Tryout season is almost here. It’s the time of the season that many coaches, if given truth serum, find the least enjoyable. Count me in that camp. Selecting a team is hard. Cutting good, hard working kids can be gut-wrenching. And identifying players who might be a great fit, only to have them select to play for another team is frustrating.
All that said, there are many keys to making the tryout process run as smoothly as possible. Here are four of them.
Be Prepared
Like with every aspect of coaching, the more prepared you are when you walk into the gym, the smoother tryouts will go. Some key things to prep in advance are:
- Send a pre-tryout communication to all registrants, letting them know of key details such as bringing their own ball, filling up their water bottles at home, and informing them that only athletes and coaches are allowed inside the facility during tryouts.
- Identify two non-coaches who will work the athlete check-in and numbering table. Your spouse or older child are great choices.
- Match your tryout plan to your style of play. If you prefer a fast-paced, transition team, make sure you have a lot of drills and games that reflect that style in your tryout plan. Like a team that doesn’t shy away from contact? Build in some drills that will have players battling for position, sealing, and boxing out.
- Ensure all coaches have a common evaluation document and a clipboard or hard surface to write on.
Balance Leading and Evaluating
It’s really hard, in my experience, to run the drills or games in a tryout and evaluate players. You are too focused on if the drill is being run properly, if everyone has a ball, how long the lines are, and how much time is left.
It’s ideal if you can find someone not on the coaching staff to run many of the drills or games. Myself, Cory Chaplin, our AVP of Competitive, and Dan Case, our President, are all available to assist in this manner.
All that said, it is important that the coaches have a voice and a presence at tryouts. Remember that players are evaluating you as well. Many of them are attending the tryouts of multiple associations. So, in addition to communicating with them at the start and end of each tryout, I do recommend that you run some drills or games. It will give players an opportunity to understand your coaching and communication style, and to see your knowledge of the game.
Let Them Play
The best way to evaluate players, in my opinion, is to put them in a lot of small-sided games. It gives you a chance to see not only their physical skills, but how they think the game, how they space the floor, and how they work with their teammates.
1v1 is a great way to see how well a player can defend on the ball and move their feet without fouling. On offence, you get a chance to see if a player can break down a defender, if they take straight lines to the hoop and initiate contact, and how they finish under pressure.
2v2, 3v3, and 4v4 are all great ways to see spacing, ball movement, and player movement. Players cannot hide in small-sided games. They get a chance to show you their skills, and you can use constraints and rewards to evaluate certain things you want to see. Examples of constraints and rewards include: players can only shoot open 3’s; players can only finish at the rim; defenders cannot allow paint touches or the offence gets rewarded with extra points, etc.
Making the Offer
Selecting the team and making offers is one of the most difficult, and stressful, parts of coaching. Here are some tips to help make this process a little easier:
- We recommend putting a 48 hour time limit on your offer. This ensures that you confirm your roster ASAP and, importantly, can then inform the players who were not selected as quickly as possible.
- You must inform all players who were not selected. Our reputation as a club is built on doing things the right way, with character, integrity, and respect. Informing players who were not selected, and ideally giving them some insight on what they can work on is in keeping with our values and reputation.
- As soon as you have your roster complete, send it to Dee Whitmore, our Director of Administration, ASAP. She needs to submit it to the OBA and she will send you an email for you to forward to your parents with a link to register and an OBA Player Contract for each player to sign. Player rosters must be sent to the OBA before your team can practice, for liability purposes.
Hope that helps Coach! Good luck and remember, we are here to help in any way possible at your tryouts.