“Kids are smarter than we give them credit for, and they know when we lower our expectations for them. When we give praise, awards or a slot on the team unearned . . . they no longer trust adults to be honest and unbiased arbiters of quality. Lying to kids about the quality of their work or downgrading our expectations so as not to make kids feel bad will only result in their no longer trusting our judgment.” 

                                        -Jessica Lahey, Author of the best-selling book, "The Gift of Failure"

At Cap City, we want to be good stewards of the trust our athletes are putting in us. Because of this, we believe it is good and healthy for players to go through a tryout process wherein they earn a spot on a team instead of just showing up and walking on. Too often in society, the joy of accomplishment is stolen from our children in an effort to not hurt their feelings.  We want our athletes to feel the reward of achieving a goal and earning a place on the team.  After they make the team, each athlete then will start over at square one to earn playing time.  We believe that this process will help our players to grow in their trust for our coaches.

With this said, everyone wishing to play for Cap City will undergo a rigorous tryout process in September.  These three days help our coaches assess the abilities of incoming players and also assist players in further cementing whether they want to play basketball at a competitive level.  At the end of the process, each player and their parents who do not make the team will have the option of a  private phone call with the coach to encourage them in their strengths and give them further direction in how to improve their weaknesses.