Sham Tryouts

[Anonymous]

Is anyone else sick of sham tryouts? I’m talking about tryouts when teams have already been selected. What’s especially galling are the tryouts where people have to pay $$$ to have their kids attend. What’s so hard about making an announcement on a team’s website saying that the team has already been chosen and to check back next year?

[Anonymous]

Yes. I feel this. McLean select basketball.

[Anonymous]

Yes but it's so difficult to spot the sham or know if the team was already selected without having an inside contact. And some teams will drop a current player(s) if they find new talent as was the case with DC's AAU basketball team last year.

[Anonymous]

It's been this way for years, it's mostly a PR stunt to get you to sign up for other services and programs. Happens all around the DMV.

[Anonymous]

so tiring. I'm sorry

[Anonymous]

I sometimes feel this way about private school admissions too...
why do they accept 120 applications for 6 spots when they most will be filled by siblings or the like anyway.
Hard on the kids, and a rough sad lesson about life.

[Anonymous]

In my experience, they will always take new players and drop old ones.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:In my experience, they will always take new players and drop old ones.

Not necessarily if it is a parent coach. Watch for that too.

[Anonymous]

It’s really sad. My son was on a team like this and really good players would try out and not make the team. He felt really bad for them, he knew they walked away thinking they were not “good enough”.when they were.

[Anonymous]

It was explained to me like this - they basically already know, but need to account for kids maybe leaving for other teams AND looking for someone amazing who wanders in.

So if your little Messi shows up at a tryout, there is room, but your totally normal kid is staying where he's at when the season ends unless you've had conversations.

[Anonymous]

It’s not hard to tell these teams.

[Anonymous]

This all may be true for Club basketball but my experience is that local select leagues aren’t premeditated.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:This all may be true for Club basketball but my experience is that local select leagues aren’t premeditated.

Well some have been together for years and are playing at a very high level where you won’t just make the team because you are better than average. But there is a certain type of player that most teams will make room for.

[Anonymous]

Its sketchy to charge a fee to tryout. That's a red flag.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Its sketchy to charge a fee to tryout. That's a red flag.

Why? Just trying to understand the lay of the land.