Basketball / Seasons
Winter Season
November – February · 5v5 Competitive · Boys & Girls
About
The winter season is our prime time. We focus extensively on instilling team concepts — not at the expense of individual skills, which remain crucial in youth basketball, but a significant portion of our practice time is allocated to fostering teamwork.
Teams are organized with roughly 9–10 players, each guided by a dedicated coach and assisted by a parent. Because a coach may be responsible for 2 or 3 teams in a season, scheduling conflicts are inevitable. That's where the parent assistant steps in. We firmly believe that at this age, practice sessions hold more value — so the coach leads practice and the parent assistant takes charge of the game if the head coach is unavailable.
Team composition is based on tryouts and player ability. We form teams from the top down — the best players go to the top teams — rather than distributing players evenly.
Practice Locations
Practices begin the week of October 26. Schedule is set per team once rosters are finalized. Practices are held at one of our regular gym locations:
- Bergen Valley
- Evergreen Country Day School
- Evergreen Middle School
- Wilmot Elementary
- Rocky Mountain Academy of Evergreen
Tournaments
We offer several tournament options throughout the season. Each has a separate fee based on the number of participants.
- JPS Preseason Invitational — November 12–14, 2026
- Gold Crown Tip-Off Tournament — November 20–22, 2026
- Gold Crown Holiday Basketball Tournament — Weekend 1: December 11–13, 2026 or Weekend 2: December 18–20, 2026
JPS League — 3rd–5th Grade
Regular Season
November 30 – February 13, 2027 · Any day Monday–Saturday (varies week to week, no Sunday games).
Every team should be prepared to play 1–2 games on December 17, 18, or 19.
Blackout Dates
- November 23–29
- December 20–January 1
Playoffs & Championship
February 15, 2027 – February 20, 2027
Top 8 teams per division qualify — single elimination. All championship games at The Courts Sports Complex in Northglenn on February 20.
Game Locations
- Gold Crown
- River Church
- Tony Grampsas
- Lilly Gulch Rec Center
- South Suburban
- The Courts in Northglenn
- And many other gyms across the greater Denver Metro area
Good to Know
- No admission fees for spectators
- No Sunday games or practices
Gold Crown League — 6th–8th Grade
Regular Season
January 7, 2027 – February 28, 2027 · 12-game regular season.
Doubleheader format — teams play 2 games on each play date
Play Dates
- January 10
- January 17
- January 24
- January 31
- February 7
- February 21
No games President's Day weekend. Possible make-up date: February 14.
Postseason Tournament
February 25, 2027 – February 28, 2027
Single elimination League Championship — teams must qualify based on regular season standings
Registration and Tryout Details
Registration
- Required for all players. Registration does not require attendance.
- Completely free. Deadline: September 22.
- Returning ESA winter 25–26 players are not required to attend but it's strongly recommended for optimal placement. You must still register.
- New players must attend tryouts. If you don't attend, your chances of being placed on a team are slim.
Tryout Dates
Tryouts are held on: Tuesday, September 29 and Wednesday, September 30. Can't make either date? Let us know.
Location: TBD — subject to change, check back for updates.
Tryout Schedule
Girls — Tuesday, September 29
| Time | Group |
|---|---|
| 5:00 – 6:15 pm | 3rd–4th Grade |
| 6:15 – 7:30 pm | 5th–6th Grade |
| 7:30 – 8:45 pm | 7th–8th Grade |
Boys — Wednesday, September 30
| Time | Group |
|---|---|
| 5:00 – 6:15 pm | 3rd–4th Grade |
| 6:15 – 7:30 pm | 5th–6th Grade |
| 7:30 – 8:45 pm | 7th–8th Grade |
Schedule is subject to change.
After Tryouts
- Selected for a team — You'll receive a PlayMetrics invitation by October 4. You have a 48-hour window to accept — if you miss it, your player's spot may be forfeited.
- Not selected — We'll send you an email to let you know. That email may also include an offer for your player to join a team as a practice player — a great way to stay engaged, keep developing, and earn a spot on a team next season.