Headed North to Georgia—

This weekend will be an interesting one as I head to Savannah, GA for the first set of tryouts for the Savannah Wildcats. For those who are interested in trying out, or watching the festivities, they will take place at the Savannah YMCA located at 1110 May Street and will start at 1:00.

Tryouts are always interesting to watch for someone who isn’t faced with the stress of trying to make the squad of a professional basketball team. I remember watching the Vermont Frost Heaves tryouts up in Burlington, VT and seeing a bunch of guys who were just trying to keep their dream of playing professional basketball alive and kicking. They were running drills as if their very lives depended on it with guys whom they hoped would be their future employers watching literally every step they made. I will never forget guys like Kerry Lyons who were smiling from ear to ear and enjoying every second of the tryout experience. Lyons, an AAU coach in Milton, VT, ended up making the team and becoming a local cult hero despite not playing a minute for the entire season. This is what trying out for a pro basketball team is all about.

From the point of view of someone who represents the CBL, there are a couple of things I will be looking for from the players.  Now, I played in high school, but am not the greatest judge of talent in the world so I will be looking at the intangibles. Although I will have no say in the final roster, for my own interest I will be looking to see what guys hustle the most, the guys who think out on the court, and most importantly which guys play as if they are a part of a team. Tryouts are interesting in this respect as guys have to look out for themselves but have to show they are team players as well. Having gotten to know coach/owner Lamont Moreno over the last year or so, I know he will be looking at these things as well.

Doing PR for the league puts me in an interesting position: I get to speak to the players as to what it means to be a professional basketball player. I firmly believe that part of not only the coaches jobs, but my job is to teach these guys how to act both on and off the court. Scouts are going to not only look at what a guy can do while double teamed on the low post; they are going to look at their character as well. Is this player going to be a problem off the court? Does he have issues with authority and being coached?

Needless to say, it will be an interesting day here in Savannah. Stay tuned and I will keep everyone posted on what is going on.