Many questions regarding our league are here in our Frequently Asked Questions section.  If you cannot find the answer to your questions below, click on Contact Us to ask your question.  

When are the practices?

Practices are held weeknights (Mondays - Thursdays) between 6pm and 9pm at the local elementatry and middle schools (see locations for details).  Practices are 1 hour long (may be longer for older age groups and travel teams)  Teams practice 1-2 nights per week.  Fridays are typically reserved for make-up practices and games.

When are the games?

Games are generally held Saturdays between 8am and 6pm or Sundays between 1:00pm - 6:00pm.  Weeknight games are scheduled if there is inclement weather and/or if there is an odd number of teams in the division. 

Travel Games run weeknight evenings, Saturdays (all day) and Sunday afternoons betweeen 1pm and 6pm.

When does the season run?

MLBL offers a winter house league, travel and select, and high school program.  

House League Evaluations are held in mid-October.  Practices begin on/about November 15.  Games begin in early-December.  The season runs through mid-March. 

High School Evaluations are held in mid-November after the High School teams are formed.  Practices begin after Thankgiving and games begin in mid-December.  The season runs through mid-February.

Travel Team tryouts begin October 1.  Travel team selections are made by October 10 and travel practices begin immediately following the final travel team selections.  Games begin in late-November/early-December.  The season runs through early-March.  We do sponsor travel teams in a summer league as well.  These teams are formed on a limited basis by invitation only.

When can I register and how do I register?

Registration for the Winter program runs July 1 - September 30.  All registration is done online at www.mlblhoops.com. Registrations information, fees, etc. will be posted by June 15.

Who can play in the Mercer-Lunsford Basketball League?

MLBL is open to kids in grades 2-12 who live in the Freedom High School, Lunsford Middle School and Mercer Middle School attendance zones of Loudoun County.  Elementary Schools that we serve include Aldie, Arcola, Buffalo Trail, Hutchison Farm, Liberty, Little River, Middleburg and Pinebrook. 

Does my child have to attend public schools to be eligible to play?

No, as long as you live in the attendance zone above, you are eligible to play in MLBL.

How are the divisions structures?

There are boys and girls age groups that are divided based on the grade level of the child.  Our division structures are as follows:  2nd Grade (Developmental); 3rd/4th; 5th/6th; 7th/8th; High School.   We do also offer developmental and advanced divisions at each level if enrollment permits.

Tell me more about House League Evaluatons.

Evaluations are done for grades 3-8 and High School House league divisions to allow the coaches to evaluate the players.  We divide the teams based on these evaluations.  For the boys divisions, we group the kids in to multiple divisions based on the results of the evaluations.  All kids who are registered on time are guaranteed to beplaced on a team.  We only use the evaluations to maintain parity in our league.

For the 2nd grade developmental division, we divide the teams based on their schools/neighborhood.  No evaluations are done for this level.

Can I make a request for a coach or for my child to play with his friend?

Request to play for a specific coach are not permitted.   Volunteer coaches are guaranteed to coach their own children.  Assistant coach pairing requests are not guaranteed.  Requests to avoid certain days are considered but cannot be guaranteed due to the constraints of the allocated gym space.  

 Can you tell me more about the 2nd Grade Developmental Program?

The second grade developmental program is a great way to introduce your child to the game of basketball.  We start the season with clinic sessions.  We hold 4 clinic sessions starting in late-November and continuing through early-January.  We bring in a local trainer to run the clinic sessions and teach the fundamentals which are the foundation of your child's development.  During the clinic sessions, our volunteer coaches are asked to participate so they can build on the skills being taught by our trainer. 

Following the clinic sessions, we hold 8 weeks of scrimmage games.  The coaches are on the court serving as the game officials, and this provides the kids the introduction to the team game.

What is the Travel/Select Program?

The travel/select program is an advanced-level program offered to kids in the 5th - 8th grades.  Our travel/select  teams play in various travel/select leagues, including  Fairfax County Youth Basketball League, Fairfax Stars League, and the Hoop Magic Sports Academy.  More information about the travel program is located in the Travel link.

Still have a question for us?  Contact us: info@mlblhoops.com