Hoops

Club Trials - What Is The Objective?

Ahhhh- The Power of "Hoops"

Anons, where have you read that finals for the VJBL are being played at any particular stadiums? Some divisions are not yet into finals, but I have noticed others are playing games at venues just like they have been during the regular season...

Interesting!

I coach in Vic and our club has different objectives for tryouts depending on the age group.

In U12's & we try to have as many teams as possible for the rep program so basically if you turn up, you're going to make a team. The idea is to get as many kids in early as you never know who's going to be making up your senior program 10 years laters.

As the kids progress through the age groups there tends to be a bit of a thinning out process and by U18's our club will usually have 2/3 teams depending on the number of kids and talent level.

Often the coaches will be new to the age group and not have a clear idea of where the kids are at so the process isn't as cut and dry and many people make it out to be. Although some coaches do already have a list in mind, you'd not be doing your job if you didn't consider others out side that list.

The process we've used and found quite successful is to seperate the kids into 3 groups. The top 8-12 kids, the bottom 8-12 kids and the rest in the middle. This middle group is always the hardest to sort into final teams as there's usually not much between them.

What many players/parents often don't realise is that you're not (espeically in the older age groups) just picking the 10 best kids, you're picking the best TEAM based on the available players. For instance, if you have a team of 7 guards and 2 forwards and in deciding the last spot comes down to picking the an 8th guard or a 3rd forward who isn't as skilled as the guard, you're probably going to take the forward as the team needs to be balanced.

In summary the objective of tryouts should be to put kids into a team where they can develop and to try and have balance in the teams selected.

Okay Triton, so it seems to be the opposite of how I believed it was, cheers.

In that case, if your controlling body is not really well organised you are not going to have that secondary back up from the clubs, necessarily.

To pick up the pieces when things don't quite work out, I mean...

A few different questions here anon', I am unsure of exactly how the local competitions are run in S.A., I can only comment on how some are doing it here in Victoria.

Here clubs can be individually run and Association based or controlled under the Association if the club structure isn't as strong.

A club may be quite well run, similar to a football club, therefore having a head coach and several coaches already in place.

They may hold trials just to determine who plays Div1, however these are oftem subjective to a point, so I see it now as just a habit clubs here have formed.

Not all clubs do this, however those who don't will still want to recruit players so this may occur during a camp or training days which are similar but not really trials.

Then there is the representative programs, each Association may want to submit teams into the VJBL and play at a higher level than local domestic.

New set of coaches, run by the Association itself and usually a little better coordinated, however still some level of subjectivity, can't help it as coaches know players and always have most of the team picked beforehand.

Are they a waste of time, well it's not a waste of time for that kid who has to bust a gut to make the team and fill the last spot on the roster, maybe it is for the rest?

If your system in S.A. relies solely on clubs, not an Associaion or higher controlling body, then I get the lack of structure and a perception of confusion, and yes kids will leave the sport, sad but it happens...

The former being a kid I coached and the latter being me
I can categorically say that both were complete unknowns.

Going one step further I would suggest the southern clubs could do a lot worse than looking at the victor harbor league as a whole.

A lot of untapped talent.

For example one team with two southern div 1 players being beaten by 80 pts.

Lots and lots of kids who would easily be very good div 1 city players.

So so many kids who would travel if their parents were given a tapon the shoulder and a 'have you considered city Bball for your child?"

@ Wayne, I expect both those kids were known to the coach.

@ jack

Saw this happen this week at tigers. U12 player walking straight into div 1. Country kid moved to city.

It does happen...

And reflecting on the way distant past. Knew one player playing at the old southern district who tried out at a club and slid right into u14 div 1 and one the club MVP.

Granted these may be isolated examples.

Club "trials" have been discussed in previous posts. I have a cynical approach to trials. Some people carry on like teams are selected based on trials with coaches pushing names around like X Factor. I have yet to see evidence to support that. A kid is hardly going to stroll in one Sunday morning and slip straight into a Div 1 team based on 45 mins.

They really should be called "sign on days" or something. Essentially that's all they are. They give a club a chance to work out how many kids are going to play in the upcoming season.

If clubs are doing the right thing, then most players will want to play next season so the club knows they are going to signup. Clubs also know how many coaches and teams they can organise and manage so they will know how many kids they are looking for.

If clubs are not doing the right thing, then kids will leave and they really do need trials!