Back At Endline

James also tried out for Endline. This was his club last year and he played for the 16s team. The week prior, Endline had an open gym. From what I saw, it didn't look like they had new players. As a matter of fact, some of last year's players were missing. But that was OK since it was just an open gym, or so I thought.

Endline's tryout was 2 hours, immediately following Bay to Bay's tryout on Sunday. James was tired, but he had to continue on for a couple more hours. His only break was the trip from San Jose to Fremont, and he didn't have anything to eat, too. When we got there, I looked around to see if there were any new faces. There were a few, but not any different from those I saw during the open gym.

When tryouts commenced, I started to see the level and quality of the players, particularly for the 16s team. It's difficult not to compare, having just come from Bay to Bay's tryouts, where talent was just overflowing. When I started counting, the number of players barely made 2 teams -- one 16s and one 18s, same as last year. There just wasn't enough players who tried out, and so the resources were limited. It's making do with what you have.

2012-13 Endline 16-Black team

During tryouts, players were offered spots for the 2 teams Endline was fielding. James was offered a spot in the 16s team.

As the dust settled, I got a better look at who was in the 16s. From the looks of it, I felt it was a weaker team compared to last year's. If last  year was a bit disappointing, this year's team is not any better. There was no height, and there was no hitter nor a consistent setter.

The two teams huddled after tryouts and met with their respective coaches. From the 12 players in the 16s, four were either in the process of trying out with other clubs or were awaiting offers. That includes James. If all four leave, Endline will be left with an even weaker team, or none at all if they don't find enough players to form a competitive team. Same goes for the 18s. From what I know, there were at least 2 former 16s teammates of James, who had also tried out with Bay to Bay. They, too, would probably leave if they got an offer to play for Bay to Bay.

At this point, James' priority is to play for Bay to Bay. If that doesn't work out, he still has a fall back in Endline. For now, the wait continues.