Making High School basketball team

I played high-school basketball from 1969-1971.... for Dr. Naismith himself!

I guess it depends on the program and style of play, but coaches always love good decision-making, defense, and ball-handling. Those who do the grunt work well get the ultimate appreciation. Of course, a requisite amount of athleticism is necessary.

However, our coaches cut players with more talent who were less coachable.

 

It was always my experience that a lot of coaches looked for athletes on the high school level. There really wasn't that much difference from one guy to the next in terms of sheer athleticism in middle school. Sure, some guys were taller and bigger, but for the most part, if you could play (i.e. shoot, pass, dribble, play D) you could make the team. On the high school level, if you go to any of the bigger schools 4A and 5A, you're going to be going up against super athletes almost every game. It's hard for a coach to fill his squad with guys who can't stay with the other team in terms of athleticism. Most teams have one, maybe two, shooters on the team to combat the zone, but ideally, this person is also athletic and can play good D. If you're a tweener, I say concentrate on your defense. If you can play good man and team defense, be in the right position at all times, coaches pick up on these things and it can make the difference between getting cut or making the team. If you do make the team, it means more PT. There's always room for smart basketball players on any level. Pay attention in practice and know your assignments.

 

It is the greatest time of your life, whether you are a superstar or a guy sitting on the end of the bench.

I remember I had always played CYO ball and as one of the taller kids, I played in the post even though I could stroke the threes. Then when I hit 13, I started getting these awful pains in my knees. I would be in agony. During a family trip to the Smoky Mountains, I had to get out and try to walk it off every hour or so it hurt so bad. But in no time, I went from around 5-11 to 6-5, with the longest set of arms to match. What makes it especially freaky is that I'm half Japanese and there isn't much size on my father's side (the white side) either. So I was/ still am the tallest member of both sides of my family. I came back to school after the summer as an eighth grader and I'm a clumsy, bumbling fool. With that new body, I couldn't do anything I once did and I seriously considered quitting hoops for good.

My freshmen year, I figure out how to use this big body and I became a scoring/rebounding/shotblocking/passing dynamo.
On varsity, I become the school's first freshman to start a game since the 70's, back in 1982. I got my first dunk that year on a put back that I meant to simply lay up, but when I felt myself jumping higher, I said......why not? We were eliminated by our hated rival, who we hadn't beaten in 10 years on a last second shot in the semi-finals. Yeech. I averaged around 9 ppg, 6 rebounds, 3 blocks, 4 dimes a game.

My sophomore year I got back my long range shooting stroke and I start to become more a focal point of the offense. We lose only three games, advance to the semis again and lose by three points. I averaged around 15 ppg, 7 rebounds, 3 blocks, 4 dimes a game.

Junior year was my second best season individually, but my favorite as a team. We take the state championship for the first time in school history and get to play in a Christmas high school tournament in New Orleans in the Superdome, which was cool. I averaged around 19 ppg, 7 rebounds, 5 blocks, 5 dimes a game, but in the finals, I averaged around 26 ppg and shot around 55 percent from the field.

My senior year I get all these nagging injuries to my back, my knees, roll my ankle etc, my numbers go down, our team is upset in the first round of the playoffs and we are depressed. I only averaged around 15 ppg, 5 rebounds, 2 blocks, 5 dimes a game.

A couple of scouts from some SEC schools, GA Tech, UNO, South Alabama, UAB, C of Charleston and some other schools came to look at me. The SEC schools said I was too slow and didn't have the kind of athleticism they were looking for and that all I'd ever amount to was a 12th man on the bench, but they'd be happy if I walked on sans any scholarship. The other smaller schools, South (my hometown squad), UAB and Jacksonville offered me a partial academic scholarship and a chance to walk on but I had already to decided to join the Corps after school. It took me ten years to get back to college. It was a fun ride, great learning experience and at age 35, I can still ball.

 

I'm lucky since my school is pretty small, so I'm pretty much assured a spot on the team. Plus, everybody is pretty short here, so being 5'11 doesn't hurt. I got some athleticism, and should be able to dunk or get close to it at the end of the year, if I bust my butt like I should.

I kind of sucked at learning all the right things when I was younger, but I really practiced what my coaches told me, and I'm looing pretty good right now as a Junior. I think my hard work and coachability is really appreciated by coaches.

Hehe...we are practicing with all the non-football basketball players, and I really like the advantage I got one all the youngsters. I remember when I use to suck like them.

We run a lot and do things that are not "fun," but being able to play on those basketball nights with a crowd as well as seeing myself improve really gets me going. My school is so-so at basketball. We sometimes lose a lot or go about .500. This year, my coach said he had a meeting with all the other coaches on our schedule, and no one thinks we'll win a game. That really pisses me off, and hopefully everyone else as well, so we may able to play the underdog.

Since our school isn't huge with any sports, that may be why we concentrate on hard work and a willingness to learn. I guess.

 

I played from 8-11 grade, i quit this year cuz i wasnt getting much time and wasnt going to get much this year, and it wasnt worth the dedication over the summer and stuff to do it. My high school team sucks though, havent had a winning season in years, and we are one of the biggest schools around (we are D-1), back in the day i hear from my parents/grandparents that my school was a powerhouse every year. But the past 10 yrs or so we have sucked ever since. At least i wasnt the only senior to quit, most the seniors quit too and there is only going to be 2 seniors playing this year. We also dont have anyone over 6'0 and the leauge our team is in has guards that size.

 

Crap! editing is off, i wanted to add one more thing, even though our teams sucked, i still had a good time and thought i gained a lot of knowledge by playing it. I also think i grew up and matured a lot faster than my friends by playing bball.

 

I both played in highshool and coached my highschool after graduation. Coaches want this from their highschool players.

1. For guards it is essential that you learn to bring the ball up the court, under pressure and how to pass out of traps and not get picked. If your team is having trouble bringing the ball up the court, it is difficult to run plays. The team turns into chaos.

2. For big men, learn to make strong moves and learn how to make lay ups with both hands. Also learn how to pass out of double teams.

3. For everybody learn how to keep your body in between your man and the basket. We don't expect everyone to make blocks, but we do expect lateral movement so your man doesn't have a clear path to the basket. This will also help you from getting blown by. Even big players can keep themselves inbetween the man and the basket. Look at what the dream used to do.

4. For small players, learn to not jump up to block shots on the perimeter and simply stay between your man and the basket and use your lower body to keep him on the parameter. Also learn to hit open shots. The 12 - 15 footer should be an automatic.

5. Make your free throws. Many highschool games are won or lost on the line.

 

middle school team in 7th grade, then all the other kids started growing taller and i started getting shorter

 

One thing I forgot to add:
A. Always play good defense. Don't ever fall asleep on a backdoor play, because no coach wants someone who can't play defense (until you get to the NBA, then you have Big Dog Robinson and other French-style defenders). Scrappy defensive players who love to D up are on sure-fire course to a coach's heart.

B. Make sure you are in shape way before the season starts. Nothing pisses a coach off more than someone in poor condition.

C. Rebound. I remember one time I got only a pair of rebounds in a first half and my coach grabbed me on the way to the lockerroom. He told me that if I didn't grow a pair of nuts and rebound like a man, he was going to give me the hook for the rest of the game. I went out in the second half and grabbed 15.

D. Box out! You can't rebound without doing so. Put your ass on someone and box them out. Coaches yell that more than anything. I yell it at my eight year old players in CYO ball.

E. Hustle. Compete in every single last stupid drill. Act as if it were your last. don't be afraid of chasing down loose balls on the floor and if you get in a pile for a loose ball, act as if they were trying to take away a ball full of money from you.

F. Practice all kinds of shots from every part of the floor. I shot over 300 shots a day and even with my schedule, I still shoot around in our concrete fullcourt in my backyard with my son for at least an hour.

G. Most importantly, play hoops every chance you get. Nothing makes you better than game experience and always play against people you know are much better. You will get better fast or die trying.

 

I grew up playing baseball. Hated basketball. Then moved to a basketball crazy state (Kentucky), grew 4 inches to 6'2" and caught started playing. Still sucked as freshman and became team manager, washing jocks and such. Sucked walking into opposing gym being one of the tallest guys on team and was only a jock washer.

I made the team my senior year after growing to 6'3". Still sucked. My real game developed in college playing every day against good competition. I look back often thinking "if only"

 

I was pretty much a scrub. Once and only once, I got to play a complete second quarter. I got six rebounds in that quarter.

I agree with Bama here but life is cruel because I returned to the bench and pretty much stayed there.

 

I played Jr High Basketball. Some good times. Jr. high football always felt like something you had to do, basketball was just fun despite the insane amount of running we had to do. I also rememebr I was sporting the first kobe Bryants during my 7th grade along with the #8 jersey, man why did I ever like him? Everybody wanted 34,23, 22, etc..I wanted 8 and nobody had a clue why. I imagine now in days that #8 is very popular in youth basketball

Coaches look for height, no question there I was a pudgy 5'5 center that was twice as talented as the guys ahead of me. They just hit puberty before the rest of us but oh man they sucked. I proved it everytime in practice but never got pumped up to "A" team so I never got my bragging rights

I always thought if we just played rather than try to run an offense that we would have been much more effective. I think the coaches knew this too, they just had plays to make them think that they were actually doing something. But man the games were brutal I mean we probaly had a high of like 30points and a low of 8 points for an entire game in my 2 years. And oh ya we sucked last place both years I believe. If they would have just let us play we would have been so much better

Its defintely worth it. 2 years of basketball was funner than 6 years of football combine. Not even my varsity season could top jr high basketball. Man those were some fun times. I could go on and on about those times but ill just stop and say, yes it was worth it.

 

Hehe...yeah, my JV coach let us do this after seeing we just couldn't run any type of offense that well. He just told us to go out and get something done. It was funny since some teams would call a timeout trying to figure out what we were running.

We didn't score like 100ppg with this offense, but I think we did better doing it than trying to execute an offense.

 

Yeah, it is a regulation full court. My cousin and I poured the concrete ourselves, put up the goals (we welded the poles) and painted all the necessary work on it. We wanted to do a Rockets logo midcourt, but we couldn't figure out a way to do it and it not look sloppy. I've got some floodlights out there now and frequently, I have friends from town come to play full court pickup out there. Everybody likes it during the summer because you play ball during the muggy nights and you can jump in enclosed pool a short walk away.