The Vail Valley Eagles Basketball Club's Mission

The mission of the Vail Valley Eagles Basketball Club is to improve the quality of basketball played at the middle and high school levels here in Eagle County for both girls and boys.

The overarching goal is to develop a passion for the game of basketball by striking the right balance at different age levels between competitiveness and having fun.

Our philosophy is to teach players the skills necessary to read and react to game situations and matchups, and then to give them the freedom to put those skills to work in games. We want to play solid defense and turn teams over so we can score as often as possible in transition.

When we do have to play half-court offense, we are looking to run simple offenses designed around ball and player movement that look to create match-up advantages and opportunities to get to the basket.  By the time players get to the high school level we are looking to play an open style of offense that will allow the players to showcase their abilities within the framework of a pace and space style.

The implementation of our philosophy is an iterative process that plays out over time.

In our high school program, we ideally look to run freshmen/”C” level, junior varsity, and varsity level teams, depending on the number of quality players available.

At the high school level, we coach to a higher competitive standard and therefore are looking for players that will make a full commitment to the schedule we put in place.

Selection for a team at the high school level is largely dependent on our coaching staff’s evaluation of players during their high school seasons as well as recommendations from the local high school coaches.

In addition to partnering with local high school coaches we look to create constructive partnerships with parents of players in our program at all levels.  We commit to being open and honest with players and their parents about performance and the application of our philosophy.

In exchange we ask for parents to make sure they are always a) setting the proper example for their player in terms of fan behavior, b) being positively supportive of their player and the team, and c) allowing coaches to coach – instructing/directing from the stands during games is counterproductive for your player and the team they are playing on.