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This weeks question is submitted by Guy Rundle, a 20 year old guard with aspirations of playing college basketball in America.

Question:

"Coach, I'm trying to get my game ready for a tryout I have in the states with a college later this summer. What will the coaches be looking for and what can I do to be ready?"

Answer:

First of all, congratulations on taking the steps to organise the tryout! Too many players sit back waiting for it to happen, instead of being pro-active and taking their futures into their own hands and making it happen. With the use and availability of the internet, it's never been easier to gather the information you need to find a potential opportunity of furthering your basketball and academic education in the States. You just have to be prepared to do the work.

Okay, on to your question...If you really want to stand out above the crowd you'd do well to remember what I call the '5 C's'. Players who bring all 5 to the table definitely give themselves the best chance of success at any level. The first thing a coach will notice and expect from a player who is trying to come in and impress is conditioning. Are you in shape? Are you able to play both ends of the floor at the right level of intensity? Do you have enough stamina to guard your man, play help defense and fill the lanes on the break throughout the game? I'm always surprised at how many players just don't put enough time in on their conditioning, which ends up hurting them as they are not able to show what they are capable of doing when it matters the most. A lot of players with less natural ability have been able to win simply because they are in better shape than their more talented competition. Conditioning breeds confidence too, as there is no better feeling than knowing you have the energy and bounce left in in your legs and you're poised and ready to play defense and attack your man in the 4th quarter when your competition is kneeling over grabbing his shorts with nothing left in the tank. For a coach, being in condition tells me you're serious about your game and you're treating the opportunity to try out for the team with the respect it demands. So don't fall at the first hurdle, make sure you're in shape.

The next thing you are in total control over and should leave no doubt in the coaches mind when you leave the floor is, coachability. Are you coachable? Do you listen to the coaches instruction and do everything you're being asked to do with a positive attitude? Positive body language? Maximum effort? You should be the first player on the baseline at practise and the hardest worker in all the drills. Your attitude and effort should never be in question and are the 2 things you control regardless of your talent level. They heavily contribute to how coachable you are and you should make sure your attitude is always positive and your effort is always the hardest working on the floor. A coach will always appreciate and notice hard working, positive, coachable players.

Next thing I look for is commitment. Others might call it 'dedication', but for me it's probably the biggest factor in deciding whether or not you'll be successful at what you. Commitment drives everything you do. To be good at basketball takes time and sacrafice. To develop a high level of individual skill takes alot of repitition and practise on your own and demands personal commitment. If you've set yourself a goal of becoming a better player, you've got to commit yourself to it fully, otherwise you'll never reach your potential. You have to find the time to put the extra work in, make sacrafices and prioritise your time so your schedule supports your goals. That takes commitment. Players who have that are noticed right away. You can tell they practise more than their competition, so their fundamentals and skills are that much 'tighter' than their competition. Committed players quickly stand out in any practise or tryout situation. Coaches know if you've put the work in and understand the sacrafice and commitment you must have put in beforehand to get your game to that point.

Another 'C' you'll hear about as you continue to get better is composure. Composure is like the magical divider that separates the good from the average - and will get you noticed by a good coach right away. Composure is not just about being calm all the time or not showing emotion. I don't mind if a player plays with emotion as long as he is under control and is able to channel that emotion in the right ways. Composure is about being able to concentrate so you are able to execute and make the right decisions at the right time. If you're a point guard, do you know how to control tempo? Know when to slow it down or when to run? Do you know where your team mates like to get the ball and where their 'sweet spots' on the floor are? Do you know what the coach wants? Do you know the team plays in full? Are you in control of everything that happens on the floor? In control of your emotions - or do your emotions control you? Composed players are always thinking the game and make it look easy because they always seem a step ahead of the action. Composed players are not rattled by any situation on the floor and handle adversity well. A player who can keep his head in the clutch and stay composed is invaluable to a coach.

I mentioned the final 'C' already but is the backbone to all truly great players, and that is...confidence. Confidence makes average players look good and good players look outstanding. Confidence allows you to play with no fear, so whatever you are capable of doing on your own in practise can come out in a game situation. Confidence allows you to play to your potential, instead of coming off the court knowing you didn't really show your true ability. There's a saying we use in basketball when a coach tells you to 'leave it all on the floor', he means you should put all your effort and all your ability into the game at all times so when you come off the floor you don't have any regrets. Confidence, along with the effort we spoke about earlier, allows you to do that. Confident players shoot better, attack stronger, defend with more aggression and generally have a 'pep' in their step that coaches notice right away. You shouldn't confuse confidence with arrogance which is not something you should want in your game. Arrogance is disrespectful and conceited and is not the mark of a champion. Confidence is respectful, but strong and playing with no fear. There's no coincidence that confidence is much easier to find in your game if you bring the other C's to the table. If you're in condition, you build your confidence on the floor becuase you know you'll be able to hang with the pace and intensity. If you're coachable, you'll grow confidence knowing you'll be the first name the coach calls for drill examples in practise and things like that as he believes in you because you buy in to what he's trying to teach. If you're committed, you'll build your confidence because you'll already know you're capable of shooting the ball or whatever, because through your commitment to getting better you will have practised the required skill thousands of times before. If you're composed you'll be confident you can bring the best out of yourself at the times you need it the most because your emotions will be under control and you'll have faith you can deliver what you need to, when you need to.

So as you see, they all work together, all are completely within your power to change and control TODAY and will all help you get noticed by coaches at any level looking for good players to add to their programs.

Thanks for asking the coach and I look foward to more questions soon!