Questions From Subscribers...

Pat

I think it depends on what level you are coaching and how long you have to try out.

Playing should be part of any tryout but it does not have to be 5 on 5. You can play in situations, 4 on 4 or 3 on 3.

Keep in mind that you are not only evaluating who will make your team but also what skills you need to spend time developing in practice.

You should have a ball handling evaluation, whether it be a dribble weave around cones, zig-zag drill up the floor or stationary ball handling drills such as dribble figure 8's or butterfly dribbling, etc.

You should have a shooting evaluation. It could be layup lines, two line shooting ro any other shooting drill you are comfortable with. However, they should be drills you use in practice and there should be no defense.

You defensive and passing evaluations can come from your scrimmage session.

There are hundreds of basketball drills on this website and in the eBooks.
http://www.breakthroughbasketball.com/drills/basketballdrills.html
http://www.winningdrills.com

Go through them and find some you are familiar with and are appropriate for evaluation.

Again, I don't know how much time you have or what your restrictions you are under, but in my coaching experience I drastically changed my opinion of tryouts. I decided we weren't going to have tryouts, we started practice. If you wanted to play on the team, you came to practice every day until I told you not to come. Everybody went throught the same drills, teaching, conditioning and competition. Naturally most of my attention was focused on the players that I knew I needed for the season, but if others stood out, then they had a shot at the team. We usually took about 3 days to make the first cut and usually had it down tot the team by 6 days. I learned a lot about the players this way, who works, who is committed, who are good teammmates, etc. It did not retard the progress of the team because everyone was taught the same things.

I hope I answered your question to some extent.

Feel free to contact me if I could be of help.

Don Kelbick
Contributing Editor Breakthrough Basketball
http://www.DonKelbickBasketball.com