NBA Youth affiliated winter basketball for Lower Merion kids, Kindergarten through 7th grade. A program built on the fundamentals, coaches who care, and the kind of season families come back for year after year.
What NLS Basketball Looks Like
Every week from January to March, our gyms fill up with kids learning the fundamentals, building friendships, and getting better at the game. Our coaches run high-energy sessions built around what we believe matters most at this age: ball handling, footwork, shooting form, reading the floor, and being a good teammate.
The program is built for kids who’ve never picked up a basketball and for kids who play year-round. We run multiple divisions by age and skill level so every player gets coached at the right pace, makes new friends, and has fun being part of a team.
SEASON
January through March
DAYS
One day/week. Refer to your child’s team schedule
LOCATIONS
Penn Wynne Elementary School and Lower Merion High School
AGES
Kindergarten to 7th grade
Why Lower Merion Families Come Back
- NBA Youth affiliated
We run our program through the NBA’s official youth basketball framework. The curriculum, coaching standards, and player development principles come from the people who know the game best. - Coaches Who Care
Our coaches are knowledgeable, invested, and led by Coach Gyl, who brings passion and expertise to every session. Parents trust the staff because the staff earns it. - Voted Best Youth Sports Program in Lower Merion
NLS has been the local choice for Main Line families since 2006, and we’ve been voted Best Youth Sports Program in Lower Merion Township multiple years running.
What NLS Stands For
- Experienced coaches invested in your kid
Our basketball staff coaches through the NBA Youth program and have been working with NLS for years. Parents tell us the coaching is the difference, and we work to keep it that way. - Focus on the fundamentals
A lot of youth programs roll the balls out and let the kids play. We don’t. We believe the fundamentals are the building blocks of a kid’s growth on and off the court, and we strike a real balance between letting kids have fun and teaching them the parts of the game that will serve them for years. - Year-round community
Many NLS families stick with us across multiple programs throughout the year. The friendships kids build and the coaches they get to know carry across seasons, which is part of why so many of our families have been with us for years.
Questions Parents Ask
My kid has never played organized basketball. Is that okay?
Yes. Every season we have kids picking up a ball for the first time alongside kids who’ve been playing for years. Coaches structure sessions so beginners build confidence and experienced players keep getting challenged.
Do the kids get instruction and play games?
Yes. Every session starts with warm-ups, moves into instruction and skill work, and closes with games. Kids leave each week having learned something new and having played.
What if we miss a session?
No worries. Miss a week, we’ll catch you the next one. The season is built with enough flexibility that one or two missed sessions doesn’t set a kid back.
Is there a refund if it doesn’t work out?
We have a full refund and credit policy. Refunds (minus the 3% card processing fee) are available up to one week before the season starts, and partial credits are available up to 72 hours before. Full details are below.
Refund and Credit Policy
Refunds:
A refund, minus the credit card processing fee of 3%, will be issued one week before the start of the upcoming session except for documented injuries/illness.
Partial Credits:
A partial credit will be issued 72 hours before the start of each session to be used within one year of purchase. This partial credit will be minus 20% for administrative/processing fees and the cost of the jersey, except for documented injuries.
Once the program has begun, a partial program credit minus items listed above will be issued instead, except for documented injuries.
For any inquiries or to process a refund/credit, please email us at joni@nlsports.org. Thank you for your understanding!
The NLS Basketball Playbook
A quick read for parents on how our games run, the rules we play by, and what to expect on game day. Two minutes of reading saves a lot of sideline confusion.
A Winter Worth Showing Up For
NLS Basketball is built around the things that make a kid better on and off the court: the fundamentals of the game, coaches who care about how your kid grows, and a season of friendships within the local community. It’s been voted Best Youth Sports Program in Lower Merion Township multiple years running, and we’d love to have your player on the court this season.
Questions? Email Coach Joni at joni@nlsports.org.