Tryout Success

In Basketball by Brock Bourgase

During the spring and summer season, basketball teams roam the continent, pursuing elusive scholarships, hype and respect. Camps, travel teams and training camps hold tryouts to determine which athletes should be selected and parents and players attend these sessions en masse. Consternation abounds but is this energy directed in the appropriate direction?

Following some simple guidelines and putting forth one’s best effort will enable athletes to make the programs that they desire. Athletes succeed not only because of their bodies but also their minds. It’s not necessary to solve any mystery in order to make a basketball team but a little focus can make a significant difference.

“That Was Your Tryout”: Coaches are everywhere. Even when we’re not in the gym, we’re in the gym. Elite teams are not formed based on a two-hour workout but by considering an athlete’s entire body of work. Certainly, dominating a tryout packed with elite players will draw attention and merit selection to the team but the habits developed throughout the season are also weighted heavily.  Shane Battier believes that a person who performs well in the N.B.A. is “somebody who works hard and treats every day like it’s a tryout.” DeMarre Carroll drew the attention of Mike Budenholzer by playing hard during a meaningless game between Utah and San Antonio. When Budenholzer became Atlanta’s coach, he knew that Carroll was a player who he could depend upon.

Whether it’s a workout, a practice, a game or a meeting, coaches are constantly assessing players. Shooting, leadership and training are all habits that can be developed with focus and work ethic. Taking extra shots, cheering for teammates during games, going to the weight room to get stronger. Using the same footwork, establishing a team culture, competing to win every drill in practice. There are multiple methods to demonstrate the positive habits that coaches seek when they compose their teams.

John Wooden believed that teams should establish effective habits. His Pyramid of Success may be too dogmatic for some but it outlined the standards that he treasured and the actions he hoped to see repeated on a daily basis. The blocks on the foundation of the pyramid – Industriousness, Friendship, Loyalty, Co-operation and Enthusiasm – can be demonstrated in a tryout setting or every day on and off the court. Coaches will hear about this and appreciate the individual who demonstrates these qualities.

Raise the Level of Competition: Too often, excellent basketball players do enough to get by. They may be the best player on their team, the best player in a particular game or the best player at one tryout. However, they shouldn’t be satisfied with merely doing well enough. Teams need players who can push everyone else to get better and drive improvement during training.

Defensive intensity is neglected too much at tryouts in favour of offensive skill, especially relative to its influence on the outcome of games. Like coaches have to remind themselves to watch the defense, athletes must be cognizant of going as hard on defense as they do at the other end. Pressure the ball, deny the pass, talk, rebound … get the ball, score and do it again.

Mike Krzyzewski feels that there are often too many agendas at tryouts which can supplant the most import ones: looking good and having a shot at making the team. The most effective method to accomplish those agendas is to attack every drill and help squads win during competitive scrimmages. There’s no place for hero basketball at a Duke or Team USA practice because “everyone [at the tryout] is part of whatever success we have.” The most memorable impressions are made by athletes who can push their teammates to get better and help the team win.

Think the Game: Before the tryout, assess yourself honestly. What is your best attribute? How can you best help the team win? Showcase your strengths (without playing out of control or stopping the ball) and you will do well. Reflect about the team’s culture and the coach’s criteria for selection. If uncertain, take initiative to ask for points of emphasis. Emphasize how your qualities will complement and enhance that culture and criteria. When evaluating players, Brad Stevens values numbers but “culture is the most important thing.”

During the tryout, notice the details in the drills and execute them correctly. Listen attentively to feedback. Watch for the strategy in the drills, such as a part-method 3-on-3 situation, as much as the skills. For a player with limited ability, moving without the ball can expose the defense and create easy baskets.

Afterwards, take time to degrief and analyze the tryout objectively. What comments were made by coaches and evaluators? Is there something that could be improved before the next session? What could be changed in order to make the team next time? Follow up to glean more specific details. The tryout isn’t over when the two hours are concluded, it is part of a lengthy process to become a better player, athlete and person.

Accept Failure: There is a tendency among youth to disengage when faced with adversity. In basketball, common obstacles include being cut, receiving negative feedback from a coach and losing a game. It is not within our control to entirely eliminate these hurdles so we must control how we handle setbacks. A loss in the 2013 N.B.A. Finals was not the end of the Spurs dynasty but part of a process that led to a championship during the following season. As Gregg Popovich said at the time:

“It didn’t happen for us, but is everything going to go your way in life? You think you’re on the Earth and everything you want to happen to you is going to happen to you positively? The measure of who we are is how we react to something that doesn’t go our way.”

If cut at a tryout or upset by a poor performance, players should not sulk or avoid the issue. Grit demands that one get to the bottom of the problem and begin working on a solution. Ask for specific feedback from coaches after the tryout. Degrief and create a plan to improve. Work on weaknesses and refine strengths. Come back next time better than ever. San Antonio confronted their failure in Game 6 and 7 at the start of training camp and committed themselves to improvement. A bad tryout does not guarantee a negative outcome.

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