Basketball

• Who is eligible to play St. Edward CYO travel basketball?

A child must either be a parishioner of St. Edward the Confessor church (located on Jackson Ave in Syosset) or reside within the St. Edward parish boundaries (or reside in the boundaries of an adjacent parish that does not host a CYO travel basketball program). To see the St. Edward boundary map visit: https://cyoli.org/parish-boundary-maps. Note, Jericho and Woodbury addresses are eligible to play at St. Edward CYO. If a child resides in Hicksville, Plainview and Syosset addresses south of Northern State Parkway only CYO Long Island (CYOLI) central office can determine eligibility to play at St. Edward (https://cyoli.org/).

• How do I register a child for St. Edward’s CYO travel basketball?

Click the registration link on the main www.stedwardscyo.org webpage, which will take to the sportsengine registration site. Login to your sportsengine account, select the child you want to register and proceed with registration. If you want to register more than 1 child, repeat the process for each child. If you do not have a sportsengine account, please create an account and then complete registration. 

Everyone MUST register in advance of tryouts. ONLY registered players will receive email communications about tryout dates, times and locations and ONLY registered players will be permitted to tryout (walk-ins are not permitted to tryout). The registration fee is fully refundable, including any processing fees, for any player that is not selected for a travel team following tryouts. You do NOT need to purchase the added protection plan. 

• Is a uniform included in the registration fee?

Yes, uniforms are now included with the registration fee.

Note: CYOLI has very specific rules when it comes to uniform numbers and CANNOT contain the numbers 6, 7, 8, or 9, so uniform numbers will likely be designated by each coach.

• Is CYO travel basketball competitive?

Yes, CYO travel basketball is competitive. CYOLI hosts A/B/C divisions for teams in grades 5th – 12th, with “A” being highly competitive. Each coach, in consultation with the St. Edward CYO Travel Program Coordinator, has the ability to decide which division to register their team in. Teams in grades 3rd – 4th do not have different divisions and plays with modified rules to account for the fact that players in these grades are still developing skills and learning rules of the game. Accordingly, players can usually find a division that is best suited to their skill level. However, travel basketball at all levels is a commitment. The success of each team and the program as a whole depends on all coaches and players committing to attending weekly practice and weekend game(s) throughout the season.    

• Is every child who registers guaranteed a roster spot on a St. Edward CYO travel basketball team?

St. Edward CYO has a goal to provide as many girls and boys as possible the chance to play travel basketball. However, there is no guarantee that every child who registers will be selected to a team. Ultimately, the number of players who can participate is often determined by the number of adults who volunteer to coach a team, which in turn determines whether A, B and/or C level teams that St. Edward CYO can form at each grade level. So, the more adults who volunteer to coach, the more teams we can create, and then the more girls and boys we can have participate. Please consider volunteering to coach a team.   

• Can my child play on the same team as their friends?

Maybe. Team selection is decided by the St. Edward Travel Program Commissioner with assistance from other board members and coaches. Team selection criteria is primarily determined by a player’s skill such that a team can be registered to play in the appropriate division and each player has the opportunity to contribute and have a positive experience. Additionally, St. Edward CYO allows/encourages players who want to play on the same team with their friends to join together on their own, before tryouts are held, and form a team to ensure they are on the same team. In such cases, St. Edward requires the team have a complete 10 player roster and a coach already selected for their team. Otherwise, registered players are invited to an open tryout and teams are selected based on results from the tryout.

• Where and when are practices and games held?

Practice days and times are decided after tryouts are completed and teams are selected. Practice schedules are prioritized based on coach and gym availability. 

• Who coaches St. Edward CYO travel basketball teams and can I volunteer?

Travel teams are either coached by a parent volunteer(s) or a paid coach, if a parent volunteer is not available. The fee for a paid coach is in addition to the registration fee and is determined between the coach and parents.

Any parent interested in volunteering for a head coach or assistant coach role should reach out to the boys or girls Travel Program Coordinator, respectively. CYO Long Island requires all coaches to complete training in advance of being eligible to coach. Please register for these courses @ https://cyoli.org/registration-for-coaches-orientation and http://www.virtusonline.org/virtus/reg_list2.cfm?theorgid=17044&theme=0. Completion of both courses is required and both courses are a one-time requirement and applicable to all CYO sports.

• Can a team decide when it will play its games?.

CYOLI, which is the parent organization that administers the CYO program across Long Island, is in charge of scheduling all games. Games are typically played on Saturday or Sunday. Game schedules are determined primarily by gym availability at St. Edward and at the other parish gyms St. Edward will play away games in. Coaches can make limited requests to restrict certain calendar days from being scheduled (e.g., coach has a known conflict at the time their team registration is submitted to CYOLI), but CYOLI cannot always accommodate these requests. For this reason, CYOLI recommends each team have the support of an Assistant Coach.

• Where will a team play its games? 

Typically, half of the games will be “home games” and played at St. Edward gym (or a SCSD district gym) and the other half will be “away games” and played at other parish gyms in Nassau and Suffolk Counties. CYO Long Island does make every effort to minimize the travel distance to “away games”.