IMPORTANT STATE COLLEGE HOTEL UPDATE (JAN 15, 2023). After establishing dates and securing courts for our championship weekends in State College, two major concert events were announced. Bruce Springsteen (Mar 18) and Kenny Chesney (Mar 25) will be playing in the Bryce Jordan Center which has cut deeply into the supply of local hotel rooms. As of January 15th, all rooms in State College have been sold. If your team and families are traveling to State and have not booked lodging, you are urged to do so NOW at a hotel in an outlying community (i.e. Altoona, Clearfield, Lock Haven, etc). Links to all available properties can be found here: Tourney Hotels and all rooms have been discounted for our tournament families.
Despite the hotel shortage, which is beyond our control, we are expecting the largest field of teams ever to compete in March. We hope to see you there!
Is your team eligible to compete at State College?
To be eligible for the State 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 State tournament play.
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 SportsEngine 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.
3. School requirement.
Teams must be comprised of players who meet one of the following :(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 show 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).
(c) Exceptions to the School requirement: On a case by case basis, the State Committee reserves the right to approve a township team residing in a densely populated area, based on the geographic radius of its players’ home addresses. These teams are viewed as representing a small township, borough or neighborhood.
Other exceptions may be granted by the State Eligibility Committee also on a case by case basis. In some cases 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.
4. 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. As noted in paragraph 2, a player may play up a grade but not down a grade.
Additionally for programs that have multiple teams at one grade level(i.e an A and B team) a player on an A team during the regular season is not permitted to be added onto the B team roster for the purpose of playing at State.
5. 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 Tuesday, Mar 8, 2022.
School Division - POE Report Card Example (Click)
School Division - POE Desktop Student Profile Example (Click)
School Division - POE Mobile Student Profile Example (Click)
6. 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.
7. Tracking team eligibility approval. All teams may use the Team Login via our online system to follow the approval status of its team
Use this link for help managing your roster: Manage Team Link
You'll be able to view each players approval status and team approval status. When all listed players have submitted the necessary eligibility documentation, the team's displayed status will be changed from "Pending" to "Approved".
**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 team rosters who do not meet the spirit of the State Tournament.
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