Herkimer, New York
Youth Basketball In Herkimer, NY
Herkimer College is our home gym — weekly practices, Saturday skills training and MVE's own tournaments all happen there. Herkimer High School is the other village practice gym. Non-profit AAU basketball for boys grades 5–11. 2027 tryouts are early February.
For Herkimer County Families
This Is Our Home Gym
Of every town Mohawk Valley Elite serves, Herkimer is the one where the drive is not a factor at all. Herkimer College is where our teams practice, where our Saturday skills training runs, and where we host our own tournaments.
MVE is a 501(c)(3) non-profit AAU travel basketball program fielding competitive boys teams in grades 5–11 (12th by invitation) every spring. For a family in the village of Herkimer, joining means a weekly practice a few minutes from the house and a spring schedule that starts the week after the school season ends.
Herkimer County families have historically had fewer competitive spring options than Oneida County — smaller districts, longer drives to anything organized, and travel programs based half an hour west. Putting the program's home base at Herkimer College was a deliberate choice, and it is why players from Herkimer, Ilion, Mohawk, Frankfort, Little Falls and Dolgeville show up on our rosters every year.
Who Plays For Us
Herkimer-Area Schools On Our Rosters
Herkimer Central School District players — Herkimer Junior-Senior High School and the elementary grades below it — make up a steady share of our younger teams, alongside kids from Central Valley Academy in Ilion, and from the Frankfort, Mohawk, Little Falls and Dolgeville districts nearby.
That mix is the point. Herkimer County schools are small, and a talented 7th grader can spend three winters without facing anyone who really tests him. On an MVE roster he is one of eight or ten, practicing against kids from bigger programs every week, then playing three to five tournament games in a weekend against clubs from outside Section III entirely.
Herkimer County is the backbone of this program. Our players come from Herkimer Jr/Sr High, Central Valley Academy, Little Falls, West Canada Valley, Dolgeville and Frankfort-Schuyler — and from county schools beyond that list. If your son plays anywhere in this county, he already has teammates here.
The Venue
Herkimer College
Herkimer College sits at 100 Reservoir Road in Herkimer, just off the Thruway corridor. It has three courts inside a single building, which is why we run our hosted tournaments there — teams and families can walk between games instead of driving between sites, and the whole event stays under one roof.
It is also a real college basketball environment. Matt Lee, a national championship head coach at Herkimer College, coaches in the MVE program, and members of the Herkimer staff have come through our sideline. For a 13-year-old from the village, practicing in that gym every week is not a small thing.
Herkimer College is the short trip for nearly everyone in this county: about 10 minutes from Ilion and Mohawk, 15 from Frankfort, 20 from Little Falls and 30 from Dolgeville. The two Westmoreland gyms — Borza’s and Elevate CNY — are the longer nights at roughly 35 minutes from the Ilion–Mohawk end of the county. See Herkimer County on the map.
Our other practice venues are Herkimer High School, the Borza Recreation Center and Elevate CNY; days and times are set after teams are picked. More locations coming next year.
How We Fit In
MVE And Herkimer County Ball
Herkimer County youth basketball runs on village rec leagues, parish and CYO programs, and district modified teams starting in 7th grade. In small districts those programs are often held together by a handful of volunteers, and they deserve protecting rather than poaching.
MVE does not compete with any of them. We run in the spring, after the winter season is finished, and we actively want your son on his school team — a Herkimer or Central Valley jersey is his town and his classmates, and no AAU club replaces that. What we add is volume and level: six tournaments, a coach assigned to one team only, and opponents his district will never schedule.
For families new to all of this, the Parent's Guide to AAU Basketball lays out what the season costs, what the weekends look like, and the twelve questions worth asking any club — including ours.
Talk To A Family Who Has Done It
Want to talk to a parent who has already done a season? Ask us and we will connect you — contact MVE.
Year-Round
Summer Saturdays In The Same Building
The spring season is not the only reason to be at Herkimer College. Our Saturday skills training runs there too — middle school (grades 6–8) from 10:45 AM to 12:00 PM, high school (grades 9–12) from 9:30 to 11:00 AM with a strength and conditioning block led by Utica University's Devon Flynn. It is open to any player in the area, on an MVE team or not, which for Herkimer County families means a competitive workout ten minutes from home instead of an hour each way. The summer 2026 block is finished. Next-block dates post on the training page.
MVE alumni are currently on rosters at St. Bonaventure, Oswego State, Ithaca College, Utica University, Clarkson, SUNY Potsdam and Vermont State – Lyndon, among others. See where they play now.
Herkimer Parent Questions
Where does MVE practice in Herkimer?
Herkimer College, 100 Reservoir Road, Herkimer NY 13350 — three courts inside one building. It is also where our Saturday skills training runs and where we host our own AAU tournaments. Our other practice venues are Herkimer High School (801 West German Street), the Borza Recreation Center and Elevate CNY. More locations coming next year.
What ages and grades can play?
Boys in grades 5 through 11, ages 11u to 17u, with 12th grade by invitation. Teams are capped at 8-10 players and never carry more than ten.
Is there summer basketball training in Herkimer?
Yes. MVE runs Saturday skills training at Herkimer College for grades 6-8 and 9-12, led by former Utica University players. It is open to any player in the area, whether or not they play on an MVE spring team. The summer 2026 block finished August 8. Next-block dates are posted on the training page.
Does MVE host tournaments at Herkimer College?
Yes. MVE hosts AAU tournaments at Herkimer College for boys grades 5 through Varsity, with two games guaranteed and a possible third championship game depending on pool seeding. Details are on the tournaments page.
Tryouts Are How It Starts
Boys grades 5–11 (12th by invitation). 2027 tryouts are early February. Register online to save time on tryout day, or call 315-570-3540 and talk to a real person.