The Last Picks are the Toughest

Sometimes, the last picks of any team are the hardest to make and it can drive a coach crazy.When it comes down to the last few spots, the players can pretty even.

Here are a few tips to help:

Evaluate position wise what they would bring to the team, evaluate what their work ethic is like, as well as their commitment to team systems. Do they have a good work ethic and are they character players that will give you high energy play. Do they have good size and do they use it? Let's face it, there are small players that do play big and bigger players that play small. In the end it's what you want for you team and what kind of role you want them to play.
What are they like in the dressing room and around the other players? Are they leaders? Schedule an exhibition game and give them lots of playing time even if it means sitting down your top players. Put them in situations where they have to make decisions and see how they handle them. This should give you a pretty good idea on those final picks. Make your cuts, keep your notes, and start planning your next practice. Move on and don't look back wondering if you made the right selections. If you don't, it only will be a distraction even if the player has success elsewhere. Understand that perhaps the player had a bad try-out, which is no ones fault,or a bad work ethic while others flourished around his poor effort. Again, your coaching log will reflect this and in the end you'll support your own decision not to keep this player.

Cheers