UTAH NLB
(Next Level Basketball)
AAU BASKETBALL
Started in the Spring 2021, Utah NLB offers high-level coaching and more opportunities for players in and around Cache Valley to get the best exposure if they have the desire and potential to play at the college level.
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Utah NLB includes boys and girls from 12-18 years of age. Players will compete in spring and summer basketball tournaments at locations all over the western United States. Through advance coaching, players will gain the experience and confidence they need to succeed in high level competition.
OUR STORY
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Utah NLB is quickly becoming the leading basketball development and AAU program in Northern Utah for boys and girls. Utah NLB was created to provide more local athletes with opportunities to excel while improving their basketball skills.
Our program is under the guidance of a top-level coaching staff that is made up of former college players, former professional players, and a former college coach. Utah NLB players learn the skills and effort required to excel as a high school athlete and on a national level.
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OUR MISSION
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To help develop players of all ages into high caliber basketball players both physically and mentally through positive and fun training; to teach players innovative drills and provide them with all the skills necessary to compete against the highest level of competition at top tournaments; to promote their individual and team accomplishments to college coaches.
OUR OBJECTIVES
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To help our players reach their full potential as basketball players
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Teach our players how to respond and play through the toughest competitive circumstances
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Actively promote our players, their character and their abilities to college and university coaches
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Expect and encourage outstanding character and sportsmanship
MAKING A UTAH NLB TEAM
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For those interested in trying out for a Utah NLB team, we’ll provide some information below about our selection process.
​TYPES OF UTAH NLB TEAMS
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There are two types of Utah NLB teams: BLACK and YELLOW.
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After tryouts, our coaches will place players at the appropriate team level based on proper evaluation of the player at tryout or at skill development sessions. In some cases, some players can be evaluated over the course of the high school season.
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Utah NLB Black- are comprised of players that have the highest skill level in their age group. These players are usually high contributors to their high school teams.
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Utah NLB Black teams play in NCAA sanctioned tournaments during official NCAA recruiting evaluation periods in April and July, maximizing the opportunities to be seen by a wide range of college coaches. They will play in 5-6 total tournaments from April-July.
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Utah NLB Yellow-are comprised of players whose skill set and playing experience is not on the same level as players on Utah NLB Black. These players will or have made contributions to their high school or competitive league teams. Many of these players will have the opportunity to continue working to improve their skills in our skills development program and move to the Utah NLB Black level.
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Utah NLB Yellow will also play in NCAA sanctioned tournaments during NCAA evaluation recruiting periods in April and July, maximizing the opportunities to be seen by college coaches. This guarantees that they are playing against good competition, leading to maximum improvement. They will play in 5-6 tournaments from April-July.
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THE SELECTION PROCESS
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Players are chosen for teams based on several factors: individual skill set, potential, coachability, teamwork, and the team’s needs at a specific position. To be seen by our coaches, a player must sign up for our tryouts, which are generally held two weeks following the high school state basketball tournament. Tryouts are for boys and girls that are currently in 7th grade through 12th grade or currently 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17 or unsigned seniors.
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Following tryouts our coaching staff gets together to decide which players are the best for each team. The number of teams we put together for the spring and summer depends on the number of players we feel will be competitive at that level and how many of those players want to play.
COST
Player’s membership will cover: team gear, practice facilities, coaches, skill development training, players AAU membership card, and access to NCSA (National College Student-Athlete) a recruitment database. Tournament entry fees are NOT included in the membership fees. The benefit of not including this cost is because some players are not able to participate in every tournament. Tournament entry fees are generally divided between the players on the team that will be participating in the tournament.