River Edge Boys Basketball

Home of River Boys Basketball - Recreation & Travel

Our programs are intended for boys living in River Edge, NJ and that attend Kindergarten through High School.

Our Recreational program is meant to develop life & basketball skills with the help of our volunteer coaches & parents. While the focus of our Rec program is to develop the players' skill set, we strive to foster an inclusive and fun basketball culture. Players' growth should be prioritized over wins and losses. Sportsmanship is a big focus of the program and we need all coaches, players, parents & fans to help maintain that spirit during the season.

Our Travel program is meant for advanced players and is highly competitive. Players selected for our travel teams are representing River Edge throughout the season as they travel to other towns and schools. How we compete against other towns is very important, but how the boys behave and how they treat their opponents is just as important.

For our Recreational Program, we offer the following:

Kindergarten & 1st Grade - full instructional program focused on the development of a basic understanding of the fundamental skills needed to be successful in basketball. Dribbling, passing, shooting form & other skills will be introduced to all players in a fun and safe environment

2nd Grade - split into two phases - Phase 1 is the continuation of skill development from K/1st grade with a stronger focus on fine tuning their skills. We start to introduce team-based skills such as man to man defense and game scenarios/offensive plays. Man to man defense is used to promote spacing on the court and allow for more opportunities on offense. From a defensive perspective, man to man defense helps develop defensive skills more than using zone defenses at an early age. Phase 2 is introducing games later in the season to prepare them for 3rd/4th grade.

3rd/4th Grade Division - Further development of skills while games become more competitive. Again, man to man defense is the preference for development reasons and to maintain a more fun & engaging experience on the court. Offensive sets and motions can be introduced as the season goes on.

5th/6th Grade Division - Games become more competitive as skills sets grow further. Game play becomes more physical. Offensive sets and motions are further introduced. Man to man help defense can be introduced, but zone is still not preferred. It can be introduced and used lightly in games. Pressing can also be introduced based on rules and score of the game.

7th/8th Grade/High School Divisions - Advanced sets both on defense and offense are introduced and we should follow NJ High School rules as closely as possible.

Travel Basketball:
Our Travel basketball program is a highly competitive program designed for our most advanced players. We have historical entered the BTBL League (http://bergentravelbasketball.com). They offer different divisions based on skill set. We work with their administration to place our teams in comparative divisions to ensure fair and even competition. This varies by grade. Please see their website for grade/division specific rules that we must follow.
We try to form teams with a minimum of 8 players in order to get through a season and a maximum of 10 players.

We offer the following travel programs based on the number of our registrations:
2nd Grade - No Cuts; attempt to build even teams if more than one
3rd Grade - No Cuts; introduce more advanced team & developmental team scenario
4th Grade - Cuts may be necessary depending on registration numbers
5th Grade - Cuts may be necessary depending on registration numbers
6th Grade - Increased cost for paid Coach. Cuts may be necessary depending on registration numbers. If there is a Developmental team, a volunteer Coach is preferred.
7th Grade - Increased cost for paid Coach. Cuts may be necessary depending on registration numbers. If there is a Developmental team, a volunteer Coach is preferred.
8th Grade - Increased cost for paid Coach. Cuts may be necessary depending on registration numbers. If there is a Developmental team, a volunteer Coach is preferred.