A couple weeks ago, we hosted tryouts for the varsity and JV basketball teams. Needless to say, tough decisions would have to be made by cutting players.
During this process, there will be players that you love but they’re not quite ready. If they just had another 3 – 6 weeks to develop, they would make team. And in some cases, a player just needs an opportunity for a “real” coach to develop them over time.
For these players, I created a pathway, where they may be able to join team later (in the year).
To do this, I implemented a role called “player/manager”. Yes, this player would act as team manager, but in addition, player would be able to participate in actual basketball drills and immerse himself in our team culture.
If/when an opportunity presents itself, I’d move this player onto active roster.
I extended this opportunity to 2 players. One player enthusiastically accepted. The other player declined.
Literally, within 24 hours after final cuts, one of the players who made team quit. The player that enthusiastically accepted “player/manager” role is next in line (all because he was willing to accept “player/manager” role). The other player, who didn’t accept “player/manager” role is on the outside (and still doesn’t know what he turned down).
Moral to the story, oftentimes, the things we want won’t come to us in a straight line. There are zigs and zags, but ultimately, if we’re willing to take the stairs as opposed to the elevator, we’ll eventually get to our destination.
If your kid gets cut, and the coach offers your kid a “team role” opportunity, encourage your kid to accept it. It’s the coach’s way of keeping the door open for your kid!
