The gym was full of nervous young eyes from first timers to seasoned basketball players. From ages of 8 or 9 to 14...the feeling is always the same. The players never know who will make the team. They never know who they will be with. And this year, with the growing family and the many talented athletes, there are a lot of unknowns. One thing for sure, this is going to be an exciting new year for all the UH members.
The Board has been meeting for months before the tryouts. Coaches, new and returning waited anxiously to see the prospects show off their stuff. We had 2 parent information nights since some parents were not able to make the first one and there was continued interest. A week after the 2nd meeting, the tryouts begun with our newly formed girls teams. We were able to create 2 competitive teams of young female athletes. We are very excited to see these ladies in action bringing the UH name to the women's courts. Following the girls tryouts, we launched right into the boys tryouts starting with the youngest members. This group of over 40 boys were here to tryout for the 4th and 5th grade teams. Initially we thought we were going to have only 2 teams of 4th and 5th combos. We ended up with 4 well staffed teams.
Later, the 6th graders had their chance. Just as large as those trying out for the younger grades, the gym was full of potential 6th grade ballers. This group, though more experienced is still at a great age of molding true basketball players based on the love of the game. They are exciting to watch, but you still want to hug each one like little teddy bears. This group included more than 50% newbies and the remaining were returners. Most of our returners are returning for their 3rd season with UH. That is a huge deal considering we are only 3 years old. It was great to see the boys return a year older and taller.
The following day, Monday was the tryouts for the 7th grade team. We had a modest turnout, but a great core of players were there. This team could be considrered our junior elite squad. They are just one year behind our 8th graders, but with a gamut of talent. They are dedicated and we know they will work this upcoming season. The 8th grader tryouts, also encompassed a large group. We ended up with 2 8th grade teams. This was our quietest group. Maybe nerves or maybe seriousness. These boys composed of very elite players. This decision would not be an easy one. The final tryout ending at 10pm on a Wednesday evening.
6 days of tryouts including 2 full Sundays and the rosters have been created. We are very excited to extend our invitations to these talented players. They are full of potential and natural born talent. They will work hard and continue to grow. In the end we ended up with 11 full teams. This is about double the amount of teams we had last year. It's very exciting to see these players get together and play. Next step is the unique to Uptempo Hoops, strength and conditioning program. Also, we look forward to our first dining out fundraiser which launches our season and brings the families together for fun, eats, socializing and more eats.
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