Blazers getting a G league team, playing at U of P. HCP hired as G-League janitor

Tryout for the team.

Date: Saturday, September 16, 2023

Location: Blazers Training Facility: 7325 SW Childs Rd, Portland, OR 97224

Time: 11:00a.m-1:00p.m.

Check-In: doors open at 10:15a.m.

Cost: $300

Eligibility: To be eligible to play in the League, a player must (i) turn 18 years of age on or before October 15, 2023, and (ii) not have participated in collegiate basketball activities after October 15, 2023

 

Great for taking the kids to a game for which the attention span can be limited.

 

Do they have an age maximum? I'm heading on down!

(haven't played ball in like 10+ years.... should I be worried?)

 

So I'm eligible!!!

 

Didn't think of that?

 

Do they also have have open auditions for dancers? I had a mean cancan game way back in the day...

 

I believe they are looking for a "free throw guy" and lots of hecklers...everybody around here would qualify. Probably will find guys like Michael Beasley or Alan Crabbe looking for a roster spot

 

I believe it refers generically to rules for laying in the GLeague. Which comes across confusing, as you mentioned. But a college player can't try out, make the team, have practice with their college in late October, and then stay on the team. Or, ignoring the tryout, a college player is(I assume) ineligible for the GLeague if they have done any college activities after that date.

 

$300 to try out? Isn't the G-League aimed at guys scraping to make a living? So, this is just lemonade stand to support the new CBA?

 

If it was free they would get a bunch of people doing it for fun. The money weeds out the people who aren’t serious.

 

300 bucks for a tryout is cheaper than hiring an agent to get you a contract. You get a roster spot and bypass the agent fee and you should feel pretty good about it.

 

I'm 5'10" on a good hair day. Given the Blazers seeming aversion to height, I am going to tryout for Center.

 

Do it by invite then. $300 doesn't weed out people with money who aren't serious.

 

Fair point.

But that has to be balanced against the likelihood of cash-strapped guys with legit talent being omitted. I suppose you could argue they can always find someone to lend them $300... The better way to solve problems like that is have tiers of tryouts, like a US team selection process. Have a few low level scouts or coaches oversee the initial sessions and promote the deserving players to the selection stage. You can even make it a regional approach that way, pulling in, say, Southern Oregon players that would have no incentive to travel otherwise. If they're good enough for the final stage, pay their way up here.

The goal should be to get more people (and the broader region as supporters) involved, not weed them out preemptively.

 

The odds that a rando is gonna walk in off the streets and Roy Hobbs it up is extremely slim. Anyone who is realistically good enough to play in the Gatorade League will probably have an agent and enough cash to pay the fee.

I also think that allowing 24 hour fitness gym stars to tryout is not going to help increase public interest in the team. The most likely path to involving the local fans is having names we recognize on the roster and cheap ticket prices.