Colorado Springs, CO – Over the next four days here at the u16 USA Basketball trials 158 players will be trying out for the coveted 12 spots to represent the USA in Mexico this summer. With 35 invites and 123 applicants the USA Basketball Youth Committee will have to wade through some great talent and some ok talent. The key for each player is to create separation from the other. How to get to the final day.
Getting to the last day, or final cut before team selection takes talent and will power. When you watch the USA Women’s National Team Camp in Las Vegas earlier in the month it’s obvious everyone on the floor is a pro or future pro. When you watch the USA u19 trials and the combined USA Pan American Games (PAG) or USA World University Games (WAG) trials you can note who is a keeper and who’s not. A lot of familiar faces where attending, many from prior stints as members of the USAB age group (u16, u17, u18, u19) teams. That experience gave them the opportunity to understand what it takes to compete in international competition and their role.
During the PAG-WAG trials I asked two former star performers for the USA age group teams, three-time NCAA Division 1 Final Four MVP Breanna Stewart from UConn and Diamond DeShields from Tennessee what it takes to make a USA basketball team.
Those coming this week for this new cycle of USA Basketball age group competitions are hoping to follow their footsteps. To get there and be selected will take a lot of effort to give all your effort.
The USAB Youth Committee will start Thursday evening with two, 1.5 hour general mega-drill situation with half of the 158 comprising each session. There are three skills sessions for each group (Thursday/Friday) and three Trials sessions for each group (Friday/Saturday afternoon) before the every serious Saturday evening (session 4) and Sunday morning (session 5) where cuts are usually made. The prior u16 events saw cuts down to 90+ then down to 60+ down to 40+ before the eventual who will make it and who won’t.
What makes a player get from the 158 down to the coveted Sunday morning is effort. There are specific needs for every USA Team, a great point guard leader who can lead a team, make the best choices, not over play their positon, run the offense and be an awesome teammate as this sets the personality for the team. Next is the post were you can never have enough talent. Regardless of what anyone wants to say, this is the premium spot because if you’re good, you’ll be a good college player and a good professional player and make the money. At this age it’s hard to separate height for effort. There are many bigs, but not awesome bigs. If you’re going to be an awesome big, you will show it here. You will show you future and your desire to compete. This “desire to compete” and “run the floor” are the two aspects everyone expects for a Post selection. This is what all the evaluators will be doing, looking for these two characteristics. There were quite a few older players at the u19s and PAG/WAG who had the skill and ability but didn’t produce the necessary desire and effort to make their respective teams. Players I had as “probables” were but and this was “lack of effort and effectiveness (compete)” is what probably doomed them.
There will be a mass of guard and wing and forwards who are in set positions for their high school and travel teams but will need to show their ability to move to their international spot as they move up in age. Even the great Notre Dame and WNBA Tulsa Shock star Skylar Diggins came to USAB as a wing but moved over to the point guard position.
For most guards and forwards here it will be running the floor, being a good teammate, making good passing and shooting decisions and have an “up-side” to their game. This is about shooting well, defending hard and rebounding with passion. With so many people here it’s the downfall of many to take too many shots, make bad passes and have an “unhappy face” to their game and effort. Personality counts here too as you want to be perceived as a team player who can adjust, not trying to be selfish and about yourself. Body language has doomed many a prior performer here.
The beauty of evaluating this age group is where many of the future McDonald’s and Jordan Game stars will come from before they become college and WNBA phenomes. If you’re going to be a star, we’ll find out over the next four days. Any Blue Star Media person will tell you, “You better play hard every drill, every play” and be a great teammate. This is the true evaluation information you need to know.
