AAU · Developmental · FYBL
Travel teams and developmental teams in Largo
The Warehouse Ballers compete in AAU tournaments, developmental teams train without the travel, and FYBL affiliates play the Florida Youth Basketball League.
Chapter 01
The Warehouse Ballers: AAU travel teams
The Warehouse Ballers are the Academy's competitive travel teams, playing under AAU, YBOA and USSSA banners. The season runs January to June, six months, and families should expect six to eight weekend tournaments in that stretch. Boys and girls teams are open from 4th grade through 11th grade. The number of teams depends on how many players come out and at what skill level, and sometimes a coach will move a player up in age to find the right fit.
Teams practice and train skills two to three days a week. Rosters are kept to about nine or ten players so that everyone who earns a spot plays real minutes. Players from the developmental squads can be used as potential call-ups when a conflict or injury leaves a travel roster short, depending on the interest and availability of the player. That gives a developing kid a real reason to be ready.
The Amateur Athletic Union is a non-profit sports organization dedicated to the promotion of athletics and fitness, and you can learn more at aausports.org. For a student-athlete, AAU is a way to showcase talent playing live in local, regional or even national tournaments. The Academy's own results over the years, shown below, give a sense of how far these teams have gone.
An 8th grade team holding the AAU National Championships qualified banner
Developmental teams: compete without the road trips
Developmental teams follow the same plan as the travel squads with one big difference: there are no weekend tournaments. The goal is to develop players who are not ready yet for the high-level competitive teams and prepare them for future seasons. These teams practice two to three days a week, take part in all of the skills work, and are encouraged to add private lessons to speed things along.
Developmental players do not sit and watch. The teams hold organized internal scrimmages and play against other similar programs. If a team shows enough progress, it may enter a small-venue D-2 tournament, which is paid for separately. A parent who wants to know what that would cost can ask Coach Allen at (727) 235-4726 once the season is in view.
This path suits the player who does not want to travel or spend the extra cost, but still wants all the benefits of coaching, practice time with a team and the experience of playing games that build toward a future team. Plenty of kids need a year of this before the travel schedule makes sense.
Chapter 03
FYBL and Nike Team Florida
FYBL stands for the Florida Youth Basketball League. Nike Team Florida (NTF) affiliate teams are organized at three levels: 12u (6th grade), 13u (7th grade) and 14u (8th grade). Those teams have a working relationship with Nike Team Florida, and they play inside a league built to feel like the next step up.
The league follows the model of Nike's Elite Youth Basketball League (EYBL). Nike Team Florida and its affiliate programs offer a season-long competitive environment that includes league play, player and coaching clinics, and a championship tournament at the end of the season. It is a regular rhythm of games, not a one-weekend tournament, so a middle school player gets many chances to learn from losses.
The FYBL has 24 teams in 3 divisions of eight, spread across the 6th to 8th grade levels. Call Coach Allen to ask how the affiliate teams are shaping up for the coming season. The league is aimed at competitive middle school players who want a steady schedule against comparable teams.
Try-outs, practice and game day
All teams require try-outs and regular practice, as well as game participation. That sentence is the Academy's own, and it is the whole deal: players earn a spot, show up to practice, and take the court on game day. Travel teams maximize a student-athlete's opportunity to realize their goals for both basketball and education.
Coaches teach, encourage and mentor players every step of the way, helping them gain mastery of individual effort and teamwork. The Academy's own list of reasons to join the Warehouse Ballers includes playing against some of the best talent in the area, learning the fundamentals through repetition, building leadership skills, staying sharp after the high school season ends, and making new friends with people who love the game as much as you do.
Try-out dates change from year to year, so the quickest way to find out is to call Coach Allen at (727) 235-4726 or write to info@tbwacademy.org. Players who want to prepare can book private lessons ahead of time, and the training page explains how one-on-one work fits with a team season.
The Basketball Warehouse Academy is a registered 501(c)(3) non-profit in Largo, Florida. Ask Coach Allen about try-outs on (727) 235-4726.
Hung from the rafters
Results the teams have brought home
These come straight from the captions on the Academy's own photos. They are past seasons, not a promise about this year, and every team starts from the same place: a try-out and a first practice. See more in the gallery and the time capsule.
7th grade
Super6
2018 Super6 Champions
8th grade
State
2018 State Championship, Silver
8th grade
National
Bid to the AAU National Championships
9th grade
Regionals
AAU Super Regionals, D1 Champs
9th grade boys
Bay Classic
Memorial Bay Classic, 10th grade championship
5th grade boys
Xplosion
Sarasota Xplosion Runners-Up, March 2015
