High Performance

BNSW High Performance Selection trials FAQ’s

Q. What age does my child have to be to be eligible for selection?
A. Date of births are listed for all age groups trials. Athletes outside the age groups are not eligible to trial.

Q. What programs can my child be selected for?
A. Once athletes have registered for trials, they will be sent a “google” form to complete stating which programs/events they would like to be considered for selection.

Q. What is the selection Criteria?
A. To be selected for BNSW Programs/Development Tours/D-League/ State teams, athletes must display elements of the following:

• Demonstrates ability to compete within the age group 
• Athletic ability eg. speed, height, quick hands and strength
• Display the potential or ability to compete successfully at the national level
• Display the necessary work ethic and attitude to improve as a player
• Potential to be socially compatible and display a sense of “team ethic” within a group
• Be highly receptive to coaching 
• Demonstrated desire to succeed not only in basketball, but in educational, vocational and personal life 
• Outstanding desire and commitment to working hard at improving mental, physical and basketball skills 
• Demonstrated ability to uphold Basketball NSW ‘Blues’ Culture (to be outlined)

Subjectivity is an unavoidable element of selection.

Q. What is the Selection Process?
A. The athlete’s potential to meet the selection criteria may be assessed by the BNSW General Manager of Coaching and Development, the BNSW High-Performance coaching staff, as well as the State and Age Group Head Coaches and/or a panel nominated senior network coaches. The BNSW staff will ultimately be responsible for the final selections.

Q. What is the difference between High Performance Trials and State trials?
A. High Performance trials are for athletes interested in being selected for our State Performance Program (SPP) and Developing Athlete Program (DAP). The trials also serve as selection opportunities for athletes interested in BNSW Development Tours/Events in January as well as D-League.

State trials are only for those athletes interested in making NSW State teams who compete at the National Championships.

Q. What is the difference between the State Performance Program (SPP) and the Developing Athlete Program (DAP)?
A. SPP is BNSW’s top tier High-Performance program. It is a skill-based program that also involves some teaching of BNSW style of play concepts. The program exists to assist in identifying, developing, and preparing athletes for States teams and future representation at the next level.
Athletes that are selected into SPP will be required to attend weekly individual sessions supervised by network coaches under the guidance of the BNSW HP Coaching staff during terms 4 and 1.

DAP underpins the SPP. It operates in Metro only. It is also a skill-based program that is aimed at athletes in the U14-U17 age range? Athletes are required to attend weekly individual sessions supervised by network coaches under the guidance of the BNSW HP Coaching staff during terms 1 and 2.

Q. Do you have to be in the State Performance Program (SPP) to make a State team?
A. No. It is not compulsory for athletes to be in the SPP to make a State team. However, the SPP provides athletes an opportunity to develop their skills and knowledge of the game which may assist with their continued development as a player.

Q. What happens if I am unable to trial due to injury or sickness?
A. We understand that sometimes things come up that prevent athletes from trialing. Athletes may submit a “special consideration” form to still be considered for selection (this may be obtained from BNSW). Athletes will still be required to register online and pay the trial fee. They must also submit any documentation as well (such as medical certificates). It should be noted that submitting a “special consideration” form does not mean athletes will automatically be selected. If not selected, any trial fees may be refunded.

Q: Why was there an athlete selected that was not at the trial?
A: From time to time, and athlete will be unavailable to trial due to a range of valid reasons. These include injury, illness, school commitments, higher level sports commitments, and family reasons, amongst others. Provided the athlete has gone through the steps to apply for “special consideration” prior to the trial, that athlete may still be considered for selection.

In this situation the athlete will be assessed against the same selection criteria as all the athletes in attendance, and their past performances at BNSW events may be used to assess whether or not they meet the criteria.

If an athlete has not been seen by selectors, their local coach will be consulted to provide their view of the athlete against the selection criteria. This will be taken into consideration, but ultimately it is difficult to select an athlete that was not in attendance at trials and has not participated in any BNSW events previously.

Q: Why wasn’t my child selected? They perform better than an athlete that was selected at a local or association level and they were top scorer in the BNSW competitions?
A: Whilst an athlete’s past performance may provide some good feedback to the selection panel, the purpose of conducting trials is to see how athletes perform in a structured training environment against their peers. An athlete’s “statistics” at Domestic, Association, or School level are not taken into account and are often very misleading.

BNSW network and High-Performance staff will never discuss another child’s performance with you, just as we wouldn’t discuss your child with another parent. At the end of the day, the athletes that the selection panel believes best meet the above criteria are the ones selected.

Q. Will feedback be provided to athletes who are not selected at trials?
A. Unfortunately it is not possible to provide feedback to athletes regarding non-selection due to the number of athletes that attend trials. However, general feedback may be provided to the group as a whole on the conclusion of the day of trials.

Q: My child wasn’t selected, does that mean they have no future in Basketball?
A: No. Subjectivity is an unavoidable element of the selection process. Selectors never profess to get selections right every time. There are various pathways that athletes may follow to achieve their basketball dreams. We encourage all athletes that were not selected to continue to work on their game and trial in future years.