The try-out (or sort-out) process can be difficult and stressful, here are some suggestions to help in making the tough decisions.

A team usually has 12 players, you may want more if you expect high practice absenteeism (you need at least 10 players at practice), or to develop players for the future, but you will probably have to manage playing-time expectations. You need to fill all the positions on the floor, they could be interchangeable, or inside and outside positions, or specific positions such as point guard, shooting guard, small forward, power forward, and centre, with team balance.

Selection criteria should be attitude, size and athleticism, and positional skill set. Focus first on the automatic picks and non-picks, then spend the majority of your time on the players in the middle. Use an evaluation chart, it can show general selection criteria (Example 1), skill areas (Example 2). or skill areas and drills (Kris Treat chart, player-specific). Decide on a scoring system (e.g. 1 to 4) and how to weight the results by position for an overall score. With demanding parents and/or players, use quantitative testing (e.g., timed sprints and dribbling, speed layups, 10 free throws).

Use stations with many players and enough coaches (up to about 10 players per station). Players rotate, coaches stay at their stations. Skills and drills can be changed for a next session.

1. Ladder - order the stations from top to bottom, do the same drill at each station (optionally add more progressions at the top station), after a few minutes each coach moves the strongest player(s) up (except at the top station) and the weakest player(s) down (except at the bottom station), continue and repeat, change drills. At the end of the session the strongest players should be in the top group. Coaches do not need to learn names or score players during the session. For a sort-out, use the resulting groups to create balanced teams (factor in size and athleticism). Camp Olympia uses a ladder approach to create unbalanced groups for skill sessions, and balanced teams for scrimmage.
2. Skill stations - do a different skill at each station (e.g., shooting, defence, physical, 1 on 1, 3 on 3), players are in groups, rotate groups after 15-20 minutes, coaches score players in the group they just had.

See Tryouts - Kris Treat plus these external links:

Mike MacKay - Choosing a team

Breakthrough Basketball - Try-out drills.

Attitude

Look for commitment, coachability, leadership, maturity, competitiveness. These can be tested for or at least revealed during tryouts (Kris Treat has drills for leadership and hustle). Including plenty of hard work and defensive drills can show early warning signs of poor attitude or lack of coachability.

Size and Athleticism

Evaluate size and speed at a minimum, plus quickness/agility, vertical jump, and strength if time permits. Speed and agility courses can also be used to assess dribbling.

• Size - height, weight (tall players may get the benefit of doubt)
• Speed - sprint baseline to far foul line, timed, or against other players (variation - down and back)
• Vertical jump - against a wall, use chalk on fingers
• Agility / quickness
  • Lane slides
  • 6 x 5-metre shuttle run
  • obstacle course
  • modified suicide
• Strength
  • push-ups
  • basketball and/or medicine ball throw

See NBA Combine, Physical testing and Kris Treat physical evaluation.

Positional Skill Set

See the Skills Checklist. Evaluate fundamental skills of dribbling, passing, and shooting, including layups. Layup lines can also be used for shooting off a pass (give and go) and off the dribble. Team shooting makes it competitive, and can be used for layups, spot shooting, triple threat, off the catch, and off the dribble. Look for footwork. Defence can assessed in 1 on 1, small-sided play, and scrimmage, but defensive drills such as slides and close-outs reveal skills plus attitude. In 5 on 5, consider using rules, e.g., no dribbling, no shot until a paint touch, etc. (see Mike MacKay).

• Warm-up
  • Dribble shoot relay
• Dribbling
  • Mike Procopio ballhandling, Fullcourt moves, 5star workout (layups and shooting too)
• Passing
  • Florida 4-line, 3-man weave, Florida 3-line 2-ball
  • Duke man in the middle
  • 3-man weave to centre, 4-corner, Kevin O'Neill pairs (halfcourt)
• Shooting
  • form - Nash block
  • layups - Two lines, Teams
  • spot - Teams, Bill Self partner, UBC
  • on the move - Curl, Fill cuts, Team pop-out, Lee Rose guards
  • off the dribble - 5star workout, Hubie Brown off the dribble, Florida dribble series
  • Olympic
• Defending
  • Footfire, Duke reaction drills
  • Nash triangle slides, Dick Bennett coach close-outs
  • Duke form slides. Run and slide, Slide and run
  • Zig-zag
  • Denial both sides
  • 4 on 4 shell
• 1 on 1
  • Nash, Both ends
• Fast break
  • Outlet and go
• Competitive
  • 11-man fast break, Swiss 3 on 3 converting, 3 on 3 fullcourt, 3 on 3 delay (teams)
• Scrimmage
  • 3 on 3 at multiple baskets (or a station)
  • 4 teams
  • 5 on 5 fullcourt

See

Skills Checklist

Tryouts - Kris Treat

Tryouts - Physical testing

, NBA Combine

Mike MacKay - Choosing a team

Breakthrough Basketball - Try-out drills

Evaluation charts (.xls)

General selection criteria

Skill areas

Skill areas and drills (player-specific)