Player Tryouts, General Concepts

As the real season approaches for many of you, this seems to be a topic that is coming up more often. Mostly team tryouts happen at the lower levels, when you have a bunch of players and only 25 or so spots for 2 teams. I'm not sure there is an exact science or a correct way to conduct tryouts, but here is what I've done in the past.

I think it's important to use both an objective and subjective approach for player evaluation. I usually try to incorporate a quantitative component and a qualitative component to the tryout. So basically part of the evaluation will be straight up numbers, how fast, how many wall bounces, how many baskets, how many side-to-sides. The next part will be based on scrimmages and observations.

Quantitative:

The quantitative will measure certain athletic abilities, are they tall? are they fast? can they move laterally? can they jump? are they coordinated? So you want to have a spreadsheet and record how many each player gets in a certain time period,

- baseline to baseline sprint
- mikan drill
- wall bounces
- defensive slides inside the key, touch line to line
- alternating foot to ball taps
- wall taps

Qualitative:

The qualitative will measure the tangibles, basketball IQ, do they make smart decisions? do they play under control? are they confident with the ball?

- 2-on-2 halfcourt
- 3-on-3 fullcourt
- 3-on-3 no dribble, to see how the players move without the ball

Doing both quantitative and qualitative is important for a couple of reasons. The quantitative will allow you to determine how athletic this person is. Maybe you come across a kid that can't do a layup yet, but if they can run a 4.5 40-yd dash, I think you'll be able to find a spot for that player on your team. The qualitative will allow you to determine whether the player is coachable and works well with others. Maybe you come across a kid that is slightly overweight but has a great attitude and is working harder than everyone else.

Most of the time, the top 50% of the players will be easy to pick. It's the other 50% that you'll need to worry about.

Now if you or your son/daughter did not make the team this year, there are some great videos to look at that will help you become a better player and hopefully make the team next year. Take a look at 5Star's DVD on the Individual Improvement plan. And lets not forget the famous case of Michael Jordan, who was cut from his Varsity team but made it a year later. If MJ can do it, so can you.

If you're looking for tryout stuff, I have plenty of notes so be sure to check them out at the X's and O's of Basketball Forum.