Tips for Austin Basketball Tryouts

Contributed by Chris Price

One of the most important times for young basketball players is fast approaching: basketball tryouts.  As someone who has been a part of many different tryouts in my basketball life, I wanted to share some tips to help you maximize your upcoming opportunity.

Tip #1: Remember that a basketball tryout is an opportunity.

The mere thought of a tryout causes some to become nervous and anxious.  But remember, a tryout is not a place where you hope to do enough not to get cut.  No, a tryout is a place to show the coach what you’ve got.  Especially if you’re in a situation where the coach hasn’t seen you play at all, or seen you play recently, it’s up to you to show him your skills.  At one tryout of mine, the coach called me over at the end.  He told me that he could tell I was a good player, but he couldn’t justify keeping me over the other guys who played great during the tryout.  I was doing too much fitting in and trying not to mess up instead of trying to stand out.  Take it from me, if you have the attitude of not messing up or just fitting in, you might not show the coach how great you are at that skill you’ve worked on all summer.  Have the attitude that you are going to take the opportunity to show the coaches what you CAN do, and you will be more successful.

Tip #2: Do it afraid and the nerves will go away.

The thought of a tryout still makes ME nervous, and I’ve been playing basketball for almost 20 years.  What I’ve learned is that it is natural to be nervous.  But don’t let your nervousness stop you from showing up.  Once they roll the balls out and you take your first shot, get your first steal or get your first rebound, those ‘butterflies’ will go away.  Eventually your heart and mind will realize that it’s just basketball, and this is what you do.  You have prepared and looked forward to do this day for a long time now.  That nervousness will go away and that hunger will start to rise again!

Tip #3: Stand out with your ears and your feet. 

Do you know what a coach is looking for at a basketball tryout?  If you don’t, I’ll tell you.  A coach is looking for players that can help him win.  Remember that basketball is a team game, and it takes players working together under the direction of their coach to be successful.  So when the coach is giving direction at tryouts, listen intently to what he is saying.  Be the one that gets the drill right the first time, and ALSO be the one that is running to the drills, through the drills or to the middle for more instruction.  Show a great attitude in receiving and executing instruction because “I forgot”, “I’m not sure” and “I didn’t hear that” doesn’t get you far in the game of basketball.  Having the right attitude in regards to given instruction will go a long way in the eyes of your coach.

We wish you the all best at your upcoming basketball tryouts.  Go get what you’ve worked for!

Bonus Tips From BasketballHQ.com coaches:

(http://basketballhq NULL.com/basketball-tryouts-tips)