Bergen Travel Basketball League (BTBL)
Jay Shevins, the founder of the Bergen Travel Basketball League, is stepping away after 25 years at the helm.
In his honor, we have started the Jay Shevins Sportsmanship Award.
This annual award will be presented to one boy and one girl at the conclusion of the season.
The inaugural winners are Quinn Hutchinson from Harrington Park and Owen Mapes from Oradell.
Each candidate was nominated by his and her coach and voted on by the Directors of BTBL
Below are the write ups for each winner.
| Harrington Park -Quinn Hutchinson (8th Grade) |
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Quinn has played in BTBL since 4th or 5th grade. She is a great kid, always has a positive attitude and always is respectful to coaches, teammates and opposing players. Here is the message from her coach:
Hi, my name is Anthony Hodges and I have the privilege of coaching the Harrington Park 8th girls team this year. All of them are funny and have distinct personalities which makes them all unique in their own special way. But one person who stands out is Quinn Hutchinson.
Quinn has a quiet confidence about herself and one of the most gentle souls a human will encounter. When the girls are goofing off at practices, guess who’s re-directing them to lock in????? You guessed it, QUINN!
Super respectful to officials, opposing team players, teammates, coaches, and parents. She always does what she’s supposed to do and never complains. If she’s played a lot or a little she never complained but always cheering!
When I think of sportsmanship, I think of a selfless person. That’s exactly who Quinn is: She thinks of herself less and doesn’t have to be the center of attention to light up a room. I hope whoever is reading this will get to meet her one day. If not, what a blessing you are missing out on. No disrespect to all the other candidates. I’m sure they are great people, but none of them are Quinn Hutchinson!
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| Oradell - Owen Mapes (8th Grade) |
Over the two years I’ve coached Owen, he has consistently demonstrated outstanding character and respect for the game. He is always at practice and makes a point to give a fist bump and say thank you after every one. Owen constantly encourages and supports his teammates, has never been involved in any altercations during practices or games, and always represents the team the right way.
Despite not starting and having limited playing time, Owen remains fully engaged during games and is always genuinely happy for his teammates’ success. His positive attitude and team‑first mindset truly stand out.
It has been a pleasure coaching Owen, and I believe he is very deserving of this recognition.
OJBB believes Owen embodies the values that Jay Shevins championed throughout his leadership of BTBL — sportsmanship above all else, gratitude for the opportunity to play, and a genuine commitment to uplifting teammates. Owen’s steady presence, positivity, and multi‑year dedication to the league make him an ideal candidate for this meaningful first‑year honor.
We are proud to nominate him and would be honored to attend the presentation during Championship Week. |
Bergen Travel Basketball League (BTBL)
Welcome to the website of the Bergen Travel Basketball League (BTBL). BTBL provides an organized league format for Northern Jersey boys and girls TOWN travel teams to represent their towns by playing in a competitive environment against neighboring towns. 2025 was BTBL’s 23rd year. 2025 was highly successful based on feedback from coaches, players, parents as well as additional towns who have joined in 2025. In 2025, 379 Travel Teams competed in BTBL. Boys Grades 3rd – 8th had 5 competitive levels and the Girls 4th – 8th had multiple flights as well. Boys 2nd and Boys and Girls 3rd grade have minimal playing time rules. Over 3000 games were played. BTBL thanks each town, its coordinators and its coaches for their commitment to competitive youth basketball and most importantly for their support of BTBL. Special thanks to all parents for making it possible for their child to play in BTBL.
Divisions
Boys and girls will compete in competitive flights from second grade through eight. Each boys division (4th – 8th) has a minimum of 5 flights. All divisions (2th – 8th) play a 14 game schedule beginning in early December and ending on the second Sunday in March. Playoffs leading to flight Championships take place in 4th – 8th grades. The 3rd grade will have a post season tournament in lieu of playoffs. 3000+ games will be played in over 100 gyms in the BTBL in 2024-25. Each flight represents a different competitive level of competition.
We keep it simple
The use of Referee Assignors (3) assures a fair and simple environment for teams to compete. Two Referees per game and Assignor fees are included in BTBL’s Registration fee. To serve its member towns BTBL has expanded its Administration to 4 Directors including David Cheng, Jay Shevins, Mike Pero and Norbert Wnuk.
