To be eligible for the Missouri Middle School Basketball Championship, all teams must first qualify at a weekend tournament or through their league.  View List of Qualifier Tourneys and Leagues.

All teams must also meet the Eligibility Rules below and provide required player documentation before championship play.  GRANDFATHER EXCEPTION:  Any player who participated in a prior championship tournament is automatically approved for 2024 play and does not need to re-submit Proof of Eligibility (POE) documents.  However, ALL players, returning or not, are required to have a new Parent/Guardian Waiver submitted for 2024.

Team Eligibility and Roster Rules

1. Team Representative.  Each team must appoint a team representative, for example a coach, team manager, or team 'mom'.  The team representative is responsible for submitting all player eligibility information (listed below) and tracking the team's approval status via the team's online Sport Engine account.

2. Grade Level.  If a team is comprised of students in multiple grade levels, that team must play at State in the grade of the player in the highest grade level.  For example, if a team is comprised of nine 6th graders and one 7th grader, then the team must play at the 7th grade level.

"Feeder/School" Division Eligibility**

3. Same School requirement.  Teams must be comprised of players who meet one (1) of the following two tests:
(a) Live in same High School Boundary:  Teams must be comprised of players who live within the same public high school boundary.  To meet this test, the Team Representative must provide report cards, progress reports or online student information that shows the players' grade level and home address.  Parents may make a copy of a report card/progress report and black out any of the grade performance information for privacy reasons.  If the student documentation does not show the player's home address, then a copy of a utility or cable bill must accompany the documentation.

(b) Attend same Elementary or Middle School:  Teams must be comprised of players who attend the same elementary or middle school. To meet this test, the Team Representative must provide either (1) a copy of each player's school ID card, OR, (2) a report card, progress report or an online student information page showing the player's school name and grade level.  Teams representing a private high school that do not meet Rule 3(a) must meet this Rule 3(b).

4. Exceptions to Same School requirement.   Exceptions to the Same School requirement noted in Rule 3 may be granted by the State Eligibility Committee on a case by case basis.  Teams must submit a Request for Player Exception form to the State Committee with pertinent details and receive approval for the exception before that player is eligible to compete at State. 

Club Division Eligibility

5. Club Division assignment.  During registration, all teams may choose to play in the Club Division.  Those teams that register for the Feeder/School division but are found to not meet the Same School requirement (see Rule 3 above), will be assigned to the Club Division.  All Club Division teams must show proof of grade by submitting either a copy of a report card, an online student information page or middle school ID card for each player.  The document must show player’s grade level.  If sending a report card, you may black out class grades for privacy reasons.    

6. Multi-team play.   A player may play for more than one team. given that (a) the player is listed on both rosters and meets all other eligibility rules, and (b) the teams are in different grades or divisions (i.e. Club vs. Feeder/School).   A player cannot play for two teams in the same sub-division, i.e. School Gold division and School Silver division.  As noted in paragraph 2, a player may play up a grade but not down a grade.

7. Proof of Eligibility.  Immediately after registering it's team entry, an automated email will be generated and sent to the listed Team Representative.  The email will include specific instructions for submitting each players' eligibility documentation, i.e. copy of report card or middle school ID card. Proof of Eligibility for each player must be submitted no later than Friday, March 1, 2024.  *more time will be permitted for teams that qualify on the March 2-3 weekend. 

School or Club Division - POE Report Card Example (Click)
School or Club Division - POE Desktop Student Profile Example (Click)
School or Club Division - POE Mobile Student Profile Example (Click)
Club Division - POE School ID Card Example (can be used for School Division, but only if all kids attend same school) (Click)

8. Individual Waiver Forms.  Each player must have a parent or legal guardian complete an online Release of Liability Form. Specific instructions and a link to the Waiver will be included in post-registration email to each Team Representative for distribution to parents.

We are excited to announce an opportunity for Kansas City teams- All KC teams have the chance to participate in both the Kansas and Missouri State MS Championships. We understand the complexities of varying spring break schedules and living in a border city that has qualifying tournaments/leagues on both side and we want to offer flexibility and inclusivity for all teams for whichever State they choose to compete in. By accommodating the different interests and timelines for teams between both sides of KC, we hope to provide a great experience for teams from both states. Review the tournament dates here, and consider both options, and proceed with your team registration

**At the discretion of the Committee, certain exceptions to the Eligibility rules may be made.  Any exception would be rare and only granted if, in the Committee's view, the exception does not materially alter the talent level and competitive nature of the affected division.  The State Committee also has discretion on decisions with players and team rosters who do not meet the spirit of the State Tournament.