NCSAA Basketball Championships

2023 NCSAA Basketball Championships  

Girls' Varsity Basketball Boys' Varsity Basketball March 2-4, 2023 Mount Vernon Nazarene University (Mount Vernon, OH) Final Registration Deadline: Monday, February 6, 2023

Date:  March 2-4, 2023

Registration Deadline:

The 2023 NCSAA Basketball Championships are open to girls' varsity basketball and boys' varsity basketball teams.  Teams from any region of the country are welcome to attend.

This tournament will be limited to a maximum of 96 teams (comprised of a maximum of 48 girls' varsity basketball teams and a maximum of 64 boys' varsity basketball teams).  Register soon in order to be sure to claim a spot!

The final registration deadline is February 6, 2023. At that time we will close registration to begin making the brackets and schedule for the tournament.

Tournament Format:

• This tournament will be limited to a maximum of 96 teams (comprised of a maximum of 48 girls' varsity basketball teams and a maximum of 64 boys' varsity basketball teams) -- which will compete in as many as ten girls' basketball and twelve boys' basketball divisions.
• Teams will be placed into divisions (Division 1, Division 2, Division 3, etc) based on the results of Opening Round match-up games and / or based on pre-tournament seeding (depending upon the total number of teams registered).  We put a lot of work into making sure your team will be placed in a fitting division where you will have a good competitive experience; that commitment is one of the distinctives of our tournaments.  If you have any question about divisional breakdown, please feel free to contact us with your questions.
• Homeschool teams are welcome to participate, as long as their players meet our eligibility requirements.  (1 - All players must be regular members of your team during the season.  2 - High school graduates are not permitted to participate with your team. 3 - All team members must be homeschooled or not a member of any other school or homeschool basketball team.)  If you are a homeschool team that is interested in participating, please be sure that your players meet these requirements.  Feel free to call for clarification, if necessary.
• Age Eligibility: A student-athlete shall be ineligible for participation upon attaining the age of nineteen years, with the following exception: if the age of 19 is attained on or after July 1, the student-athlete shall be eligible, age-wise, to compete through that school year.
• COVID Protocols: We take very seriously the responsibility to make our event a safe event for all who are attending.  There may be some basic safety protocols.  Those will likely be very minimal (simply recommendations), based on COVID circumstances at the current time.  By registering for and attending the tournament, you're agreeing to comply with the basic safety protocols that are required at the tournament (though, as mentioned above, those are likely just to be recommendations, unless the situation with the pandemic changes drastically before then).  Let us know if you have any questions.

Tournament Features and Information:

Tournament Description:

• The NCSAA Basketball Championships offers an exciting post-season championship tournament experience -- in a Christ-centered environment -- for your basketball teams.  Highly-organized and hosted at excellent facilities, this event allows teams of all sizes and levels to finish their seasons with the challenge and reward of a competitive post-season tournament.

Tournament Format:

• This tournament is open to Christian and private schools from any region of the country. The tournament will be limited to a maximum of 96 teams (comprised of a maximum of 48 girls' varsity basketball teams and a maximum of 64 boys' varsity basketball teams) -- which will compete in as many as ten girls' basketball and twelve boys' basketball divisions.
• Boys and girls in grades 7-12 are eligible to compete.
• Each team will play three or four games during the tournament.  If you have any concern regarding the number of games your team might play, please give us a call.
• We are planning to hold a special evening of basketball skills contests (Point Guard Challenge and Three-Point Shootout) on Friday night.
  

Closing Ceremony and Awards:

• All participating teams will be recognized during each division's closing ceremony, which will also include a special time of recognition and prayer for each team's senior athletes.  Each senior athlete will receive a special gift from NCSAA.
• Awards will be presented to the 1st and 2nd place teams in each division.
• A number of players from each team will be named to an All-Tournament Team and will be presented with specially-designed NCSAA All-Tournament Team patches to recognize their selection to this team.  Each team will also have the opportunity to nominate players for consideration for the annual NCSAA All-American Teams.
• The NCSAA Coaches' Award will also be awarded to players throughout the tournament.  These awards will be given by the coaches of the participating teams, as a way to recognize and encourage athletes who demonstrate noteworthy effort, leadership, encouragement, determination, humility, courage, grace, and other qualities of Biblical discipline in their play.  This program allows us to encourage coaches to be intentional in "building into the lives" of the players who are competing this weekend.

Christ-Centered Environment and Team-Building Opportunities:

• The opportunity to go away to a tournament provides a great time for teammates to grow closer, and we structure our tournaments to encourage this team-building.  We are intentional about providing a consistent spiritual challenge for your athletes throughout the event -- from the devotional challenges at the Opening Program and the Friday evening skills contests, to the spirit of mutual encouragement and healthy competition typically displayed at this event, to the unified time of team prayer for senior athletes at the Closing Ceremony.  This NCSAA event is distinctive in its goal of being more than just an athletic event; we desire that your players deepen their relationships with God and their teammates during their time here!
• The setting of this tournament -- the Christian college campus of Mount Vernon Nazarene University -- presents an opportunity for your players to visit the campus while you attend the tournament.  Opportunities may include family or team campus visits, interaction with admissions personnel, and participation in other college-organized activities during the tournament event.  Teams that attend our tournaments have remarked that these opportunities have been very valuable, as the event doubles as an opportunity to expose your athletes to the value of and options for Christian education beyond high school.

Beneficial Exposure for Your Athletes:

• We invite college coaches to attend the event each year and provide each of them with a set of rosters / information about the teams that are competing. In addition, we send out the tournament results (and the all-tournament team) to many college coaches following the event. This opportunity presents your players with a great chance to be seen by college coaches, scouts, and recruiters.
• Select games from the tournament may be broadcast live online (accessible via the NCSAA web site).  College coaches are able to follow these games and matches online, providing additional recruiting exposure for top teams and athletes -- and parents and fans are able to watch their teams play!

Location:

Mount Vernon Nazarene University
800 Martinsburg Road
Mount Vernon, OH  43050

The basketball facilities at MVNU are excellent and will provide a quality experience for all teams; we have access this year to five courts, all located within a single building (including the beautiful Ariel Arena) -- and you'll enjoy the opportunity to explore and take advantage of the beautiful campus in Mount Vernon, Ohio!

Check out details about the facilities at Mount Vernon Nazarene University via the links below:

• Mount Vernon Nazarene University - Athletic Facilities
• Mount Vernon Nazarene University - Area Activities

Team Registration Fee (per team, per event):

$450 for NCSAA full member schools (paying members)
$500 for non-member schools

Your registration fee is non-refundable, except in the event of the cancellation of the tournament.

All teams are expected to pay their full registration fees by the registration deadline date.  Any exceptions to this rule must be discussed with and approved by NCSAA.  If you have any questions regarding this procedure (or if you are already late with your payment), please contact us ASAP.

Individual Athlete Fee:

$25 per athlete

* Each team pays athlete fees for a maximum of 20 athletes.  You are welcome to have more than 20 athletes on your team, but you will not need to pay athlete fees for athletes past 20 total.

Individual athlete fees are due the week before the tournament; we'll be in touch with you to let you know when the payment deadline is arriving.  You can mail those fees in ahead of time, or you can pay online via PayPal.

(Most schools have their athletes contribute to cover this fee.)  If you have any questions regarding these fees, please contact us ASAP.

Withdrawals:

We understand that occasionally there may be reason for a team to withdraw from a tournament, after having already registered. If any team must withdraw after already registering for the tournament, that team still will be expected to honor its commitment to pay the full team registration fees. NCSAA must budget based on the number of registered teams, and all fees for all registered spots are critical in order to plan for and conduct a successful tournament. Thanks for your understanding of this!

In addition, any team that withdraws from a tournament two weeks (or less) before the start of a tournament will be required to pay an additional $200 late withdrawal fee (per team), in order to allow us to recoup extra expenses that will we incur in such a circumstance.  If you do have to withdraw after having registered, please do so as early as possible -- to avoid this extra fee.

Lodging and Meals:

CLICK HERE for a large list of possible hotels and lodging options.  You are free to find your own hotel and make reservations, but we do hope to that this list will provide some assistance with quality recommendations for your lodging.  There are a variety of other hotels / motels that you could find on your own, too -- but this is our attempt to give you some help getting started.

Some additional recommended lodging options (for those interested):

Memory Lane Bed and Breakfast
6521 Township Rd 84, Mt. Gilead, OH 43338
419-362-8171

The Mohicans Treehouse Resort
22560 Vess Rd. Glenmont, OH 44628
740-599-9030

White Oak Inn
29683 Walhonding Rd. Danville, OH 43014
740-599-6107

Directions:

Mount Vernon Nazarene University is located at 800 Martinsburg Road, Mount Vernon, OH  43050.

If you need additional help with directions, please contact Mount Vernon Nazarene University at 866-462-MVNU.