Please note: The Vernon Hills Lady Cougars Feeder Basketball Program is a highly competitive, traveling program and is not part of the Vernon Hills Park District Youth Basketball Program.
Our Mission
Our mission is to provide an opportunity for girls who will attend Vernon Hills High School (VHHS) to participate in an organized competitive basketball program for Grades 5 through 8, against similarly organized teams. We will develop each player to engage in a competitive level of basketball. We believe in giving girls a firm foundation in the many individual and team skills required to be a strong basketball player.
Who is Eligible
All girls that live in High School District 128 (sections of Vernon Hills, Libertyville, Mundelein) and plan on attending Vernon Hills High School are eligible to participate. We have teams at each of the 5th, 6th, 7th, and 8th grade levels. Our objective is to challenge the ability of the girls and to continue their personal growth.
History of the Program
The Vernon Hills Lady Cougars Feeder Program has been in existence since 2000. Most of the current and past Vernon Hills High School players have participated in this program. The program runs primarily on a volunteer basis with all positions supporting the betterment of the program. Fees are charged to cover practice and game gym time, tournaments, IHSA Certified referee fees, website, league and miscellaneous expenses necessary to run the program.
While the program is based on VHHS attendance area, it is not a District 128 nor Vernon Hills Park District sponsored program, but rather a partnership with the Vernon Hills High School Girls Basketball Program.
The Lady Cougars Feeder Basketball Program is a 501 (c) (3) tax exempt organization. In 2012 an affiliate agreement was signed between the Lady Cougars and the Vernon Hills Park District.
Tryouts
Tryouts are normally held during the last week of September or early October, at Vernon Hills High School. There will be at least two tryout dates, a weeknight and weekend date. There will be a $25 player tryout fee, which includes a Lady Cougars Feeder Basketball T-shirt. Players are strongly encouraged to attend all tryout dates. Players must attend tryouts ready to participate, by doing the following;
- Wear appropriate basketball attire, ie; shorts, t-shirts, basketball (gym) shoes, etc.
- Bring a girls basketball (28.5").
- Water bottle or sports drink beverage.
- A Cougar "Can Do Attitude"!
Each girl interested in playing for the Lady Cougars must attend the tryouts. Team positions will be awarded to the players based on the evaluation of the head coach and input from the raters. The decision on who makes the team will include, but not limited to the following; skill level, experience and player's interest in the program. Please note that each team will have a balance of, guards, wings, and post players.
Players who have been selected to play on the team, their First name and Last name (first letter only) will be posted to their Team Roster, located on this website. If the player decides not to participate in the feeder program, please notify the coach at that time. Your decision may affect another player's opportunity to play on the team, so please let us know at the time of notification. Once both parties accept the position, the intent is for that player to participate in the program for the full season. Our goal is to select one team for each grade level (5th – 8th Grade).
Player Commitment
Girls that choose to participate in the Lady Cougars Feeder Basketball Program are making a commitment to their coach and team, that this will be their primary sport from November - March.
Missing games, practices and programs activities may / will affect playing time - Exceptions will be made for those who participate in a school sport (basketball) or the Vernon Hills Park District House Basketball League.
Coaches
The Vernon Hills Lady Cougars Feeder Program has a number of qualified coaches with years of experience in basketball and other youth programs. A non-parental, head coach may be hired (paid) to coach the 5th, 6th, 7th and 8th Grade teams. The head coach and program director will select the assistant coaches after the tryouts. Please check with your immediate head coach if you are interested in participating in a support role such as Team parent, game scorer/time keepers, statistics, event coordinator, etc.
Parental Volunteers
The Vernon Hills Lady Cougars Feeder Basketball Program is run by the program director and parent volunteers. Your help is needed and greatly appreciated. Everything, with the exception of officiating and some administration activities, happens because parents step up and volunteer their time in some form or fashion, which is the reason why the Lady Cougars Basketball Program is one of the premier girls feeder programs in Northeast Illinois. Without the support of all the great parents, the Vernon Hills Lady Cougars program couldn't be a success. We need volunteers for both small and big jobs and this truly is a group effort. To volunteer, please talk to your daughter's coach or the program director to find out how you can help.
Playing Time
Please note that playing time is not guaranteed at any grade level. Playing time is often based on skill level, competitiveness of the games, player’s commitment to the team and coach’s discretion.
Practices
A complete practice schedule will be issued at the Player / Parent Kickoff Season meeting in October / November. Practices are scheduled based on the availability of the Vernon Hills High School Field House and Gym. Typically there may be two practices a week, a weekday practice from 6:30pm - 8:30pm and a weekend practice from 2:00pm - 4:00pm. Based on gym availability, additional practices may be scheduled throughout the season. Practices will start in November.
Games
The Vernon Hills Lady Cougars Feeder Basketball Program are members of the Northern Illinois Girls Feeder Basketball Association (NIGFBA). The league (NIGFBA) is comprised of approximately 35 Programs that are required to have a 6th, 7th and 8th Grade team. Only one feeder program per High School may participate in the league. Approximately 25 programs also have 5th Grade teams. Programs are located throughout Lake County and Northern Cook County. Please note that away games will be taking place during the weeknight that may start as late as 8:00pm.
Players will be participating in games starting in December and carrying through the end of March. The 6th – 8th Grade Teams will play approximately 35-40 games, while the 5th Grade team will play in 30-35 games. All Lady Cougar teams will participate in at least three tournaments, which will take place on the weekends. Some tournaments may charge small admission fee, but all other home and away games are free.
All home games will take place at VHHS during the weeknights and weekends. Away games are scheduled based on gym availability.
The NIGFBA end of year tournament will be held at the Libertyville Sports Complex in March. All four Grade Levels will participate. One person from Vernon Hills 8th Grade team will be representing our feeder program in the All-star game, which is held during the same weekend.
If you represent another feeder program and would like to schedule games with Vernon Hills please email Stacie Brettner
Fees
Fees will be determined by the number of games scheduled, the number of participating players and the related costs of insurance, facility rentals, referees, tournament fees, league fees, website, Head Coaches fees (Non-Parental), etc. We are in the process of reviewing and finalizing our 2019-2020 budget, however we estimate the cost for each player will be $475 (5th Grade) and $515 (6th - 8th Grade) for the season.
Uniforms
Practice jerseys along with home and away game uniforms are supplied for each grade level. The uniforms are to be worn during the season and will be returned at the completion of the season, to be used for years to come. This is another way that we can hold the costs down. Please care for the uniforms as you would care for other people's property. The families of the players will be required to wash and maintain the uniforms during the year. A replacement fee will be charged for any uniform that is deemed “unusable” or is lost.
Updated: March 24th, 2019
