The Deerfield Young Warriors is a program designed to provide the opportunity for boys with a serious interest in basketball to participate in accelerated competition with accelerated guidance, and to have the chance to become more familiar with the Deerfield High School basketball program. We accomplish this objective not only as a member of the Greater Suburban Basketball Association, an organization including about 75 programs with about 200 feeder teams, but also by including in our schedule games with teams in the City of Chicago and elsewhere and by participation in various competitive tournaments.

This year, our 17th, there again will be three boys teams chosen to participate in the Young Warriors' program. The tryout schedule is elsewhere on this site and in the Deerfield Review (watch the Deerfield Review or this website for possible changes). 5th grade boys are allowed to try out for the 6th grade team. Players competing for the teams must reside within Deerfield's school districts or attend Deerfield or Bannockburn schools.

If any player on any Young Warriors team simultaneously plays on any other non-school traveling basketball team, or on a traveling team of any sport, and misses 3 Y-W events (practices or games) to play elsewhere, then it will be grounds for dismissal from our program. We think it is unfair to those boys who did not make the feeder roster to have players on our team choose to play elsewhere. Repeated conflicts in past years make this ruling imperative.

The season will last from mid-November until spring break. Most of November's and December's activities will be practice sessions. We will play approximately 30-35 games. We will also offer up to 3 clinics during the fall which will feature visiting instructors, including DHS Head Coach Bret Just and his staff and players. Practices are planned for Tuesday and Thursday evenings at the Joy of the Game Center.

• School schedules will have priority over the Young Warriors' functions.
• Teams will generally carry 10-12 players.
• Cost per player is anticipated at this time to be about $600 including uniforms (this amounts to less than $10 per event). Home games and practices will be played at the Joy of the Game Center. Players from last year who make this year's teams may use last year's uniforms where possible, in which case the fee will be adjusted downward.
• We are a non-profit organization. All fees collected go for insurance, gym time, referees, tournament fees, coaches' stipends and miscellaneous administrative expenses
• As stated, our schedules will include games with other feeder teams, tournaments--local and overnight (usually to Madison, WI)--and other games with competitive opponents in and around Chicago. This "non-feeder" competition, along with the outstanding quality of our coaching, I believe sets us apart from other programs. We firmly believe that our players will benefit from the exposure to the mixture of opponents that they will encounter throughout the season.
• Activities, including games, practices and clinics, will consume 3-5 sessions per week. Sessions will last 1 to 1 1/2 hrs. Most games are on weekends. Practices will be held on Tuesday and Thursday evenings.
• Goals of our program include accelerated development, exposure to the high caliber of boy's basketball that is "out there," and an introduction into the style of ball played at DHS. If the past is any indication, we believe this experience will be a great one for players and families alike. Coach Just and his staff are strongly supportive of this program and will be available on occasion to assist coaches and teams.
• For additional input about the program, I would strongly suggest that you contact any of the ex-Young Warriors at DHS or beyond or their parents. We believe their experience with this feeder program will rank high among all their athletic involvements.
• Finally, we realize that in this economy, coming up with any or all of our entrance fee may well be difficult for a few. Please contact me if that situation exists in your family and hopefully we can assist to some extent with discretion.