Teams are for boys in 2nd through 8th grade in the fall and winter seasons, when high school players are with their school teams. In the spring season we field teams for 2nd through 11th grade.

Man-to-man, at every grade level, every game. We do not play zone.

Zone wins youth games. A 2-3 against players who cannot yet shoot over it will beat a better team. It also means nobody on the floor learns to guard anybody.

Our players learn stance, on-ball containment, closeouts, help, and recovery. They learn to guard a real person who is trying to beat them. It costs us games early. It is why our players can defend when they get to high school.

Justin Mason was a two-time Big 12 All-Defensive Team selection, voted by the conference's coaches, and his team's Most Outstanding Defensive Player three years running. The defense we teach is the defense he played.

Skills first, then the reads and decisions that turn skills into a game. Every season covers shooting mechanics, ball handling, footwork and finishing, man-to-man defense, reading the game, team concepts, rebounding, and character and leadership.

Three phases in about ninety minutes. A skill block with every player on a ball and coaches correcting reps in real time. A breakdown segment on the day's focus at game speed. Then live play, where the day's work gets applied under pressure.

Teams are capped at 11 players.

Every team has a head coach for up to 11 players. Most teams also have an assistant coach assigned when staffing allows.

Justin is our Director of Basketball. He coaches two teams himself each season and is in other teams' gyms through the week.

He was a three-year captain and four-year starter at Texas, ranking 3rd all-time in games played and 2nd in games started. He led the Longhorns to four NCAA tournaments including the 2008 Elite Eight, a Big 12 title, and the only No. 1 ranking in school history. He was twice named to the Big 12 All-Defensive Team and was one of five players nationally on Sports Illustrated's All-Glue Team.

Twice a week, on either a Monday/Wednesday or Tuesday/Thursday schedule. A typical practice runs 1.5 hours.

Playing time matters for player growth, and we work with our coaches to create quality minutes for every athlete. Playing time is earned through attendance, effort, and execution of skills, and is at the coach's discretion. Equal playing time is not guaranteed.

At the younger grade levels, coaches work to get every athlete on the floor as they develop.

Athletic clothes, indoor court shoes, and a water bottle filled before you arrive. No paperwork, and no basketball. We provide all the balls, and leaving them at home keeps the floor clear and safe during drills.

Arrive 15 minutes before your session. Stop at the sign-in table on the way in, where your son will get a jersey with his tryout number on it.

Tryouts at Westlake High School are in the competition gym, entered through the Westlake Community Performing Arts Center. Do not use the main school entrance.

Justin Mason runs tryouts with our coaching staff, and every player is seen by more than one coach. Players go through skill work, competitive drills, and live play. Coaches evaluate drill skills, scrimmage performance, and sportsmanship.

Yes, from the bleachers. We just ask that the coaching stay with the coaches so the boys can keep their focus on the floor.

They are entering player evaluations into our scoring system in real time. If a coach is looking down at a phone, they are most likely logging a note about your son. It is the opposite of tuning out.

We hold supplemental tryouts each season for players who cannot make the main dates. Times and locations are on the tryout page for your season.

Every player who tries out receives a response. How long that takes varies, and it is worth understanding why.

Offers begin going out by email after the final supplemental tryout for that season. Once you receive an offer, you have 48 hours to accept it. That clock starts when your offer is sent, not on a fixed date.

When we form more than one team at a grade level, we build the A team first, then the B team, and so on. Rosters also move. If a player does not register by his deadline, the next player in line moves up and receives an offer. So a family may be waiting not because a decision has been made, but because we are waiting on someone else.

If you have not heard yet, it is not a no. We will be in touch either way.

Players registered with 1891 may not play for another AAU, select, club, or travel basketball program during our season.

This does not apply to school teams, recreational or church leagues, or private skills training. Your son is welcome to play school ball and to work with a trainer.

We ask for this because our tournament rosters depend on accurate availability. When a player RSVPs no to a tournament and then competes in that same tournament with another program, we are left short. If we confirm a player has competed with another AAU, select, club, or travel program during the season, he will be dismissed and the registration fee will not be refunded.

Fees vary by season and team level and are shown on the registration form for each season.

Your fee covers uniforms, facility rentals, coaching, tournament entry fees, and insurance. For spring regional and national teams it also covers coaches' travel costs, including hotels, for tournaments outside Austin.

We do not add fees mid-season. What you pay at registration is what the season costs.

Registration fees are non-refundable except in the two circumstances below.

Qualifying circumstances

- Season-ending injury or illness, documented by a physician

- Permanent relocation that makes it impractical for your son to attend practices at our Westlake-area facilities. Requires proof of the new address, such as a lease or closing document. A relocation taking effect after the season ends does not qualify.

In either case, a 50% refund of the season fee is available within 30 days of your team's first practice. After 30 days, no refund is issued.

The uniform fee of $195 is non-refundable, and the family keeps the uniform. In spring the uniform is included in the registration fee. In fall and winter, new players pay it as a separate add-on at registration.

Not refundable under any circumstances

- Playing time, team placement, or coaching decisions

- Schedule conflicts

- A player choosing to stop playing, including to join another program

- Suspension or dismissal, including for outside-team participation

- Weather cancellations or facility closures

Registration insurance is offered through SportsEngine, not by 1891. It is an optional add-on that covers your season fee if your player is injured and cannot continue. SportsEngine sets the price and handles any claim, and no part of it comes to us.

The timing is easy to miss. Insurance is offered when you accept a team offer and register for the season. It is not offered at tryout registration. It is a one-time window at checkout and cannot be added later. If there is any chance you would want it, select it then. Insurance and a policy refund do not stack.

Yes. Practice times, location changes, tournament schedules, game updates, and team chat all live there, and it is the only place these updates are posted. Download it, turn notifications on, and keep them on all season. Practice times and locations can change with little notice.

Team pages are private. You will only see your athlete's team if you sign in with the same account you used to register. That is almost always the reason a team page appears to be missing.

Yes. From your SportsEngine account, open your athlete's sub-profile, click + Add under Permissions, enter the second guardian's email, check the athlete profiles they should manage, and send the invite.

The guardian shows as Pending until they accept from their own dashboard and confirm their email. You will be notified once they do, and you can resend anytime.

Two things are worth knowing. Guardians do not receive text message notifications, and a guardian cannot be added to the account owner's own profile.

If you would rather we set it up, send us the email address once your son's registration is complete.

Tournament directors release schedules late and we have no control over that. We notify parents of game times and locations on the Thursday before each tournament weekend and enter them into SportsEngine as soon as we have them.

Please have your athlete at the gym 20 minutes before game time, including second and third games, which can start earlier than expected.

We practice in Eanes ISD gymnasiums. If Eanes ISD closes schools for inclement weather, practice is canceled.

Gyms are usually available 15 minutes before practice, so please do not drop off earlier, and plan to pick up promptly at the end. We are guests at these facilities.

During practice, we ask that parents and younger siblings stay in the stands or on the sidelines so coaches and athletes can focus.

Bring questions or concerns directly to Oscar rather than to a coach. We also ask that you wait at least 24 hours after a tournament, and not raise concerns immediately before or after a game or practice. These conversations are better off the court and in private. We will only discuss your athlete, not any other athlete on the team.