MYAS Best Practices Basketball Tryout Recommendations This document is intended to assist traveling basketball associations with their tryout procedures. We encourage your association to modify this document to meet your needs. This information was collected from multiple associations and other resources. The MYAS then compiled the information into one document. This is what we determined to be the Best Practices. I. General Pre-Tryout Guidelines 1. Explain the purpose of the tryout A. The purpose of these policies and procedures is to establish a uniform process for the tryout proceedings for your association, and to provide a fair and just opportunity for each player to demonstrate his/her ability. The policies and procedures are further intended to promote the integrity of the selection process by requiring the association to be accountable for their selection decisions. The policies and procedures are intended to assure that the decisions are based upon players demonstrated skill and ability as assessed by the evaluators during the tryout process. 2. Tryouts can be conducted in one or two day process. A. Day one Every criterion for each player can be taken care of in one day (shooting, dribbling, passing, rebounding, defense, 3 on 3, 5 on 5). B. Day two (If necessary) Bring back the players to compete more scrimmages to further evaluate the players in an actual game situation. (If further evaluation is needed, it is possible to go to a third day and set up a scrimmage with another association to get a better feel for all the players skill sets and in other game situation). 3. Tryout Assistants A. In order to run an organized and efficient tryout, there must be plenty of assistants available to help. B. No more than 10 athletes per evaluator. 4. Evaluators A. It is strongly recommended that a group of independent evaluators led by the Varsity Basketball Coach or a different independent group will conduct a closed-door tryout process. Coaches from the grade being evaluated and board members will provide additional input. Board members will not be involved in any tryout that involves their child. Other options for evaluators include Minnesota Developmental Basketball (MDB) or a neighboring association. 5. Evaluators at Stations A. There should be at LEAST two evaluators at each station. This way the player gets feedback from different people and there is less judgment from just one person. 6. Equipment needed A. Basketballs - Amount of basketballs depends on the number of players that are trying out. We recommend at least one ball per 5 players. B. Courts/Hoops The more hoops and court space the better. C. Uniforms/Numbers Someway to identify the players. Could use a jersey, t-shirt or number attached to the players shirt. Each player should have a different number. D. Clipboards (4) Evaluators can record grades on paper easily. Will need clipboard per evaluator. E. Whistles Are nice to get people attention and to start and stop a drill.
F. Scoreboard May come in handy for timed drills or for when time to move on to the next station. G. Chairs (4) for dribbling drill H. Masking tape (Blue painters tape works well) for hot shots drill I. Cones (2) for layup drill J. Score sheets (Attached) K. Pull-over shirts for scrimmages L. Other Items for Thought - Evaluation procedures should be established well before the start of the tryout date. 7. Before Tryouts Start A. Tape hot shot numbers on the floor B. Mark small x s on floor where chairs will be placed for dribbling drill. C. Place x s marking the Elbows of the side baskets. 15 ft out from backboard, and 12 ft apart. D. Organize score sheets in order and put on clipboards for evaluators. II. Tryout Criteria 1. Tryout categories could be and not limited to: Shooting, Dribbling, Passing, Rebounding, Defensive, Intangibles 2. These categories can be observed in the drills and/or the 3 on 3 and 5 on 5 scrimmages A. Shooting a. Mechanics b. Rotation c. 2 point rang d. 3 point range e. Catch and Shoot f. Shoot off dribble g. Back to basket h. Strong hand layup i. Weak hand layup B. Dribbling a. Speed b. Under Control c. Strong hand d. Weak hand e. When pressured f. Dribble with purpose C. Passing a. Vision b. Court sense c. Turnovers d. Catching a pass e. Fakes f. Strength g. Makes right pass D. Rebounding a. Aggressiveness
b. Block out c. Footwork d. Anticipation e. Jumps to ball f. Outlet pass E. Defensive a. One the ball b. Off the ball c. Transition d. Help e. Recover f. Anticipation F. Intangibles a. Attitude b. Cooperation c. Work ethic d. Team play e. Quickness f. Speed g. Strength 2. Sessions- The tryout can be run in four consecutive sessions. The tryout process will consist of the following drills and scrimmages, with the total point total for each: Dribbling 10 Passing 10 Layups 10 3 on 3 half court 30 Shooting 10 5 on 5 full court 30 (Defense, Rebounding and Intangibles can be measured during 3 on and 5 on 5) Total - 100 points 40% of a player s score comes from drills, and 60% will come from scrimmage sessions. A. Session 1 a. Dribbling at one end of the court E. Layups at the other end F. Split the players into two equal groups and have them go to the end of the other line when they are done with the first drill. The evaluators will run the drills one on each end. The facilitator should help by timing the Layups so the evaluator can count. B. Session 2: a. Shooting at one end of the court i. The facilitator should help by timing the Hot Shots. b. Passing at the other end of the court. C. Session 3: a. 3 on 3 half court. b. One game at a time. Both evaluators will watch and write down observations and scores.
c. One ref d. 10 minute running time period D. Session 4: a. 5 on 5 full court. b. One game at a time. c. One ref d. 15 minute running time period III. Drills- See on following pages 1. Overview A. Dribbling B. Layups C. Shooting D. Passing E. 3 on 3 F. 5 on 5 IV. Unable to Attend- Medical/Family Emergencies If injured/sick Score from previous year may be used by request, a written letter can be submitted by a previous coach legitimizing the player s skill level, a player can be placed on a team if they have been on a team from previous years. Encourage end of the season coach s evaluation of the players. Have them fill one out before the start of the season and one at the season s end. This can also help place a player on a team if injured or sick. V. Post Tryout Communication Send a letter to the player/parents regarding what team they are on. In the letter, include the evaluation score and what skills the player can improve on as a baseball player for throughout the winter and/or next year s tryouts. After the teams have been formed, you should host a mandatory Parent Meeting. This will provide an overview of the program as well as expectations for the coming season. All of the player fees will be collected at this meeting: Registration fees, as well as uniform and volunteer deposits. In addition, there will be opportunities to sign up for volunteer shifts for hosted tournaments, in order to fulfill each family s volunteer requirements.
Dribbling Each player will dribble around chairs as shown below. The chairs are each 15 feet from the center chair (#1). The players will run this drill twice, once with their right hand and one with their left hand. The diagram below is for the right hand dribble. Reverse the course for the left hand dribble. Player starts at baseline, and is timed with a stopwatch until he/she crosses the baseline at the end of the drill. The two times should be averaged, and the corresponding score below should be entered on the score sheet. #3 #1 #4 #2 Start 5 th -6 th Grade Dribbling Time Under 18 secs 18.1-19.0 19.1-20.0 20.1-22.0 22.1 23.0 Over 23 Points 10 8 6 4 2 1 7 th -8 th Grade Dribbling Time Under 16 secs 17.1 18.0 18.1 19.0 19.1 20.0 20.1 21.0 Over 21 Points 10 8 6 4 2 1
Layups Each player will be given a set amount of time (see table) to make as many layups as possible using proper form. Start at either cone. Dribble with the outside hand (right on right side, left on left side), attempt a layup with outside hand. Get the rebound and dribble around the other cone from the inside, switching hands to the outside hand and attempting a layup on the other side using the outside hand. Players should jump off their inside leg on the layups. If layups are taken with the incorrect hand, the basket does not count. A half point can be deducted from the score for each of the following: dribbling with the wrong hand shooting with two hands jumping on the wrong leg on the shot. Grade Time 5 th 1 minute 6 th 50 seconds 7 th /8 th 45 seconds 1 4 2 3 Layups Made Points 10+ 10 9 9 8 8 7 7 6 6 5 5 4 4 3 3 2 2 1 1
Shooting- Hot Shots One minute timed drill where each player will shoot from marked locations on the floor. Tape the spots in the shape of the number on the floor. Maximum of two layups can be made (one right handed and one left handed - take as many as needed to make 2) One foot must be on the number when the shot is taken. Three bonus points if player shoots at least once from one of each point number locations. Dribble between rebound and next shot. One point can be deducted for poor shooting form or failure to dribble to spots. Use table below to determine score to be entered. Note a shot made anywhere behind the three point line is worth 5 points 3 4 2 3 5 2 4 3 Hot Shot Score Points 34+ 10 30-33 9 26-29 8 22-25 7 18-21 6 14-17 5 10-13 4 6-9 3 2-5 2 Passing- Stationary Partner Passing Partner each player and have them stand across from each other. Have them demonstrate the following passes: Chest Pass Bounce Pass Overhead Snap Pass Rate each players ability to perform each pass on a scale of 1-10 based on form and accuracy.
3 on 3 Half Court Divide the players as equally as possible mixing sizes of players to make 3-player teams. Cycle teams in and out using the Cutthroat format. Evaluators will rate each player from 1-15 with 15 being the highest (best) for offensive ability and another 1-15 for defensive ability. Evaluators should look for: Offense Ball handling/control Spacing/Flow Passing Setting and using screens Driving Shooting Post Moves Strength with the ball Movement without the ball Defense Position Shuffle Helping out Court awareness Deny the ball Rebounding Blocking out Anticipation Hustle 5 on 5 Full Court Divide the players as equally as possible mixing sizes to make 5-player teams. Try to move the players around so they have different teammates for this session. Cycle teams in and out and allow teams to play all other teams. Evaluators will rate each player from 1-15 for both offense and defense. Look for the same criteria as above, with the addition of the following: - Speed - Open court skills - Leadership - Overall effort - Ability to improvise, take advantage of mismatches, etc.
Tryout Scorecard Evaluator Date Grade Boys/Girls 3 on 3 5 on 5 Notes Total Player # Dribbling 10 Lay-ups 10 Shooting 10 Passing 10 (30) (30) (100)
Layups Scoresheet Player Number Baskets Made (tally) Total Made (Enter this total on Tryout Scorecard max 10) Keep the drill moving! Add scores and update Scorecard later.
Shooting Scoresheet Player Number Shots Made (points e.g. 2 2 3 5 2 3 4 ) Also watch for shot taken from each location which is good for 3 bonus points Total Points Points for Tryout Scorecard (use table) Keep the drill moving! Add scores and update Scorecard later. Hot Shot Score Points 34+ 10 30-33 9 26-29 8 22-25 7 18-21 6 14-17 5 10-13 4 6-9 3 2-5 2
Passing Scoresheet Player Number Chest Pass 10 pts Bounce Pass 10 pts Overhead Pass 10 pts Average for Total Passing Score (10)
Dribbling Scoresheet Player Number Time Right Handed Time Left Handed Average Time Points for Tryout Scorecard 5 th -6 th Grade Dribbling Time Under 18 secs 18.1-19.0 19.1-20.0 20.1-22.0 22.1 23.0 Over 23 Points 10 8 6 4 2 1 7 th -8 th Grade Dribbling Time Under 16 secs 17.1 18.0 18.1 19.0 19.1 20.0 20.1 21.0 Over 21 Points 10 8 6 4 2 1 Keep the drill moving! Calculate averages and update Scorecard later.
Look For: 3 on 3 Scrimmage Tally Sheet Offense Defense Ball handling/control Position Spacing/Flow Shuffle Passing Helping out Setting and using screens Court awareness Driving Deny the ball Shooting Rebounding Post Moves Blocking out Strength with the ball Anticipation Movement without the ball Hustle Player Number Offense (15) Defense (15) Notes Total Points (max 30)
5 on 5 Scrimmage Tally Sheet Look For: Offense Defense Also Ball handling/control Position Speed Spacing/Flow Shuffle Open Court Skills Passing Helping out Leadership Setting and using screens Court awareness Overall Effort Driving Deny the ball Ability to Improvise Shooting Rebounding Take advantage of Post Moves Blocking out mismatches, etc. Strength with the ball Anticipation Movement without the ball Hustle Player Number Offense (15) Defense (15) Notes Total Points (max 30)