To be eligible for the Wisconsin 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 2026 play and does not need to re-submit Proof of Eligibility (POE) documents.  Note: Players who were granted exceptions in a previous season are not automatically approved as those are reviewed on a year-by-year, case-by-case basis.

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 Event Connect 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. 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 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 are subject to individual consideration by the Sate Committee. In densely populated areas, approval may be granted to teams based on the geographic radius of their players' home addresses. It is important to note that in certain districts with Open Enrollment/School Choice policies, such teams are recognized as representing a specific locality or community. 

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. 

5. 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 eligibility rules, and (b) the teams are in different grades. A player cannot play for two teams in the same sub-division of the same grade, i.e. School Gold division and School Silver division.  Also a player who plays the majority of the regular season on a program's A/Gold Team is not permitted to play on that program's B/Silver team at the State Tournament. As noted in paragraph 2, a player may play up a grade but not down a grade. At the discretion of the Committee, certain exceptions to the multi team rules may be made. EX: A Gold team is short players due to injuries and must bring a Silver team player up (from the same program) to fill out the roster and be able to compete. 

6. 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. 

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)

7. Individual Waiver Forms.  Each player (including grandfathered players) must have a parent or legal guardian complete an online Release of Liability Form.  The parent should receive an email from messages@eventconnect.io to fill out the waiver after the team representative adds their child to the roster. If the parent does not receive the waiver via email they can reach out to support@statebasketballchampionship.com to get the waiver 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".

Travel teams
Due to the ever-changing school spring break dates, qualifier tournament/league dates, and other conflicts, we want to offer flexibility and inclusivity for all teams. As a result out of state qualified teams who meet our eligibility rules are permitted to compete. 

Other specific player eligibility follows the State High School rules which can be found on the following link.

**At the discretion of the Committee, certain exceptions to the Eligibility rules may be made. This event is independently operated, and the Committee uses its discretion to make eligibility rulings on players and rosters in alignment with the spirit of the tournament and to maintain competitive balance. By choosing to participate, you acknowledge and accept the Committee’s authority to make final eligibility decisions, including any approved or unapproved exceptions.