New England Crusaders

"Crusaders basketball is an elite program designed to prepare girls to play at the highest levels. My daughter started on her high school team as a freshman. This would not have been possible without her commitment to the Crusader experience. The Crusaders is where the best come to get better!"

Parent, Current Crusader Player

"New England Crusaders is the class women's AAU basketball program in New England. The talent,coaching,and schedule are tops! Additionally, and more importantly, the players are better people than athletes. Thematically, the program is tailored to prepare their players for college and life beyond. My daughter has been in the program for 3 years and each year has been incrementally better. If life skills and continuous improvement are your priorities; New England Crusaders is the program for you."

Parent, Current Crusader Player

"Aside from the obvious -- better quantity and quality of practices than I've ever encountered in any sports program, standard or elite -- what is most remarkable about the Crusaders is that the athletes are encouraged to develop a personal commitment to improvement on their own time: the shooting workouts, strength and conditioning, and even academic development. It's not too overwhelming for the girls to handle, but the message is clear: "Showing up for practice and games isn't enough; you'll have to make a personal commitment AND a team commitment to really play a higher level of basketball."

Parent, Current Crusader Parent

"Although.. (our daughter)..played on other travel teams along the way, we had always been told that if she had elite aspirations, we would need to get her over to the NE Crusader organization at some point.  Having joined the Crusaders two years ago, we couldn't be happier with what we've experienced.  Being one of the twenty NIKE sponsored ball clubs in the country (the only in NE) affords the girls the opportunity to not only play with the best of the best, but to interact with them at events such as NIKE skills and league-play in Brooklyn. I've seen other local clubs present at some national events, however, they are not in the top divisions where the creme de la creme are, and the top-level DI college coaches observe. The coaching staff prepares the girls to compete at this level through intense regular practices and workouts, encouragement to participate in strength/conditioning programs, the tracking of daily shooting repetitions, and the benefit of hours of analysis on new techniques and strategies.  There is so much "there for the taking", but with the flexibility to follow a customized schedule that works for each player.  Anyone who observes the intensity of a Crusader practice will see that the talent at this level motivates each other to elevate their game, and to have fun doing it!  Along with the availability for so much training, we enjoy the emphasis on communication with players and parents vs what we had been accustomed to in the past.  The coaches are concerned with ensuring that each girl reaches her maximum potential, and ultimately finds a college that is the best fit for her goals and aspirations, through "preparing for college" workshops, discussions with alumni players, and college tours while on the road.  The bottomline is that you will find the NE Crusader organization to be a program that is continually striving to provide all of the tools to achieve success at the highest levels of women's basketball, and in life in general. " 

Parent, Current Crusader Player 2014