3-Day High School Basketball Tryout Plan: Day 1 Skills Evaluation (120 Minutes)

Set the tone: on time, numbered, and accountable. Hand out numbered pinnies as players check in so every chart uses numbers.

• First 2 minutes: explain how stations are scored and what the three days cover.
• Next 10 minutes: dynamic warm-up in lines across the baseline: jog, skips, lunge series, hip openers, ankle hops, then 3 down-and-back build-up runs at 60, 75 and 90 percent.
• Standard: every run finishes through the line.
• What to note: who listens once and executes, who needs directions repeated, and who leads a line without being asked.

An unscored first look before the stations: can players change speed and direction under control and deliver an on-time pass? Run four lines of 6 to 8 so nobody waits more than a few reps.

Setup: two lanes along each sideline. Each lane has 3 discs as change-of-direction points and a coach or manager as the target at the far elbow.

• Dribble script: attack each disc with pace and change direction (in-and-out, crossover, between the legs), then jump stop at the elbow. Two trips with each hand leading.
• Passing script: from the elbow, 5 chest passes and 5 one-hand push passes with each hand to the target, who shows a hand high or low just before the pass.
• Common mistake: drifting wide on the change of direction. Cue: "Plant, stay low, explode out."

You are looking for clean jump stops with no travel and passes that arrive at the target's chest or shooting pocket.

Players hydrate while you send the four posted groups to their first station and show the rotation direction. Scoring rules are already written on a whiteboard at each station, so the only instruction needed is "attempts and makes are both charted."

The main evaluation period. Four stations, 8 minutes each: 7 minutes of charted work and 1 minute to finish charting and rotate. Groups of 6 to 8. One horn ends the work, a second horn starts the next station.

• Station 1, Shooting: players pair up as shooter and rebounder, and two shooters go at once on opposite sides of the basket. Each shooter takes 2 catch-and-shoot attempts from 5 spots (both corners, both wings, top) for 10 charted shots, then switches with the partner. Chart makes out of 10.
• Station 2, Finishing: 6 finishes per player in a continuous line: 3 right-hand and 3 left-hand layups, alternating sides. A coach holds a blocking pad and gives a light bump to the hip or shoulder at the gather. No swipes at the arms or ball, and any awkward contact is a no-rep and a replay. Chart makes and correct hand.
• Station 3, Passing accuracy: from 15 feet, 10 passes to a 2-foot taped square on the wall or a coach's hands at chest height: 4 chest, 3 right-hand push, 3 left-hand push. Chart hits out of 10. Run a second round if time allows and record both.
• Station 4, Ball handling: 5 cones in a zig-zag about 10 feet apart from the baseline to half court. The player changes direction at every cone, takes 2 retreat dribbles at the last cone, then speed-dribbles straight back. The clock starts on the first move and stops when the player crosses the baseline. One run starting right-handed, one starting left-handed. Add 1 second for each lost ball or missed cone and chart both times.

Expect players to rush the shooting station and fade on the shot. One cue fixes most of it: "Land where you jumped." Groups jog to the next station on the horn, and you note any player who is late.

Conditioning is an evaluation, not a punishment. Pick one test and run it the same way every season so you build a baseline. This plan uses 17s, run as one continuous effort per timed rep.

How to count 17s: one trip is a sprint across the width of the court from one sideline to the other, ending with a foot touching the line. Players complete 17 trips. Because 17 is an odd number, everyone finishes on the sideline opposite the start. The partner counts each line touch out loud ("one, two, three") and the coach times from the whistle to the touch that ends trip 17. A common target is about one minute, but use your own program's standard and post it before the first rep.

• Heats and spacing: three heats of 8 to 11 players, spread along the full sideline at least two arm lengths apart. Everyone runs straight across in their own lane and turns in place. If the floor is crowded, cap heats at 8 and add a fourth heat.
• Partners: each runner has a partner from another heat who counts and writes down the time a coach calls at the finish.
• Sequence: every heat runs a 4-trip practice rep at about 70 percent to learn the turn. Then heats 1, 2 and 3 run the first timed rep in order, and repeat for a second timed rep. Resting while the other heats run gives each player roughly 3 minutes of recovery. Record both times.
• Line rule: a trip only counts if a foot touches the line. A missed line is not counted, so the player runs one extra trip.
• Safety: any player who feels dizzy, short of breath beyond normal exertion, or unwell stops immediately and is checked by a coach or athletic trainer. Record the rep as incomplete and move on.

Hydrate and send the posted 3v3 teams to their baskets. Teams should mix grades and positions, with at least one primary ball handler on each. Remind players that a stop is worth the same as a basket.

This is where station skill has to translate. Play four 4-minute rounds, horn to horn, with 30 seconds to rotate. The next teams should be standing at the check line before the horn. Use every basket you have: with four baskets, eight teams all play every round. With only two half courts, teams alternate playing and resting each round.

Rules: every possession starts with a check at the top. A coach counts a 12-second shot clock out loud. The offense needs a paint touch (drive, post seal, or hard cut) before a shot. Offensive rebounds are live with a fresh 12 seconds. After a made basket, a defensive rebound, or a turnover, the ball is dead and the other team checks it at the top. No make-it-take-it.

Scoring: 1 point for a basket, 1 point for a defensive stop, 2 points for a forced turnover or a charge taken. High score at the horn wins. Winners rotate one basket to the right and the other team stays, so matchups change every round.

What each coach charts: one basket per coach. For each player number, mark plus plays (assist, stop, hustle play, help-side talk) and minus plays (turnover, blown assignment, ball-watching).

If a game bogs down into one player dribbling while two watch, freeze it once, point out the spacing, and let them play again. Save longer teaching for Day 2.

Full-court play shows who can sprint, match up, and decide quickly without a set play. Keep coaching to a minimum: observe, record, rotate.

Game schedule: four teams (A, B, C, D). Four 4-minute games on a running clock with about 1 minute between games: A vs B, C vs D, A vs C, B vs D. Every team plays twice. This is a first look only. The long 5v5 segments come on Day 3.

Substitutions at the 2-minute horn: write the starting five and the subs for both games on each team's sheet before tryouts start, so nobody is guessing.

• Team of 7: 5 start and 2 sit. At the horn the 2 bench players replace 2 named starters.
• Team of 8: 5 start and 3 sit. At the horn all 3 come in for 3 named starters.
• Team of 6: 5 start and 1 sits. At the horn that player replaces 1 named starter.
• Second game: the players who sat first in game one start game two, and different players begin on the bench.

Teams that are not playing: if you have side baskets, pair up and shoot 10 free throws each while a partner charts makes. If you only have the main court, the two waiting teams sit on the sideline bench opposite the scorer's table, well clear of both baselines, and each waiting player tracks one player on the floor for sprint-backs and deflections on a shared clipboard. Skip the free throw chart and collect it on Day 2.

Starting possessions: alternate a live start off a coach's outlet pass with a baseline inbound, so you see who pushes the ball and who organizes teammates.

Grade four things: sprinting back on defense, ball pressure without reaching, talking through matchups, and shot selection when tired. Give one correction only. If players jog back after a turnover, stop play once and replay it with the cue "After a turnover, the first three steps are a sprint." If you film, shoot from midcourt and as high as possible so pinnie numbers are readable.

Finish with a short, clear message and release the group on time.

• Tell players what is next: Day 2 is defense and decision-making under pressure. Day 3 is longer 5v5, special situations, and role evaluation.
• Logistics: confirm the next report time, that players keep the same number, and what to bring (water, court shoes).
• Staff job: collect every station sheet, free throw chart and conditioning time before anyone leaves the gym, and have each coach write down top observations while they are fresh.