Standing Out for The Right Reasons at Tryouts

As many athletes brace themselves to head into tryouts there are some important ideas that can really help you to stand out for the right reasons in order to impress your new prospective coaches.  I definitely have a lot of experience with this topic because I know what I am looking for as well as items many of my coaching friends are looking for when I did an informal survey of their thoughts to write this.  

More importantly as a player I walked on to both a college and a university teams using many of these strategies listed below. It is really important to stand out in positive ways in order to help your cause of getting selected for the team you aspire to make.    

1. Hustle, Hustle, Hustle 

This is by far the most important skill that can be done to help you make a team.  Not hustling is a sure way to get cut and quickly.  Coaches do not want lazy players on their team for extremely obvious reasons.  They want to see players who are willing to do extra and don’t waste time executing what they have just demonstrated.  Hustling is very much something that needs to be practiced just like any other skill from shooting to ball handling.  It extremely hard to continue hustling all practice or tryout especially once fatigue sets in. Those who manage to do this really increase their chances of a positive result.    

In the dozens of tryouts I have been a part of I have never once heard a coach say “Let’s not pick that player he just hustles way too much.”  So if you want to put all of the odds in your favour to make the team you are trying out for this is one of the most important pieces to be ready to demonstrate.  

Lets talk about some of the ways to hustle in the tryout itself? 

1. When the coach calls you in at the beginning of the tryout
2. When coach explains a drill and also when it is time to execute what they have shown you
3. When you get into a competitive game or a drill
4. When you have made a mistake 
5. When you don’t feel like hustling anymore and especially when you are tired 
6. When you get to go for water and you take a drink and hustle right back in ready to go

Remember if you hustle and really choose to demonstrate this skill you have to be consistent and carry it as part of your game going forward. You can’t just get out of the habit of this simply because you have reached your goal and made the team.  

2. Defence Matters 

One of the biggest mistakes players often make is thinking that coaches only care about how many points a player scores.  During a tryout the coach is well aware that no systems have been put into place and that many of the players who are in the gym do not know each other well.  It is a good idea to not only focus on how many points you score.  Coaches want to know that you can contribute on both ends of the court.  If you get scored at a high frequency you become a huge liability and your team gets exposed on the defensive end of the court.  

Be ready to shut down the player you are guarding.  Also, take care in not matching up with the easiest opponent on the court either because that can be very obvious as well.  Coaches see things like that and it raises red flags!  Something that really can stand out in a tryout is if you are the person that is rotating to help and communicating to your teammates defensively.  Coaches love to see leadership and commitment to defence.  

3. Keep it Simple 

Many players make the mistake of trying to do way too much in a tryout situation.  They think that the Coach is looking for them to do all sorts of things: shoot threes, make these amazing circus shots, take the off balance jumper, go to the shot block instead of taking the charge or playing good help defence.  When you do those things you actually hurt your chances of making a team.  It is much better to keep it simple and work within the constraints of your game.  Before going into the tryout think of your best skills and what you can do to to highlight those to the coaches.  

Coaches want to know you can be a consistent player that can be worked with.  They want to see that you can play within a team concept and aren’t looking to “hit the game winner” every possession. Sometimes less is more, for example, if it takes you 10 dribbles to get somewhere on the court that an efficient player could get to in 2 dribbles then work on being more effective.  Players stand out when they have a consistent and solid game rather than a flashy game with no substance.  

4. Set Other People Up for Success 

Tryouts can really bring out the individualist type of player. It can seem like a packed court on a Saturday where everyone is just trying to get a run and stand out.  If you can introduce some structure and look to make others around you look great that can be a skill that really stands out for you.  Making the extra pass, setting a great screen and rolling, or encouraging a teammate to get better stands out to coaches like you wouldn’t believe.  

This can also be done by jumping in and being one of the players that demonstrates the drill, fills lines or gets the basketballs for the next drill.  If you have an appropriate question to help clarify something the coach may have forgot to mention then be a leader and step up to ask it.  Coaches really like seeing players who look to help others but don’t ask questions the coach has already provided answers for.  This can make them mad!   

5. Use What You Have Learned As Soon As Possible

In a tryout coaches are trying to see which players retain and understand the content they expect you to learn.  Players can really make themselves look amazing when they put something they just practiced into work during another drill or a scrimmage. This could be something as as easy as how to do a proper left hand layup, where to go on dribble penetration, how to screen or where to go after you pass the ball.  Whatever it is that you learn during the tryout try to remember what it was, use it in the game and make it part of your game. Some really great players even have a basketball journal.  When they get home they write things down to remember that they learned during the session. They also write down what they need to improve on.   

6. Pay Attention to Your Gear

Wear something that stands out because when coaches are on the sidelines talking to each other they may not know every person’s name who is in the gym.  So they might say “did you see the kid in the orange shirt?” or “what about the one wearing the pink shoes?” If you wear all black or colors that all of the other players are wearing coaches have a hard time explaining which athlete they are speaking about.  Remember you don’t need to come out to the tryout in pylon orange but just do something simple that stands out.  I wore a yellow shirts to all of my tryouts in University and I could hear the coaches talking about me on the sideline. This doesn’t mean it is a guarantee it just helps to make sure the coaches at least saw you and made a decision about you which is way better than not being noticed at all.   

7. Show Off Your Positive Attitude

This is a huge way to stand out.  Get to the tryout early and offer to help set up anything the coaches may need.  Have a shooting or dribbling workout in mind so when you get there and get ready you can take the time to work on your game before practice even starts. There is nothing worse as a coach than when a player comes in and takes their first shot from half court or from the three point line prior to warming up.  For many of us that can be like nails down a chalkboard or in some cases a nail in the coffin for that player not making the team.

If your team is losing in a drill stay positive and try to spark your teammates to do better. It is a huge bonus if you can help to change the outlook of your team or to help turn the situation around coaches may notice that. Those other players may not make the team but that doesn’t matter it is important to treat them well.  If you resort to yelling or treating the players in your group badly this can be a huge warning sign for coaches that your attitude isn’t right.  They might think if you treat athletes in a tryout badly what will you do during the season when tensions are high with your very own teammates.  

***Bonus Message*** 

This is a special message 

Coaches sometimes cut players for the parents behaviour throughout the tryout process.  If the Coach sees that you are there in a positive way to support the athlete than that is great.  However, they will look that you keep your distance and keep your comments to yourself.  If however, you are coaching your athlete on the sidelines by coming on to the court or talking to them during breaks this can be a very clear red flag.  Parents don’t want to hear that they are the reason their child was cut but coaches just don’t want unnecessary drama, especially when they are volunteering.  It can hurt your child’s chances if you are too overbearing or on the other completely absent. So be cautious with how you are coming across.