Roseburg Basketball Club Aims to Take Local Youth to New Competitive Heights

A new youth basketball club has started up in Roseburg and is gearing up for it's first season. Roseburg Basketball Club (RBC) is a new local non-profit organization whose mission is to give local youth from all socioeconomic backgrounds the opportunity to play competitive basketball at a high level in tournaments around the state of Oregon. RBC was established in early 2023 by a group of parents who had previously organized their own travel basketball teams, and decided to join together to create a new basketball club. “We really want to create a pipeline of basketball talent for Roseburg High School,” says Joe Newton, 2002 graduate of Roseburg High School and co-founder of RBC. “The varsity basketball coaches at RHS are on our board specifically so RBC has a direct connection to the high school teams.” For the 2023/24 basketball season, RBC will have boys and girls teams for 4th grade - 8th grade. Tryouts will take place this coming Friday (November 3rd) at Roseburg High School. 4th-6th grade boys from 9am-12pm 4th-8th grade girls 2pm-5pm 7th-8th grade boys will have tryouts in early December, due to the timing of Roseburg middle school’s basketball seasons. All interested youth are encouraged to come to tryouts, but RBC said it will prioritize kids who intend to play their high school basketball at RHS. The participation fee for the 2023/24 season is $250 per player, which includes all tournament entry fees, and a shooting shirt for each player to keep. Financial assistance may be available if the $250 participation fee is a barrier to participation. Practices are expected to start shortly after try-outs, with games and tournaments beginning in late November or early December for the girls teams and 4-6th grade boys. 7th and 8th grade boys' will begin later due to middle school based seasons. “RBC is off to a great start,” says RBC co-founder and board president Aden Bliss. “Our board of directors has put in so much time, we have some wonderful local sponsors, and the reception from the community has been so positive and inspiring. We can’t wait to get this season underway.” More information can be found at http://www.roseburgbasketballclub.org/about/faqs, and questions can be sent to info@roseburgbasketballclub.org.