1. Spirit or Heart – How much do you really want to be a part of the school team? Are you enthusiastic, positive and doing your best all the time? Always be positive and know that you and your team will improve. Believe in yourself and your teammates. Help them become better as you become better.
2. Teamwork – How well do you work within a school team? Do you work as hard as or harder than everyone else? Are you an example of good team player? Do you adjust your attitude to be a member of the team? Do you argue with the coach or other players (not good)? The better you work with your team the more valuable you are to the Coach and your teammates.
3. Work Hard – Are you willing to work hard, not miss practices and games, stay healthy, be on time and ready to play, and make time to practice on your own? Nobody wants to put someone on the school team who is always late, misses practices or games or doesn’t work hard when they are at practice. You can enjoy the games and practices but these are times to focus on skill-building and winning; you can schedule time to kid around and have fun later.
4. Determination & Perseverance – Do have perseverance? Do you stick to it, never give up and keep trying to do your personal best or do you have little temper tantrums, create drama, get frustrated and quit? Nobody wants someone on the school team that brings the team down, fights with other players, coaches, referees or is constantly seeking attention or approval. No one wants to hurt the school or team reputation.
5. Do you have Court Smarts? Do you play smart? Do you see other’s strengths and weaknesses and use that knowledge to your own and the team’s advantage? Do you understand strategy and tactics of court play? Are you continually learning to play smarter and better? Are you listening to others, observing and learning? After all, its a school team which means you are supposed to be learning while you practice and while you play.
Half of every game is DEFENSE and the other half OFFENSE. You must understand the difference and be able to play in both situations. Much of your time on the court is stealing the ball, blocking passes and shots, defending your goal, collecting rebounds and this is as important as making good passes, making smart moves, faking your opponents and sinking your shots. You can win a game by out-scoring your opponents or keeping their score lower than yours but most games will require both. You must be able to play defensively as well as offensively.
Use this information above and shape yourself to be the next starter on your school team.