Ethan Khoza breaks down what coaches actually look for at basketball tryouts: effort and attitude matter more than talent alone. Stand out by paying attention to instructions, going hard on hustle plays like diving for loose balls, and being vocal with teammates on defense.
Chapters
I remember walking into the first day of basketball tryouts as a seventh grader and barely being able to breathe because I was so nervous. It was the first time I ever had a tryout for a team and there had to be 40 other kids in the gym. 40 kids trying to win 12 spots on the team. I knew that I was good, but the nerves are still there when you have so much competition. Eventually, tryouts began and I was able to separate myself from everyone else and earn one of those 12 spots. And over the next few years, I did the same thing at every school and AAU basketball tryout that that I attended. Getting ready for middle school or high school basketball tryouts can be nerve wracking. But here's the key to making a basketball team and getting noticed at separating yourself. It's that simple. And there's a bunch of things you can do that require no talent at all and will help you to separate yourself. You don't have to be the tallest, you don't have to jump the highest. You don't have to be the best shooter or the best ball handler, although all of those are nice qualities to have too. You simply need to be a guy that the coach wants to have on his team. A guy that the coach knows will work harder than everybody else, be early to practices, pay attention at all times, ask good questions, and hold themselves and their teammates accountable. As a coach, I love having guys who can score. I love having guys who are super athletic. But even more than that, I love having guys who come into practice every day and try to outwork everybody else. Let's say I'm coaching a team and there's 50 kids trying out and I want to keep 15 kids on the roster. If I have a kid who skill wise is the 20th best player there, but he pushes himself the most in sprints, encourages his teammates, makes eye contact when I'm speaking, and has great body language. I promise you that I'm going to find a way to have that kid on my team. Whether that means I let 16 kids on the team or I cut the 15th guy and replace him with the other kid, he's going to be on my team. What that kid does takes no talent at all. That kid might not even play all that much either. But guess what? I know he's going to have great energy and effort and practice. He's going to listen to the coaching staff and he's going to encourage his teammates. And as a side note, despite the fact that he isn't very talented as a coach, I'M going to try and get that kid in the game whenever I can. Here's three things you can do to separate yourself and make the team 1. Pay attention at all times. When the coach blows the whistle, you're the first one to the huddle. When the coach talks, you're making eye contact and nodding so that he knows you're listening. When he explains something, you pay attention and do it right so that he doesn't have to repeat himself. You ask good questions. Give the most effort. You might not win every sprint, but you better try your best to diving on the floor for loose balls, taking charges, boxing out and rebounding. These are effort things that most players, especially the more talented players, often refuse to do. As a coach, I can teach someone to become a better shooter or a better ball handler or a better passer, but I can't teach somebody ever. If you only take one thing from this video, it should be this 3. Be vocal and encourage your teammates. Coaches love guys who are vocal. Most teams, especially at the younger levels, struggle because nobody talks on the court and there are no vocal leaders in tryouts. You need to be the guy who is encouraging his teammates when they mess up, congratulating teammates when they make a great play, and calling people out if they aren't giving the effort they should be. You should be the loudest player on the court. On defense, you should be non stop yelling. Be another coach on the floor. And when you aren't on the floor, you should still be loud while you encourage your teammates. Be a vocal leader. Having basketball skills is obviously important to making the team and I can help you with that part, but it certainly isn't everything. If you're the best at these three areas, there's very little chance that the coach won't find a spot on the team for you. Thanks for watching guys. Make sure you guys join our private Facebook group where I'm going to give you guys training advice. I'm going to be giving you guys free workouts. I'm going to support you guys. You guys can support each other and any questions you guys have, I'll answer them as well. That link is in my description. Go ahead and join. It's 100% free. All you got to do is answer a couple questions and I'll let you guys in. I hope to see you guys in there. If you guys enjoyed this video, please leave a like and subscribe as well. Click that little black button that you see on the screen for me. I really appreciate it. Thank you. If you have any questions drop them down below, and I'll see you guys soon. Peace.
