Ball City is one of the rising basketball developmental programs in the Cities and is committed to passion, discipline and respect. Its goal is to train players not only in the fundamentals of basketball but to develop elite skills, habits and mindset that will help them become elite players. It provides opportunities for young athletes to play basketball at a competitive level, and supports players in their growth and development. Our foundation is a philosophy of teamwork, hardwork and discipline.
We are in our third year as a program, and over the last year, we competed in local tournaments with MYAS and various AAU tournaments. We also traveled to tournaments in Wisconsin and Iowa. And for the final tournament of our Spring and Summer season, we participated in the AAU World Championships in Orlando, Florida at the ESPN Wide World of Sports Center. We were the only team from Minnesota at the tournament. For the Fall Season, we introduced our Ball City Elite team, and participated in the MYAS Fall League, and finished 3rd in the league, and also participated in a JV Division Fall League, to prepare players for their high school teams.
Ball City is spearheaded by Coach Bailey, and works with four assistant coaches. Coach Bailey has coached in the area for over seven years at various parks, including Waite Park and Bottineau Park. He also started a basketball team at New City Charter School, which he ran for two years. He also coached last year for the Brooklyn Park Athletic Association’s Winter season, and his team went undefeated for the season. He has coached teams from 8U to 18U, and has experience working with players of all ages. He is currently the freshman head coach for Brooklyn Center High School, and continues to grow and develop as a coach.
Our programs and teams include our Ball City Elite team, which is our team of elite players from 8th grade and up, and is a high school varsity prep team. We also have our Ball City Gold team, which includes high caliber 7th and 8th graders. Our Ball City Black team includes developing 7th and 8th graders, and high caliber 6th graders. For our Spring/Summer season, we will introduce our Ball City Blue team, which will include 6th and 5th graders. We will also introduce our Lady Ballers girls team, for players 14 years and younger. These programs will run in the Spring through the Summer and Fall. Tryouts for the Spring/Summer teams will be in February 2024.
We also have our Ball City Academy Winter training program and team, for 9th grade players that missed out on their Freshman team, or want additional training to improve their skills and development. The Ball City Academy Winter team will participate in a Winter League for 9th graders. If you are interested in being part of Ball City Academy, contact us immediately because tournaments will begin soon.
We also conduct camps and basketball center events, including our Ball City Academy Camp, the Baby Ballers Camp for 5th grade and younger players, and our HoopFest Jam, which is a basketball event with games, contests and music. We also run our Scrimmage Session that is open for any player and is run in an open gym style scrimmages. It’s an opportunity for players to meet, connect and compete with their peers.
Our program goes beyond just the programs and the teams. We strive to build a strong bond and relationship with players and parents. We believe that a critical part of the process is the relationship between the parents and the program. We also create highlight reels of games, and promo materials of players, to spotlight and promote players. In addition to practices and tournaments, we also hold parent meetings to update and advise parents on a player’s basketball journey.