• When are tryouts?
  
  Mandatory Tryouts are on Oct. 29th and November 5th. Each grade has a one-hour tryout slot and each participant must sign up online at clcfbasketball.com. Players (Including players on the team from last year) MUST attend tryouts in order to make this year’s team. One (1) parent per player can watch tryouts.

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• Does my family have to reside in Cranston, RI to play travel basketball for CLCF?
  
  Rhode Island Youth Basketball Association (RIYBA) rules and guidelines, governs youth travel basketball for cities and towns in the State of RI, all players must attend a Cranston Public School and reside in the City of Cranston to participate. If a player attends a private or charter school, they must prove residence in the City of Cranston to participate. Approved Residency Documents per RIYBA:  

       

        Public School Report Card: Shows the name of the school in the City of Cranston attended by the                                  student. 

        Aspen or other school software:  Shows home address of the student is in the City of Cranston  
       

       Private or Charter School: Must provide school-related documentation that shows the address of student in the         City of Cranston. If documentation from the school cannot be provided a mortgage statement, lease or rental             agreement is acceptable; however, it must be accompanied by another form for documentation.  CLCF will                 provide assistance in any way possible with the eligibility process.

​       **Note: A bank check or drivers' license is not an acceptable document to prove residency**​

       If a player is unable to participate in CLCF travel basketball because they fail to meet the RIYBA eligibility                  requirements, the player still has the opportunity to play travel basketball in the city/town in which they reside.          All cities and towns have teams within the RIYBA travel basketball league. ​If assistance is needed, we will be              happy to connect you with the travel basketball director of any city/town.

     RIYBA wants to clearly communicate that its league is not an AAU league in which players can play for any                program they chose to play in regardless of residency.  The RIYBA travel basketball league is based on the                  players' residency and/or school in which they attend.  Once eligibility documentation is submitted to RIYBA,              eligibility decisions will be granted to every participant by the Rhode Island Youth Basketball Eligibility                        Coordinator. 

   **CLCF is not involved with determining eligibility of all players who make our travel teams** 
 

• What does it cost to play on a travel team? 
  The team fee to participate, which covers games/tournaments and practice time throughout the season, is $325/player plus the cost of the team uniform fee.  Payment plans are available.
   

• What does a typical season look like?
  
  The season is broken into three parts:
  
  The 2023-24 Metro West League consists of 8-12 regular-season games from late November through mid-March on Sunday morning/afternoon. Home games are played at various Cranston Public Schools.  Away games are played at another Rhode Island town/city gymnasium.
  
  Non-league games are played at our home courts or at a Southeastern Massachusetts town/city gymnasium.
  
  Teams also participate in multiple Rhode Island Youth Basketball Association and/or out-of-state tournaments. Teams choose specific tournament weekends when regular-season games are not being played.  
   

• When will I find out if my child made a team?
  Rosters for each grade will be decided within 24 to 48 hours of the second tryout date. A roster spot is only guaranteed for one season. 
   

• What travel league do we play in?
  
  CLCF are members of the Rhode Island Metro West Youth Basketball League which consists of towns/cities throughout Rhode Island and Massachusetts. Our teams also compete in Rhode Island Youth Basketball Association (RIYBA) tournaments during holiday weekends. 
   

• Can my child play for both CLCF and other local programs?
  
  During the winter season, CLCF does not restrict players from playing on school-affiliated basketball teams. Please discuss any issues with your coach about other commitments.
   

• Can my child play up an age group/grade?
  
  Players are not allowed to play up a grade level for travel basketball. Players must play at their current grade level. Only exception would be if there aren’t enough players in the grade above to field a team then a player has an option to play up a grade level. 
   

• Can I request that my children be placed on the same team?
  
  Players will be assigned to teams by grade and level in an effort to make our program as competitive as possible. Thus, requests are not honored unless siblings have equal ability.
   

• What does it cost to play on a travel team? 
  
  The team fee to participate, which covers games/tournaments and practice time throughout the season, is $325/player plus the cost of the team uniform fee.
   

• What does a typical season look like?
  
  The season is broken into three parts:
   

1. The 2023-24 Metro West League consists of 8-12 regular-season games from late November through mid-March on Sunday morning/afternoon. Home games are played at various Cranston Public Schools and CLCF Building. Away games are played at another Rhode Island town/city gymnasium.

2. Non-league games are played at our home courts or at a Southeastern Massachusetts town/city gymnasium.

3. Rhode Island Youth Basketball Association and/or out-of-state tournaments. Teams choose specific tournament weekends when regular-season games are not being played.  
    

• When/where will practices be held?
  
  Practices will be held at the various Cranston Public Schools and CLCF Building. Specific practice days/times will be determined by the coach at a later date.
   

• What is the pre-season parent meeting about? 
  
  The parent meeting's main objective is to set the expectations for the team and the upcoming season which includes team rules, the parent policy, player expectations, team fees, sponsorship, and the practice and game schedules. It is also an opportunity to meet the Directors of Basketball (John Palazzo and Craig Zarrella) and coaching staff for each grade. 
   

• Minimum playing time requirements:
  
  2nd/3rd-5th grades: 6 total minutes in regular-season games only.
  6th-8th grades: Playing time is earned, not guaranteed.
   

• Clarifications:
  
  During the regular season and playoffs, players are expected to attend regularly scheduled practices and games.  If a player has an unexcused absence from practice (i.e. practice for another sport) their playing time for the game that week can be reduced.
  Minimum playing time requirements ONLY apply to regular-season games for grades 2-5 In the playoffs, there are no playing time requirements for any grade level. 
  It does not apply for holiday tournaments because games are significantly shorter than a MetroWest game. 
  While players are expected to attend practices, failure to attend unofficial practices (i.e., if the coach gets extra gym time) is not a sufficient reason for a player to play less than the minimum time. There are no other playing time requirements; for example, players are not entitled to start any game or play the 4th Quarter.
  Coaches may not play a player less than the minimum amount in one game and make it up to him/her in a future game. 
  Players who are benched for disciplinary reasons can be penalized by playing less than the minimum amount. In such a case, the head coach must notify the family as to why their child is being penalized.
   

• Rules and Regulations
  
  RI Metro West Season Rules  -  https://www.riyba.com/page/show/7168288-ri-metro-west-rules
  
  RIYBA Tournaments Rules -  https://www.riyba.com/page/show/7168290-riyba-tournament-rules
   

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