 Why I Didn't Make My Basketball Team: A Playbook for Players and Parents
Getting cut from a basketball team hurts. There's no sugarcoating it. But here's what I've learned from watching countless players go through this experience: failure isn't your final statement, it's just one point in your journey. The players who come back stronger the next season are the ones who understand that setbacks are actually blueprints for success. I've seen friends who didn't make their teams work all winter long and come back absolutely prepared. They turned that disappointment into fuel. And you know what? That's exactly what separates players who eventually make it from those who give up after the first "no." The Real Reasons You Didn't Make the CutLet's get honest about why coaches make the decisions they do. It's not always about being the best shooter or the fastest player on the court. Coaches are looking at the complete package, and they've got limited time during tryouts to see what you can bring to the table. You didn't demonstrate game understanding. This is huge, and it's something I see all the time. You might have great individual skills, but basketball is a team sport. Coaches want to see that you understand spacing, when to make the extra pass, how to move without the ball, and where to be on defense. If you're out there playing street ball instead of team basketball, that's a red flag. You couldn't show your potential contribution. Here's the thing, coaches aren't just looking for players who can contribute immediately. They're also looking for players who might not start right away but could help the team in practice, boost competitive energy, and develop into contributors down the road. If you couldn't communicate that potential during tryouts, you missed an opportunity. Your preparation showed (or didn't show). Coaches can spot a player who hasn't touched a basketball in three months from a mile away. Your first touch, your conditioning, your sharpness, it all tells a story about how serious you are about basketball. You get rewarded for the work you put in, and the work you don't put in becomes transparent through your play. Stop Making Excuses and Start Making ProgressHere's where we need to have a tough conversation. When you don't make the team, your first instinct might be to point fingers. Politics. Favoritism. The coach doesn't like you. I get it, it's easier to blame external factors than to look in the mirror. But here's what successful players do differently: they find out the why. Go talk to your coach. Ask them specifically what you need to work on. Yes, it might be uncomfortable. Yes, you might not love what you hear. But that feedback isn't meant to tear you down: it's meant to give you a roadmap for improvement. Take that criticism and use it as your baseline. If the coach says you need to work on your left hand, guess what you're doing all summer? If they mention your conditioning, that's your focus. If they question your basketball IQ, you're watching film and studying the game. Stop fearing the feedback. Most players are actually afraid to hear what coaches think they need to work on. But that feedback is gold! It's your personalized development plan handed to you on a silver platter. Use it. The players who come back successfully are the ones who own their shortcomings and attack them relentlessly. They don't make excuses: they make improvements. The "Use It or Lose It" ChallengeBasketball skills are like muscles: if you don't use them, you lose them. I challenge every player who didn't make their team to stay active in the gym. Not just shooting around aimlessly, but working with purpose on the specific areas that need improvement. This is where consistency beats intensity every single time. Would you rather work out once a week for three hours, or 30 minutes every day? The daily work builds habits, muscle memory, and conditioning that stick around when it matters most. Your comeback starts now. Not next month when you feel motivated. Not when the season gets closer. Right now. The players who use this disappointment as motivation to get better are the ones who shock everyone when tryouts roll around again. A Message for Parents: Support AND AccountabilityParents, this section is for you. Your response to your child not making the team will shape how they handle adversity for the rest of their lives. You have an incredible opportunity here to teach resilience, accountability, and perseverance. Be highly encouraging. Your kid is hurting right now. They need to know you're proud of them for trying out, that you believe in them, and that this setback doesn't define their worth. Support them emotionally and help them process the disappointment in a healthy way. But here's the key: you also need to hold them accountable. Don't let them blame the coach or make excuses about politics. Help them take ownership of what they could have done better. Ask them hard questions: "How often were you in the gym this summer? Did you work on the fundamentals? What specific skills do you think you need to improve?" This isn't about being harsh: it's about teaching them that success requires honest self-evaluation and consistent effort. The parents who do both: encourage AND hold accountable: raise kids who bounce back stronger. Help them make a plan. Work with your child to create specific, measurable goals for the next season. What skills will they work on? How many days per week will they train? What resources will they use to improve? Which brings me to an important point: you don't have to figure this out alone. Your Training Partner: The Hoop LabThis is where The Hoop Lab becomes your secret weapon. We specialize in taking players who didn't make their teams and turning them into the players coaches can't ignore. We've seen it happen over and over again. Players come to us disappointed and frustrated, and we help them channel that energy into focused improvement. Our trainers understand exactly what coaches are looking for because we've been there. We know how to develop not just your skills, but your basketball IQ and game understanding. We're not just going to make you sweat: we're going to make you smarter. Our training goes beyond individual skills. We teach spacing, decision-making, and how to impact winning even when you're not the star. These are the intangibles that coaches notice during tryouts. Plus, staying active at The Hoop Lab means you'll be sharp when next year's tryouts arrive. No more showing up rusty and hoping to luck your way onto the roster. You'll be prepared, confident, and ready to show coaches exactly what you can contribute. Your Journey Isn't Over: It's Just BeginningRemember, every successful basketball player has a story about overcoming setbacks. Michael Jordan got cut from his high school varsity team as a sophomore. Scottie Pippen barely played as a freshman at Central Arkansas. Kobe Bryant had games where he shot 1-for-14 from the field. What made these players great wasn't that they never failed: it's that they used their failures as motivation to get better. They understood that the journey of basketball is built on both successes and setbacks, and that each setback teaches you something valuable about what it takes to succeed. Your comeback story starts with your response to this moment. Will you make excuses, or will you make improvements? Will you give up, or will you get better? The choice is yours. And if you choose to fight back, to put in the work, and to come back stronger next season, we'll be here to help you every step of the way. Because that's what we do at The Hoop Lab: we turn disappointments into breakthroughs, and setbacks into comebacks. Your journey isn't over. It's just getting started.  Here's the truth: I've seen too many players who can execute every drill perfectly in practice but freeze up the moment they step onto the court for a real game. As a trainer at The Hoop Lab, I've learned that the secret isn't choosing between traditional drills and game-like training: it's understanding how to make them work together to create players who don't just perform, they dominate when it matters most.
You need both approaches, but here's what most coaches and parents don't realize: if your skills can't translate from practice to game time, you're just going through the motions. Let me share what I've discovered through years of watching players transform from drill machines into game-time warriors. The Foundation: Why Traditional Drills Still Matter Don't get me wrong: I love traditional drills! They're the bedrock of player development, building those rudimentary skills that become the building blocks for everything else. When you watch NBA players warm up before a game, what are they doing? Stationary ball-handling, catch-and-shoot drills, form shooting: all those fundamental movements we practice in training. These fundamentals serve a crucial purpose: they activate muscle memory and prepare players for when offensive sets and game situations demand those skills. Think of traditional drills as your vocabulary lessons: you need to know the words before you can write poetry. The crisp footwork, proper shooting form, and clean ball-handling techniques developed through repetitive drills create the foundation that makes everything else possible. But here's where many programs go wrong: they stop there. They create players who can recite the alphabet perfectly but can't write a sentence when it counts. The Game-Changer: Why Situational Training Transforms Players I'll never forget working with a player who could execute every drill we threw at him. His form was textbook, his footwork was clean, and his ball-handling was smooth as silk: in practice. But when game time came, it was like watching someone who'd never touched a basketball before. He had all the tools but none of the understanding of when, where, or how to use them. That's when I started diving deep into game film and really watching how basketball was evolving. I began creating situational drills that mirrored what I was seeing in real games, and everything changed. The game slowed down for him. He started seeing opportunities instead of just reacting to chaos. Game-like training does something traditional drills can't: it teaches players to think and execute simultaneously at game speed. When you're working on a 2-on-1 fast break drill, you're not just practicing ball-handling: you're developing court vision, decision-making under pressure, and reading defensive reactions. That's the difference between practicing moves and practicing basketball. The Hybrid Approach: Building Complete Players At The Hoop Lab, we've developed an approach that maximizes both methodologies. We use traditional drills to build and reinforce fundamental skills, then immediately transition those skills into game-like scenarios. It's not enough to perfect a crossover move in isolation: you need to understand when to use it against different defensive pressures and how it fits into various offensive sets. This approach is highly individualized because every player comes to us with different strengths, weaknesses, and playing styles. Some players need more fundamental work before they can handle complex game situations. Others have solid basics but struggle with decision-making under pressure. The key is building that relationship with each player and understanding what they need to take the next step. The beauty of this hybrid method is that it prepares players for the reality of basketball: different coaches have different systems, different teams play at different paces, and different situations demand different responses. We give our players a well-rounded toolkit of movements and decisions that translate across all these variables. The Lightbulb Moment: When Everything Clicks There's nothing quite like watching a player have that breakthrough moment. You know the one: when they execute a skill they've been working on in practice during an actual game and suddenly understand its power. The confidence that builds from that moment is incredible. I've seen players go from hesitant to dominant once they make that connection between practice and performance. The game literally slows down for them because they're no longer just reacting: they're recognizing patterns, anticipating opportunities, and executing with purpose. This transformation happens when players start understanding the "why" behind what we're teaching. It's not enough to know how to do a step-back jumper; you need to understand when it's the right weapon to use and how to set it up within the flow of the game. Making Skills Stick: The Film Study Connection One of the most powerful tools we use at The Hoop Lab is connecting our training to what players see in live games. I encourage every player to watch basketball with a purpose: not just for entertainment, but to identify the skills they're working on in action. When a player can watch a game and recognize a situation they've practiced, pointing out how a professional player executed the same skill or decision they've been working on, that's when real learning happens. They start to see the game differently, understanding that the fundamentals we drill aren't separate from basketball: they ARE basketball, just packaged in game-speed situations. This is why our approach is so relationship-driven. Every player processes information differently, responds to different motivations, and connects with the game in their own way. My job is to find those connections and help each player build their own understanding of how their skills translate to success on the court. The Science Behind the Success Research consistently shows that game-like training produces superior results compared to traditional drill-only approaches. Players developed through situational training demonstrate:
Your Next Step: Bridging the Gap Whether you're a parent supporting your child's development, a player looking to elevate your game, or a coach seeking better methods, remember this: the goal isn't to choose between traditional and game-like training. The goal is to create seamless connections between fundamental skills and game applications. Start by watching basketball with intention. Identify the skills you're working on and observe how they show up in real games. Ask yourself why certain moves work in specific situations and how you can practice those same scenarios. Most importantly, never stop asking "how does this help me in a real game?" At The Hoop Lab, we're committed to developing complete players who don't just perform drills: they dominate games. Our training bridges that crucial gap between practice and performance, creating players who are confident, capable, and ready for whatever the game throws at them. Ready to transform your game? Let's work together to build skills that don't just look good in practice: they win games when it matters most. Visit us at The Hoop Lab and discover what it means to train with purpose and play with confidence! I'll never forget the moment that completely changed how I think about player development. Seven years into my coaching career, I found myself on the sideline watching our team get absolutely schooled by an Australian squad. But here's what blew my mind: it wasn't their athleticism or their size that dominated us. It was their spacing, their selflessness, and their incredible movement without the ball in a traditional 5v5 game! After we got our tails kicked, I had to ask their coach: "What do you do differently to get your players to play like that?" His answer stopped me in my tracks: "They all start out playing 3v3 in the younger ages, and they still play 3v3 now to stay sharp on spacing, selflessness, movement without the ball, and understanding isolated matchups." That conversation happened seven years ago, and I wish I'd had it six years earlier. Here's what I've learned since then about why 3v3 basketball isn't just good for player development: it's essential.  The Truth About Repetition and Mistakes Here's what most coaches won't tell you about 5v5 basketball: your kid might not be getting better. In traditional five-on-five games, players have a much lower threshold for mistakes. Make a turnover? You might not see the ball again for three possessions. Miss a shot? Coach might pull you out. But in 3v3? You get to work through those mistakes! The math is simple: with only six players on the court instead of ten, your child gets:
The Science Behind the Success The research backs up what that Australian coach told me years ago. Deliberate practice with high-frequency repetitions is critical for skill development, especially for young athletes. In 5v5, too often we see one player handling the ball 90% of the time while everyone else stands around. That might help you win games, but it only develops one player! 3v3 forces every single player to:
The Instinct Factor Most Coaches Miss Here's something that'll surprise you: 3v3 basketball plays much faster than typical basketball. Players have less time to overthink situations, which actually becomes a huge advantage! It gets players out of their heads and makes them play with more fluidity and pure instinct.  We all know players perform best when they're "in the zone": operating on instinct rather than overthinking every move. Because 3v3 forces this instinctive play through its pace and reduced complexity, players get crucial repetitions of instinctive decision-making that directly improves their traditional game performance. Think about it: virtually every basketball play involves three players anyway! So why not train in an environment that mirrors real game situations? The Cultural Problem We Need to Address Here's the hard truth about youth basketball in America: and I say this with 13 years of coaching experience: we're doing our kids a disservice. Most parents gravitate toward what they see more of, which is 5v5 basketball on TV at the collegiate and professional levels. It's completely understandable! But here's what they don't recognize: those college and pro players they're watching? They all developed their foundational skills in smaller-sided games. The cultural bias toward 5v5 means we're missing out on the most effective development tool available. Meanwhile, countries like Australia are producing players with superior court awareness, spacing, and basketball IQ because they start with 3v3 and never abandon it. What Your Child Gains That You Can't See When your child plays 3v3, they're developing skills that might not show up immediately in traditional games: Enhanced Decision-Making: With fewer variables to process, players get that split second longer to recognize situations and make appropriate decisions. Improved Conditioning: The constant action means better cardiovascular fitness and endurance. Mental Toughness: Can't hide behind teammates: every possession matters, every mistake is visible, every success is earned. Leadership Skills: Everyone has to communicate and lead in different situations. From a Coach's Perspective: What We Really See As coaches, 3v3 makes our job so much easier. We can see players' strengths and weaknesses more clearly because there are fewer players on the floor. We can run multiple 3v3 games simultaneously, involving more players while maintaining quality instruction. But here's the biggest benefit: players can't develop bad habits. In 5v5, kids can hide, ball-hog, or play poor defense without major consequences. In 3v3, success requires all three players to contribute meaningfully through ball rotation, teamwork, and solid defense concepts. The Development Timeline That Changes Everything If I could go back and restructure youth basketball development, here's what it would look like:
Making the Change: What Parents Can Do You don't have to wait for your child's team to embrace 3v3. Here's how you can incorporate it:
At The Hoop Lab, we've made 3v3 a cornerstone of our development philosophy because we've seen the results firsthand. Players who train consistently in 3v3 environments show measurable improvements in court awareness, decision-making speed, and overall basketball IQ within just a few months.
The Bottom Line for Your Player's FutureDoes 3v3 basketball really make players better? Absolutely. The evidence from skill acquisition research, international success stories, and our own experience with hundreds of players proves it beyond doubt. The question isn't whether 3v3 works: it's whether we're going to keep ignoring the most effective development tool available to our young players. Your child deserves every advantage possible, and 3v3 basketball provides advantages that traditional formats simply can't match. Don't let your player fall behind because of outdated development methods. The Australian team that opened my eyes seven years ago didn't have better athletes: they had better development. And that development started with 3v3 basketball. Ready to give your player the foundation they need to excel? We'd love to show you how 3v3 can transform their game at The Hoop Lab. Your future basketball star is waiting to break out: just like that player I saw this past weekend who finally found her confidence through the power of 3v3 basketball! The Team Carolina Showcase was loaded with great talent and competitive play! Our numbers compared to the first event nearly doubled and the players enjoyed more variety regarding competition. We would like to thank all who brought the players to compete and look forward to having you at more of our events in the near future. Below we will have attached our standouts as well as winners from our last showcase!  Mason Harris- Strong, skilled, and a capable perimeter threat that played with passion and competitive spirit the entire event!  Jack Teesateskie- Jack shows a ton of promise and potential. He is highly skilled, can shoot from anywhere, and has elite footwork and pivots. Be sure to keep an eye out for Teesateskie in the near future!  Kadence Vanover- Vanover is a great combination of strength, skill, and aggression as she dominated in our 1v1 and Skill Challenges.  Dot Mills- Mills, coming off of an injury,looked right at home while showing her ability to attack, shoot, facilitate, and leading the entire event.  Cambry Stamper- Cambry showed competitive spirit the entire event, due to her talent and ability she competed in multiple divisions. Champions Skill Challenge
1V1
Free Throw
3V3
5V5
Gallery Our Team Carolina Showcase was a fantastic event! We were excited to see all the talent in the gym and loved watching them compete the entire day! With a ton of activities and events we were excited to see the players leave it on the floor keep great attitudes and encourage each other. We are looking forward to holding another showcase on October 1st so be on the lookout for more information regarding our Showcase! Here are our most current standouts  Chase Evans Strong and athletic downhill guard capable of getting his shot off. Great defender and can defend multiple positions with aggression and intensity  Eli Lewkowicz A high IQ guard that seizes every opportunity given based on the mistakes made by the defense. A lock down defender that always seems to be at the right place at the right time.  Evan Bringle A crafty and very intelligent player for his age. Evan showed the ability to go left and right and utilizes his pivots and footwork well for his age. He had a great competitive showing at the showcase!  Austin Raby One of the most advanced players we have had in our youth division. Her aggression and ability to create at the basket is uncanny at her age. She was dominant in her division the entire day!  Anna Wilcox Tough strong guard with great shooting touch and the ability to get down hill by using angles to her advantage. Anna was dominant in many of the competitive events and played stellar in the 1v1 competition.  Sara Larios Talented shifty guard with a beautiful shot that competed fearlessly in the high school boys division. By the end of the day she had earned everyone’s respect. Create the "I've worked too hard to fail mentality"
When players put in the work they will not let themselves fail mentally or physically. It is so easy to get down on yourself regarding the game of basketball due to the many ups and downs the game offers. You are never going to play the perfect game but if you know in your mind that you are properly prepared to compete, you will not be your own worst enemy and psyc yourself out of your success. If you put effort behind your goals, your purpose will trump your doubt and that is what we want our players to experience. The work you put in validates what you deserve. Even if you fail the validation is that you gave everything you had and can never say what if. Fight the excuses you make! Everyone has "what if's" in their brain and we have all failed ourselves due to that. A "what if" can be positive when it turns into a motivation prior to a goal you will conquer. A "what if" can also be a negative that comes with regret of not attempting to pursue that goal. I would prefer to see "what if I work as hard as I can to become the best player I can be?" instead of "what if I HAD worked as hard as I could to become the best player I could have been?" At Hooplab we want to eliminate the negative "what ifs" by pushing our players to their potential especially when the excuses begin to creep up. In order to do so we must acknowledge our personal excuses that hold us back from reaching that potential. Do not let excuses sway you toward under-performing which will create that negative "what if" later. Excuses are fears that lead to failure and we fail to the level of our training and preparation. We encourage all interested in continuing the push to take a look at our programs and see if something fits. We look forward to partnering alongside you to work towards your potential!
We just finished a great Southeast Exposure Combine and I was pleased to say the least. 35 eager young men came and competed, learned, and grew as individuals on 10/20. I would like to thank our staff for dedicating their time and effort to this event and want to thank the young men for attending. This was our first event and we expect to continue to hold events of this caliber to help players in the southeast region with exposure and education regarding the game. The hope from this event was to raise awareness for the players, as well as any collegiate coaches watching. If you are a coach, be sure to follow Western Carolina Media group on facebook and twitter for the live stream and more information on player standouts. The athletic aptitude test was cool. I think once we figured a system out, it ran quite smoothly. For results on the aptitude test, visit our SE exposure site here South East Exposure Combine. Then we had education seminars touching on injury prevention, strength, conditioning, and advantageous film break down which was great because all serve as intangibles that translate to the next level. Finally we competed and though we didn't have the time we liked, I was happy with the competition. I was pleasantly impressed with Luke Taylor of North Henderson. Luke is a talented, and poised player that has a skill set that surprises you. Standing at 6'4 with the ability to handle, shoot and defend, this will give him an advantage going into his senior season. We were also impressed with Devin and D'Angelo Elliot from Carolina Day School who are physically and offensively gifted on all 3 levels. Ben Beeker of Hendersonville High School is a MAN and I am still scratching my head as to why he is still available (Coaches go watch this guy!!!). Ben standing at 6'9 has the ability to put the ball on the floor, hit the open jumper, and dominates with his back to the basket. Look for a fantastic year from Beeker and company! All in all I can not wait to hold bigger and better event of this caliber and hope to help any player aspiring to play beyond high school get to where they would like to go.
As a trainer, sports commentator, and coach, you begin to see similar traits in athletes. I have noticed a common trait in the the really good athletes, and that is the ability and want to compete, the ability to never give up, and the innate optimism in any and every situation. We as coaches, trainers, viewers enjoy testing, challenging and pushing players to see what type of competitor they are. Coaches that recruit players not only recruit talent and potential, but also your response to challenges. Do you embrace your challenges with confidence, poise, and grace, or do you shy away, get angry, mope and give up? These are tell tell signs of a competitor. Jimmy Butler for the Timberwolves is a competitor. Jimmy took the 3rd string squad and defeated first string. In basketball first string usually beats second string and demolishes third so hearing that Jimmy Butler was able to take the third tier group and wipe the floor with the first group is impressive. What also is impressive, is that Jimmy took third string with confidence and had the mentality "No challenge is too great" and he responded accordingly. For young players who mope and get angry at the obstacles simulated, planned and created by the coach, just understand that you failed his or her challenge presented to you. Win, lose or draw you need to compete no matter what with the understanding that with an L comes an opportunity to improve, to find out something about yourself, to never give up and to always compete.
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AuthorJohn Williams, Trainer, ESPN+ analyst, Coach Archives
October 2025
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