically will have a child that plays on the team they coach for.  If you are interested in being a coach, you can indicate your interest during the registration process. Parents who would like to be considered as a coach will be asked to help with player evaluations.  In order to ensure that evaluations are unbiased, coaches will not evaluate players for the grade they have volunteered to coach.  

In addition to the coaches, we also require that each team had a Team Manager.  The team manager is responsible for general communication and organization within the team.  The team manager helps with items such as adding games and practices to team management apps like Sports Engine or TeamSnap.

MBC teams can choose to participate in non-BDL based tournaments.  Tournaments can be played on non-BDL weekends or after the completion of the BDL season.  The decision to play in non-BDL tournaments is made entirely by the parents and coaches. If your team chooses to play in a non-BDL tournament, your team is responsible for scheduling all non-BDL games and paying any associated registration fees.  The MBC does not cover registration fees for non-BDL games.

There are situations where an advanced MBC team will forego playing in the BDL and play exclusively in tournaments for advanced teams.  In this situation, the BDL fees allocated for that team can be used for tournament registration fees. Any additional costs that exceed BDL allocation amount must be covered by the team and not by the MBC.  Teams that “opt out” of the BDL must contact the Boys/Girls Commissioners in order to receive permission to do so from the MBC board.

1. How do I register my child for the competitive program?

Registration will be available in early August.

2. Who can play on the MBC competitive teams?

Any child in grades 3-8 who attends or lives within the MCPASD is eligible.

3. How are players placed on the competitive teams?

Players attend their grade level evaluation and are placed on teams by a group of independent evaluators. The evaluators will not be a parent or coach at that grade level. Evaluations consist of skills stations (ball handling, shooting, lay ups, defense), 3v3 and 5v5 scrimmages. Attendance at evaluations does not guarantee a place in the competitive program. The evaluators may determine that an athlete may best be suited for the recreational program to further his/her skills prior to competitive play.

4. What if my child is unable to attend his/her grade evaluation?

It is definitely best to attend the designated grade evaluation to have the best chance of being placed appropriately. If that is not possible, the alternative is to get prior approval from the commissioner to attend another grade level. If applicable, we will also ask the previous year's coaches for input. We cannot guarantee placement on the previous year's team. 

5. Can I get a refund if my child decides not to play basketball?

After evaluations are complete, if your child is not offered a spot on a competitive team, you will receive a full refund. However, there are no refunds if your child is offered a spot on a team but decides not to play.

6. How are coaches selected?

Once teams are formed, the commissioner recruits coaches from those parents who have indicated a willingness to coach on the registration form.  Parents who have participated in player evaluations will be given priority.  If no parent has volunteered to coach from a particular team a parent meeting will be held to facilitate recruitment of a coach. 

7. When are the competitive teams announced?

The commissioners will announce the teams via email approximately 1 week after the evaluations are complete.

Team rosters are subject to change after the announcement.

After teams are formed they are given colors.  The color of each team represents the team's level. Team color information is explained on the Placement page.