Skip to content

Boys Basketball (Grades 6-8)


Middle School Athletics / Basketball -
Fall 2024

About Middle School Basketball

LEAP middle school basketball welcomes 6-8 grade students of all ability levels and experience. This 8-week program of educational athletics will focus on skill development, gaining an appreciation for the sport of basketball, and teamwork. Effort, attitude, and commitment will directly influence individual growth within the program. A high level of sportsmanship will be expected of all involved with the program. It is our goal to prepare as many young student athletes as possible for involvement at the next level. Students are evaluated by the Director of Basketball Operations (DOBO) as well as the other coaches on staff. We have 3 tiers in middle school basketball (gold, white & green/black):

Gold Tier Teams:  All 6th graders are placed on a gold tier team. Gold tier team rosters are created with players of a similar skill set based on evaluation results. With rare exception, 6th grade teams will only play other gold tier teams from both East and West Middle Schools.

White Tier Teams: The white tier has a combination of grade specific teams, as well as teams made up of both 7th & 8th grade students. White tier teams will play other white tier teams from EMS and WMS. On occasion, white tier teams have the opportunity to play outside competition. These teams are still working on growing and improving their fundamental skill set, while also working towards involvement at the next level. Combining grades on some white tier teams allows for intermediate level players to learn and grow at the same pace as their peers, regardless of grade level.

Black & Green Tier Teams: The black & green tiers are made up of the most advanced players in 7th & 8th grade. Athletes placed in the black/green tiers will play most of their games against teams from other school districts. Students placed at this level have strong fundamental skill sets and are ready for a higher level of instruction and play. It is our goal to prepare these student athletes for involvement at the next level. 

Season Start & End Dates

Monday, October 28, 2024 - Wednesday, December 18, 2024

Practice Schedule

Practices during any one-week may include any of the 7 days during the week and will be between 1 and 3 hours long on any given day (based on the availability of the coach). Practice start times will range from immediately after school to 8 pm during the week and from 9 am to 2 pm on Saturdays and/or 1 pm to 6 pm on Sundays. Once student athletes are evaluated and placed on a team, you will be contacted by their coach and receive the practice schedule for the remainder of the season.

East Middle School Practice Schedule

Preliminary Evaluation Clinics

Monday, October 28, 2024

    • 7th Grade - check in 2:45, evals 3-4:15 PM
    • 6th Grade - check in 4:15, evals 4:30 - 5:45 PM  **PLEASE NOTE TIME CHANGE TO ACCOMODATE FOR 6TH GRADE CHOIR CONCERT**
    • 8th Grade - check in 5:45, evals 6:00 - 7:30 PM
  • Tuesday, October 29, 2024
    • 6th Grade - check in 2:45, evals 3-4:15 PM
    • 7th Grade - check in 4:15, evals 4:30 - 5:45 PM
    • 8th Grade - check in 5:45, evals 6:00 - 7:30 PM
  • Wednesday, October 30, 2024
    • 6th Grade - check in 2:45, evals 3-4:15 PM
    • 7th Grade - check in 4:15, evals 4:30 - 5:45 PM
    • 8th Grade - check in 5:45, evals 6:00 - 7:30 PM
  • Thursday, October 31, 2024
    • OFF
  • MHSAA travel teams may begin practices on Friday, November 1st
  • All other teams will be finalized and coaches will be identified Thurs-Sunday. Gold & White tier individual team practices will not begin prior to the week of November, 4, 2024. Coaches will be reaching out to players/families regarding practice days/times as soon as they are available. We appreciate your patience with this process!


West Middle School Practice Schedule

Preliminary Evaluation Clinics   

  • Monday, October 28, 2024
    • 6th Grade - 3:00-4:15 pm
    • 7th Grade - 4:30 - 5:45 pm
    • 8th Grade - 6:00 - 7:15 pm
  • Tuesday, October 29, 2024
    • 6th Grade - 3:00-4:15 pm
    • 7th Grade - 4:30 - 5:45 pm
    • 8th Grade - 6:00 - 7:15 pm
    • Evaluations will be held at West Middle School
    • MHSAA travel teams may begin practices on Friday, November 1st.
    • All other teams will be finalized and coaches will be identified Thurs-Sunday. Gold & White tier individual team practices will not begin prior to the week of November, 4, 2024. Coaches will be reaching out to players/families regarding practice days/times as soon as they are available. We appreciate your patience with this process!

Game Schedule

Games: Games will be scheduled between 4:30 pm and 7:30 pm beginning November 4, 2024. Games are typically played Mondays and Wednesdays. Exact game schedules TBD.

  • Admission Prices: Admission will be charged for home contests.
    • General Admission - $3.00
    • Children 5 & Under - Free

Tournaments: Saturday tournaments may be scheduled for the black & green tier teams. On occasion, white tier teams may participate in Saturday tournaments. Exact tournament schedules TBD.

Exact game schedules will be communicated to players through their coach following evaluations.

**All dates are subject to change based on the availability of officials**


Director of Basketball Operations

East Middle School

West Middle School

  

3 STEP ENROLLMENT PROCESS:

1) Eleyo Registration & Payment

TCAPS Middle School athletes will now participate under the umbrella of the Michigan High School Athletic Association (MHSAA). The middle school teams under the MHSAA must be composed of students enrolled in TCAPS. MHSAA teams include Football, Volleyball, Basketball, Cross Country, Wrestling, Softball, and Track & Field and Tennis.

In addition to MHSAA teams, LEAP will still have non-MHSAA teams in Volleyball and Basketball. LEAP will accept students from non-TCAPS schools on our non-MHSAA teams whenever possible. If your student is not enrolled at TCAPS, please select the Non-TCAPS option and enroll your student as an individual. All out-of-district individual students will initially be placed on a waitlist. Following the close of registration, these individuals will be contacted by LEAP to inform you if your student’s enrollment has been accepted.

Deadline: Friday, October 11, 2024

  • TCAPS Students: $140.00
  • Reduced fees are available to TCAPS students who qualify for the free and reduced meals program:
    • Reduced Meals Participation Fee: $70.00 if registered by the deadline
    • Free Meals Participation Fee: $40.00 if registered by the deadline
  • TCAPS shared-time students: $178.00
    •  GTACS 6th Grade- GTACS students can disregard any information on the sign up page regarding evaluation schedules, physicals and Final Forms. We DO NOT need a Final Forms account for GTACS 6th graders. GTACS students can disregard any information on the sign up page regarding evaluation schedules, physicals and Final Forms. We DO NOT need a Final Forms account for GTACS 6th graders. We do not need physicals turned in for GTACS students playing 6th grade basketball. GTACS will handle tracking physicals for their own students however they see fit. After registration closes and a coach is confirmed for your school, you will be contacted by the coach with your student's practice schedule. GTACS 6th grade basketball team will practice at SEAS. Please note that there are 2 weeks between the registration deadline and the start of practices to allow time to secure coaches and finalize teams. Questions regarding practices, season information and details can be directed to:
      • SEAS Athletic Director, Kelly Coffman: kcoffman@gtacs.org or
      • Boys Varsity Coach, Sean Finnegan: sfinnegan84@gmail.com
  • Non-shared time students: $199.00
    • Woodland- Woodland students can disregard any information on the sign up page regarding evaluation schedules, physicals and Final Forms. We DO NOT need a Final Forms account forWoodland students. Woodland students can disregard any information on the sign up page regarding evaluation schedules, physicals and Final Forms. We DO NOT need a Final Forms account or physicals turned in for Woodland students. Woodland will handle tracking physicals for their own students however they see fit. After registration closes and a coach is confirmed for your school, you will be contacted by the coach with your student's practice schedule.Woodland basketball team will practice at Woodland. Please note that there are 2 weeks between the registration deadline and the start of practices to allow time to secure coaches and finalize teams. Questions regarding practices, season information and details can be directed to: 
      • Rich Watson- rwatson@woodlandschooltc.org

Reduced Rates are not available for any Non-TCAPS students.

Registration deadlines are final. Late registrations may not be accepted after the posted registration close date. If late registration is available, there will be a $25.00 late fee added to the cost of registration.

NOTE: Payment is required at the time of registration. You may register online using a Discover, MasterCard, Visa, or ACH (via a checking or savings account) please register below. Payment with cash or check can be made at the LEAP office located at: Traverse City East Middle School, 1776 Three Mile Road, Traverse City (call to make in person payment arrangements) School Year Office hours are Monday – Friday, 8:30 am – 4:30 pm. Please call the LEAP office at 231.933.7480 for more information. Registration is not complete until your course appears in your dashboard. You will also receive an email from Eleyo confirming your registration. If you do not receive the confirmation email or see the course in your dashboard, be sure you have not left any course items in your shopping basket. 

2) Final Forms

  • ALL STUDENTS MUST REGISTER FOR A FINAL FORMS ACCOUNT IN ADDITION TO REGISTERING/PAYING
  • Please register at: https://traversecity-mi.finalforms.com and follow the prompts to create your account, create your students, and sign your forms.
  • If you require any support during the process, scroll to the page bottom and click “Use Support,” or feel free to contact our office. NOTE: During parent registration, you will need to input your students’ TCAPS email address.

3) Sports Physical

Middle School Athletes must have an updated physical on file each school year. Sports physicals must be dated April 15th, 2024 or later, & can be used for the entire '24-'25 school year. Athletes MAY NOT attend practices/evaluations etc. until this is on file. Once obtained please feel free to email physicals directly to: lawrencebo@tcaps.net

Helpful Information:

  • District provided transportation is NOT available for boys basketball season.  Parent/guardian transportation is required for all practices and games within the district. Transportation to out of district contests is subject to availability.
  • Games will be officiated by registered officials, score will be kept.

Filter Course Sections

Date Range
Start
End
Time Range
Start
End
6-8 BBB- EMS Closed

  Luke Johnson , Thomas Daniel Passinault


TC East Middle School
Mon Oct 28 & Wed Dec 18
12:00 - 12:01 AM

Su
M
Tu
W
Th
F
Sa

Grades   6th - 8th


Online registration is over

6-8 BBB- GTACS 6TH ONLY Closed

  Sean Finnegan


GTACS
Mon Oct 28 & Wed Dec 18
12:00 AM - 12:00 PM

Su
M
Tu
W
Th
F
Sa

Grades   6th

$ 203.00
GTACS 6th Only- LATE Fee

Online registration is over

6-8 BBB- WMS Closed

  Nicholas Brandon Whipple


TC West Middle School
Mon Oct 28 & Wed Dec 18
12:00 - 12:01 AM

Su
M
Tu
W
Th
F
Sa

Grades   6th - 8th


Online registration is over

6-8 BBB- Woodland Closed

  Carrie Crigier


Woodland School
Mon Oct 28 & Wed Dec 18
12:00 - 12:01 AM

Su
M
Tu
W
Th
F
Sa

Grades   6th - 8th

$ 199.00
Woodland Registration

Online registration is over

6-8 BBB-Non-TCAPS Closed
LEAP Office
Mon Oct 28 & Wed Dec 18
12:00 - 12:01 AM

Su
M
Tu
W
Th
F
Sa

Grades   6th - 8th


Online registration is over