The Perth Wildcats' squad for the 2010/11 season has been settled for some time but next Thursday the trials will be held in search of the development players for the upcoming campaign.
The trial will take place from 10.30am on Thursday until midday with players of different, shapes, sizes and talent levels invited from State Basketball League clubs so that coach Rob Beveridge and assistant coaches Shawn Dennis and Andy Stewart can put them all through their paces.
The position as a development player requires them to attend all training sessions, individual skill development sessions, strength and conditioning sessions and team functions.
Beveridge and Dennis have been taking in SBL action over the past few months and with Stewart's knowledge of the league as coach of Lakeside Lightning they have collated and shortlisted a list of players who will be on hand on Thursday.
The Wildcats won't necessarily be looking for best player on the day, but the players who they feel will benefit from being involved in the NBL setup by training with the group and being there for matches with the chance for the rare appearance on court at home matches.
There is also scope for the 'Cats to sign more than the three that were in the squad last year.
Joel Wagner, Jarrad Prior and Marko Deric all benefitted greatly from being part of the Wildcats squad and had a part in the championship so the coaching staff will decide on how many to bring in after they see their performances on Thursday.
"We've invited a number of players and Bevo has written to all the coaches to name the kids who they feel should be part of the program. Next Thursday we'll have a trial situation where we'll put the guys through a number of different tests to see how they handle it, and then give them feedback," Dennis said.
"We'll then select the kids that we feel should be part of it and guys that we feel have the potential, that might not necessarily be the best players on the day. It's going to be a bigger squad this year and we don’t want to put a number on it yet because we don’t know how good the players are, but if eight warrant selection then we might try to get them all in."
The Wildcats won't be limiting their sights on natural athletes or players with size either as for Dennis it's more important that they can play the game of basketball first, and then if they have athleticism and size on their side it's a terrific bonus to have.
"Obviously it would be great if a seven-foot kid walked through the door and you'd love to have him as part of your program, but to me it's about picking basketball players," Dennis said.
"We have to pick guys who can play the game and sometimes there's a misconception that we need a guard or need this, but you have to be careful not to stereotype people. We need people who can play the game and show a good aptitude for it. Certainly it is advantageous if they are athletic and tall, but it doesn’t mean you can't play the game if you're not."
Wagner is one player that was involved last season who is a good chance to be back again after impressive performances in the SBL with the Perth Redbacks. For Dennis the key is to get young players in who are willing to do the hard work to become as good as they can possibly be.
"Joel's shown over the last month that his shooting has really improved. That's because he's been shooting with our guys and it has been obvious the improvement he's made," Dennis said.
"What we want to introduce these kids to is that if you want to be good at basketball you have to put the hard yards in and I don’t think enough young players understand that. They think they are working hard, but they're not putting in the time."
Dennis is happy with the programs in place throughout the country for established senior basketballers and for youngsters coming through, but sees a void there for those in between and that's where the Wildcats will try to help through bringing in the development players.
"The big aim of having these development guys around the group is that it's a big step from the SBL up to the NBL. In Australia there seems to be a bit of a void from the age group of guys from 19 to about 23 so it's about giving the guys the chance to continue their development," Dennis said.
"The other thing about them coming to practice against Wildcats players is that they are now against professionals and the Wildcats have proven to be one of the truly professional organisations. It gives them a better inkling into the things that are needed and where they need to go. We try to provide the support to give them that opportunity."
