Conducting tryouts in basketball requires you to be able to evaluate a large number of players in a short period. This can be difficult, because players may get anxious or nervous when they know they are being evaluated and don't play their best. Yet as a coach charged with putting together a team, the only thing you can do is give players evaluative tests and compare their results.
Dribbling Drill
Set up a series of six cones four feet apart from each other 10 feet past the midcourt line. On your whistle, the player will come dribbling over midcourt as fast as he can while maintaining control of the basketball. He will dribble to the right of the first cone, the left of the second, the right of the third and continue in that manner, switching hands with the ball as he goes around the cones. When he gets to the end, he will return in the same manner. Time each player and add a two-second penalty for a dribbling mishap, such as missing a cone or losing control of the ball.
Shooting Drill
As a coach, you have to learn who your shooters are. While the skills of basketball including shooting can be taught and improved during the year, players who shoot well in tryouts will be players you can depend on during the game. Designate five shooting spots on the court: 18 feet out on the right baseline, the right wing about 18 feet from the rim, the top of the key, the left wing about 18 feet from the rim and the left baseline 18 feet. Have each player take five shots from each spot and keep track of each player's made baskets. Make your evaluations based on the shooting performance.
Defensive Drill
In this drill, one defensive player has to stop two offensive players. The guard brings the ball over midcourt. The defensive player's job is to stop the pair of players from scoring. She must do this by getting a steal, forcing a turnover, forcing a missed shot or getting the rebound. The offensive players must complete three passes before they can attempt a shot. A great defensive player may stop her two teammates three times out of 10. Keep track of how many stops the defensive player made and make a subjective grade on how sharp and alert she was in the drill and how she looked while attempting to come up with the stop.
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