Any showcase/tryout advice for girl who's a team player (for better or worse)?

[Anonymous]

My DD has limited experience with trying out and participating in showcases, but she's interested in doing them. We're aware they're a big thing during recruiting years (not quite there yet) and now they're offering these showcases for younger and younger years (AU futures, Apex, etc). She's a skilled attack on a good team that really emphasizes team play, but as a result she's really focused on making the right play vs. getting the goal and does not like to ball hog. This is 100% what I would want for her as a player, but in these showcase environments where every girl is trying to get their shot on goal and midis tend to get a lot more action, she ends up frustrated and feeling like she didn't have a lot of opportunity.

Does anyone else with a player like this have any advice? Should she just ball-hog more? Stay true to her style of play and hope it works out? We're at the end of middle school years - does team play in these environments get better as they get older? I'm tempted to just say let skip these events altogether, but as she gets older I think this is something she's going to have to learn to navigate in a number of environments if she wants to keeps playing.

[Anonymous]

This is going to sound silly, it is certainly such a small thing but here goes: If it's a multiple day event, wear the same thing. Wash it every night, but wear the same thing. Wear hair the same. Look the same, everyday. There will be a million brunettes with a ponytail, it's hard to keep them straight. Numbers on your jersey is not enough. You have to make it very easy to be recognized, do all you can re: that.

[Anonymous]

Sign her up as a middie.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:This is going to sound silly, it is certainly such a small thing but here goes: If it's a multiple day event, wear the same thing. Wash it every night, but wear the same thing. Wear hair the same. Look the same, everyday. There will be a million brunettes with a ponytail, it's hard to keep them straight. Numbers on your jersey is not enough. You have to make it very easy to be recognized, do all you can re: that.

Accessory with color to stand out. Wear the same to all events. Get in front of the same coaches she's interested in as many times as possible (showcase, camps, games, etc). Seeing her make the "right" play time after time will help. It could get lost in a 1 day event, over time if they recognize her, she will get noticed. Coaches pick up on that stuff. It can take a while though.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Sign her up as a middie.

If the goal is to make an all-star team, then I agree. If it is to get recruited or get great film, that's debatable.

Remember middie's get half the reps at O and D as attackers and defenders. The question is where do you want your reps.

If you are a standout defender, especially 1:1, go as a defender you will have twice the opportunity to impress. Similar with low attackers.

Other piece of advice I would give is focus on speed/agility training. Most of these showcases have combines and they are arguably as important if not more important than on the field play.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My DD has limited experience with trying out and participating in showcases, but she's interested in doing them. We're aware they're a big thing during recruiting years (not quite there yet) and now they're offering these showcases for younger and younger years (AU futures, Apex, etc). She's a skilled attack on a good team that really emphasizes team play, but as a result she's really focused on making the right play vs. getting the goal and does not like to ball hog. This is 100% what I would want for her as a player, but in these showcase environments where every girl is trying to get their shot on goal and midis tend to get a lot more action, she ends up frustrated and feeling like she didn't have a lot of opportunity.

Does anyone else with a player like this have any advice? Should she just ball-hog more? Stay true to her style of play and hope it works out? We're at the end of middle school years - does team play in these environments get better as they get older? I'm tempted to just say let skip these events altogether, but as she gets older I think this is something she's going to have to learn to navigate in a number of environments if she wants to keeps playing.

If she has fun and you can afford, definitely do it. From experience, though, from both a training and visbility perspective, going to college camps will be a better return. Most focus on doing the right thing as opposed to me-ball.

And yes, no college coach is adding girls to his/her list based on a 8th grade showcase.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Sign her up as a middie.

Horrible advice if you aren’t a Middie. No amount of goals will make a good impression of you are constantly exposed on defense

[Anonymous]

If a college team is looking for a player who is a asssist player then they will like her. She should stick to her game and be the best of what she is.

[Anonymous]

Targeting colleges she wants to attend and going to their Prospect Clinics instead of going to showcases also helps with this. Typically, there are fewer players in attendance and the coaches get a look at the kid's complete game rather than the flashy stuff that helps at a showcase. Make sure there is game film available from school and club that reenforces what is on display at the prospect camp.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Sign her up as a middie.

Horrible advice if you aren’t a Middie. No amount of goals will make a good impression of you are constantly exposed on defense

Sorry, I should have clarified this as for the showcases where you are trying out (as the OP stated). A lot of standing around at attack and d if the team you end up on can't win/can't lose the draw.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:If a college team is looking for a player who is a asssist player then they will like her. She should stick to her game and be the best of what she is.

I'm not a college coach, but I definitely agree with this. I'm not sure any decent coach out there wouldn't appreciate a kid making the correct pass when the situation calls for it. Anyone can try to charge their way through 4 defenders to get to the goal. A good draw and dump to the open cutter looks way prettier and obviously much more effective than drawing a charge...

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Sign her up as a middie.

Horrible advice if you aren’t a Middie. No amount of goals will make a good impression of you are constantly exposed on defense

Sorry, I should have clarified this as for the showcases where you are trying out (as the OP stated). A lot of standing around at attack and d if the team you end up on can't win/can't lose the draw.

I'd still stand by advice for the most part. At most tryout/showcases there are small group drills (small sized play, etc) before the actual games. These tend to mean much more than full field scrimmages. Full games are usually used as "tiebreakers" across borderline kids.

That said, if your child plays multiple positions like middle and attack, sign her up as a middle. If she is primarily a low attacker, keep her at attack and let her dominate during small sides play.

Middie play in there showcases tend to just be able athleticism. If you have a great athlete, then sign her up as middle. If not, keep her in natural position.

Here is an example from a prospect day where an older daughter eventually received an offer. (ended up committing elsewhere).

Her game team had 19 or 20 girls. 2 goalies, 4 defenders, 8 middies, 5-6 attackers). The defenders never left the field. The middies played about 40% of the game. Now who had a chance to make a better impression?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:This is going to sound silly, it is certainly such a small thing but here goes: If it's a multiple day event, wear the same thing. Wash it every night, but wear the same thing. Wear hair the same. Look the same, everyday. There will be a million brunettes with a ponytail, it's hard to keep them straight. Numbers on your jersey is not enough. You have to make it very easy to be recognized, do all you can re: that.

NP. Ha, makes sense and while I hate how my daughter is usually the only dark skinned on the field usually it definitely helps for people noticing her and her talents.

[Anonymous]

It depends if she in communication with individual coaches and they have said that they will run over to the field for one of her games to just watch her, or if she is just playing to try and catch someone's eye.

In general our coach says eyes follow the ball so she should try and make things happen.

[Anonymous]

My advice: she should not force any part of her game that doesn’t come naturally to her. If she feels the pressure to score more, she likely will force those plays and will not show well. Coaches look for speed and athleticism. They look for hustle. On attack they notice players who are smart about their goal scoring. But they also notice players who are relentless in re-defending, going after ground balls, assisting, and executing foul-free back-checks to regain possession. We’ve been thru the recruiting process and I asked a D1 coach directly what they think about kids at camps and showcases who ball hog. The coach told me point blank that her staff sees right through those players and values a more well rounded player who can impact the field in multiple ways beyond goal scoring. FWIW