Please check back in July 2025 for the next traveling season details regarding registration and tryout information.

Traveling basketball is for kids who want to develop their basketball skills at a more competitive level – especially those who might want to play basketball in high school and beyond. The SLPPBC’s Traveling Program consists of 3rd through 8th grade boy and girl teams. The SLPPBC is the only recognized traveling basketball club serving the Spring Lake Park school district, and our experienced board and coaches ensure a quality program.

Please see below for traveling program basics.

The Spring Lake Park Panther Basketball Club approved an expansion of the current traveling program  to include a 3rd grade traveling option.　

The 3rd grade traveling option would replace participation in the rec program and include the following;　

• Participation in try outs with independent evaluators at a non-refundable cost of $25 per player　
• A team roster with a minimum of 8 and maximum of 10 players　
• Practices two nights a week (1.5 hours per practice) beginning in October and ending in late February.　
• Up to 5 paid tournaments　
• Registration cost of $360 per player　

Additional considerations:　

• Team formation is not guaranteed and will be determined based on final number of registrants and independent evaluation of each player's "travel readiness"　
• 3rd grade teams will play a mix of 3rd grade and 4th grade traveling tournaments. It is important to understand that while the club will strive to register teams for the appropriate tournament level (3A, 4B or 4C) players will experience a higher level of competition by playing up a grade in most cases.　

The Panther Traveling Program is for boys and girls in 4th-8th grades who attend or live in District #16 school district.

Program basics:

• Tryouts are conducted in September.  Tryouts will be conducted for all grades.  See the tryout/evaluations section for more details.
• Twice weekly practices start in early October and are held at Spring Lake Park school district facilities from 6-10PM.
• Tournaments are on weekends November through early March, with most teams participating in 10 local (Twin Cities) tournaments. Teams play a minimum of three games at each tournament, more depending on the tournament bracket.
• SLP teams compete against teams from other cities (usually within the metro area) at a higher level of skill and competition than recreational or in-house leagues.  Sometimes a team will opt to play one out of town tournament (Eau Claire, Rochester, St. Cloud, Brainerd, Duluth, and Mankato are typical locations)
• Players must purchase a uniform.
• Parents are expected to volunteer 8 hours at SLP’s tournaments, which are fundraisers for the club.
• The registration fee of $550 includes a tryout fee, registration fees for 10 tournaments (including  gate admission fees for most tournaments), and approximately 40 gym practices for each player.  SportsEngine does charge a processing fee at registration.
• The registration fee does not cover expenses for the following:  food, lodging, transportation costs for tournaments, or other incidental team-related expenses. Parents are responsible for getting players to/from practices and games.