Be as organized as possible, it will pay off in explaining the decisions you make, and help in selecting the players you want. Decide in advance what type of player you are looking for at each position (e.g., shooting guard) using a scale from 1 to 10 for skills/attributes such as ballhandling, shooting, size, passing, scoring, quickness, on-ball defence, off-ball defence, and rebounding. Use this when deciding on tryout drills, also consider the offences and defences you run, e.g., stress running and transition scoring if you are a fast-break team.

Do warm-up drills with all the players, then break into smaller groups of up to 10 players based on position (inside and outside players). Shuffle the groups each day so that players play with and against everybody at their position.

For each player, use a one-page evaluation chart that is easy to read and stresses the parts of the game that you value. He uses a scale from 1 to 10 for each category, you could use a report-card system with A, B, C, D, and F.

If you have a lot of players it may not be practical to meet with each player you cut, but if you post a list, you should make yourself available immediately after, and the next day.

Here is a summary of tryout drills and criteria, follow the links for details.

Physical evaluation

1) Size - height and weight

2) Speed - transition running drill

3) Quickness - modified suicide

4) Vertical jump

5) Strength - push-ups

6) Body balance - obstacle course (also used for dribbling)

Attitude

1) Leadership

Use one of these drills each day

• Phone number drill - players line up on the baseline, they have 30 seconds to line up in descending order of the last 4 digits of their phone number or they will run two sprints
• Last name drill - players line up in alphabetical order by last name.
• Other variations - birth dates, number of letters in their last name, homeroom numbers, name of their favourite teacher, etc.

2) Academics

No pass, no play. Ask for overall GPA from the previous year and GPA for the first quarter of the current school year. Send around a sheet asking teachers to write down current grades and comment on the student's behaviour.

3) Hustle

• Breakaway offence drill
• Breakaway defence drill

Skills

1) Dribbling

• Fullcourt dribbling
• Obstacle
• Pressure dribble

2) Passing

• 3-man weave
• Rebound-outlet
• Man in the middle

3) Shooting

• Flip drill (form shooting)
• Fast-break layups
• V-cut pop off a chair
• Jab and go off a chair
• Pass, relocate, 3-point shot
• Free throws

4) Rebounding

• 4-minute war - offence
• 4-minute war - defence

5) Defence

• Slide the court
• Zig-zag
• 1 on 1
• 3 on 3

6) Team Skills

• Team offence - teach a basic continuity offence, he uses a 1-2-2 passing game (pass and screen away).
• Team defence - 4 on 4 shell drill, introduce your primary team defence, walk through on-ball and off-ball positions, progress to moving the ball and letting the defence adjust, then passing, cutting and screening.
• 4 on 4 halfcourt - evaluate floor position, stance, communication, and rotation to and from help.

See

Tryouts - Kris Treat physical evaluation

Tryouts - Kris Treat hustle

Tryouts - Kris Treat dribbling

Tryouts - Kris Treat passing

Tryouts - Kris Treat shooting

Tryouts - Kris Treat 4-minute war

Tryouts - Kris Treat defence

Tryouts - Kris Treat individual evaluation chart.xls