Tryouts Start Tomorrow

"Bring your best self" to tryouts. Here's an OG perspective on tryouts.

1. I want to coach whom I want to coach.  

Naomi was a little girl who came to tryouts as a sixth grader. The young guard had the answers to the questions before tryouts even started. Two minutes before tryouts began, she came up to me and said, "Coach, I am really excited to be here." She made the team. "Nothing great is ever accomplished without enthusiasm."

2. Differentiate yourself with focus, attention, and effort.

3. Talk to energize yourself and teammates. 

4. Stand out. I remember Randi showed up with knee high rainbow socks. She was also the tallest girl at practice. 

5. You want to "pop" at tryouts. You want the coaches to say to themselves, "She has 'it' and we want to coach her." I asked coach Scott Celli once, "when did you know she would be a player?" He said, "after watching for five minutes." 

6. Nonverbal communication is the majority of communication. Stand tall, have a firm handshake, great eye contact, and sprint to each activity. 

7. Believe in yourself. You can't be better than your self-belief. 

8. "Always do your best." You never regret giving your best effort. 

9. "Get on the floor." Be the player determined to keep the ball up. 

10."Trust the process." Great process, consistently executed, gives the best results. 

Good luck. 

Lagniappe. Last minute tips.