Expert: Derek Stewart - 5/8/2007

Question
What are the some things that make you do in college tryouts? Is it hard to make the team?

Answer
The biggest thing is your conditioning. I don't know if you're going to be in a group tryout with several other players or if you're doing it alone but they will try and weed out the weak links early by putting you through several high intensity conditioning drills. You might be shooting or doing full court lay ups but they want to see what kind of shape you're in. Be sure you're in the best shape you can be in. Most people think being in shape means you can play without getting tired. That's a myth. EVERYONE gets tired. Being in shape means how soon can you recover once you get tired...and when you do recover, how much of a recovery do you make? Example: Players A and B start playing in the same basketball game at the same time. Both at 100%. Player A is in excellent shape. Player B is not. After playing for 5 minutes, both players are taken out of the game for 2 minutes. Because he is in shape, player A only drops to 90% after 5 minutes of playing and recovers to 98% after 2 minutes rest. Player 2, who is not in shape, drops to 80% after 5 minutes of playing and only recovers to 85% after a 2 minute rest. Get it?

The other important thing about tryouts is that you don't try to do things you don't normally do. Stay within your comfort zone and do what you do well. This will help maintain your confidence throughout the tryout. Hope this helps. Good luck!