Bighorns Coach David Arseneault Jr. Talks About Importance of Open Tryouts
The D-League has a unique preseason ritual of holding open tryouts for prospective talent. If you are skeptical of players making teams basically off the street, check out the list of 51 players who were invited to training camps after last year’s tryout circuit.
Some of the more notable names from last year were Victor Rudd (Delaware 87ers), Brandon Fields (Grand Rapids Drive and Idaho Stampede) and Jaron Johnson (Rio Grande Valley Vipers). Rudd and Fields have since signed lucrative deals overseas, while Johnson remains a free agent after playing in Summer League with the Houston Rockets.
Upside & Motor talked with Reno Bighorns head coach David Arseneault Jr. last week about the importance of finding value in these tryouts. “Four guys made our training camp and two madeopening night rosters last season from tryouts,” he said. “We are looking for players who can help us succeed while putting a good product out on the floor.”
The two players who made opening night rosters were former UCLA Bruin Alfred Aboya and Andrew Warren. None of those players finished the season with the Bighorns, yet that is less indicative of them being tryout players and attributed more toward the turnover of the league’s roster.
I asked Arseneault about the perception that many rosters are built on pre-selected players and the tryouts aren’t really a fair process.
"“You know what, I don’t think that’s the case. We have an opportunity to offer up to five players an invite to our training camp and I take that very seriously. Sure, we have a couple specific guys that we will be watching, but not as many as you might think. We scout everywhere, so a lot of these players have been seen by our staff at showcases in Las Vegas that were going on at the same time as NBA Summer League.”"
The Bighorns know firsthand just how vital players from these tryouts can be. Two seasons ago, the Bighorns took a chance on Ra’Shad James during an open tryout. After a pedestrian rookie season, James exploded onto the scene in 2014-15 averaging 20.8 points and 4.8 rebounds while shooting 46.2 percent in The System.
James is a real success story — he was even invited to play with the Portland Trail Blazers’ Summer League team a couple months back. He averaged 6.2 points in only 12.4 minutes per game in Las Vegas and showcased his elite athleticism. While he remains a free agent, do not be surprised if you see him earning a training camp invite with someone.
Recently, D-League Digest reported that the Los Angeles D-Fenders will hold an invite-only tryout. Coach Arseneault gave some thoughts on that idea, too: “I assume some of that is due to how populated the L.A. area is, but in general I like the idea. I don’t know how many guys they had tryout last year but this will narrow down that number, definitely. I will be interested to see how it works out.”
When asked if the Bighorns will have something akin to this, though, Arsenealt was less optimistic. “No. Nothing exclusive like that,” he said. “We are holding two open tryouts and while we have guys that we invite, there won’t be anything exclusive.”
The D-League tends to be rather quirky and the open tryouts are just another way to keep that allure going. While few guys end up being standouts for their clubs, the league continues to be all about player opportunities and these practices will continue. It will be interesting to see if more teams jump on the ‘invite-only’ idea, however. This would seemingly add intrigue to a team’s tryout, as it would be a more intimate setting with eyes specifically on the players.
The Reno Bighorns will hold two tryouts this summer. The first was Sunday August 30th in Reno and the second will take place in Sacramento on September 5th.