Sunday was the second day of tryouts. Prior to the start of the tryouts, one of the coaches announced that they will be forming only one 15s team, but will be adding an additional 16s team. I reminded Jake that he needed to bring his A game if he wanted to get an offer to play for Bay to Bay. And he did. Short of being a ball-hog, he was allover the place, calling out every shot that he would take. Good communication inside the court is key and he did a good job at it. It paid off for him because he was moved to center court and was playing with the better team.
Watching these players from the sideline, I cannot help but we awed at how well they play, and how fluid and rhythmic their movements were since some of them have not played together other than at that tryout. They had great passes, their hits were powerful, and had long rallies. It was just a great sight to see. Personally, it was a far cry from our experience last year. With what I was witnessing, I was even more eager for my son to get into this club. I know that he will learn a lot, his skill level will improve, and will enjoy the experience. Since there was no way for me to tell him to do even better, I was just hopeful that he would keep it up and show them what he's got.
Midway through the tryout, the 6 liberos were called out for some drills. Two remained at center court to play, while the 4 others moved to the other court, including James. This was the time for him to shine. And he did. The coach made them receive down balls, make controlled passes to a setter, do digs, and everything else a libero was expected to do. The two top liberos from that drill moved to center court and relieved the 2 other liberos who have not drilled. James was one of the two. The other two stood on the sidelines, while the remaining two drilled.
Then, I noticed the 15s coach and the additional 16s coach stand up and asked the 2 liberos playing at center court to move to a vacant court for additional drills. I knew it was selection time, and it all boiled down to what coach was taking what player. The drill was receiving serves and making good passes to a make-believe setter near the net. All kinds of serves were made, mostly jump serves and down balls. To me, both players were good, not because one of them was my son. Either of the coaches can take one of them and not go wrong. In the end, the 16s coach told both boys that the club would like to have them on their teams, but who goes where was yet to be finalized. Jake glanced at me, gave a non-discreet thumbs-up, and a quick smile. I had a feeling it was all good.
After tryouts, the lead coach informed everyone that calls would be made to players, beginning Sunday night untill Tuesday, informing them if they made the team or not. If any player received an offer or a spot in a team, they cannot accept until after 48 hours from their tryout. For us, that meant no sooner than Tuesday, 12:15pm.
Now, the wait begins.
No comments:
Post a Comment