By Preston Bennett
MONTEVALLO, Ala. – On November 5th, 2022, the Montevallo Esports Team held a tryout for anyone who wanted to see if they had what it takes to be a member of the team. Many high school recruits showed up to the tryout to showcase their skillsets. Some ask how the tryout went for the team. Montevallo Esports Head Coach Brandon Parramore can answer that question.
“The tryout went fantastic,” Parramore says, “We had around 15 high schoolers from around the Central Alabama area and a few students from Montevallo [come] to check us out.” Parramore says that about “90% of the recruits we had at the tryout will earn a spot on the team.”
Out of all the games that Montevallo Esports competes in, the recruits for the Overwatch and Rocket League Teams had the best performances in Coach Parramore’s opinion. Parramore says that “While the other games had a very good showing, [the Overwatch and Rocket League Teams] are looking to pick up the final pieces to build a championship winning team.”
Daultyn Bradley, a freshman on the Montevallo Esports Team, shares some of the same opinions with his coach about the tryout.
“I think the tryout went really good,” Bradley says. He also says that he thought that the Overwatch and Rocket League recruits had the best showing at the tryout. Angel Martinez, also a freshman on the team, thought the tryout went good. He says that there was one recruit from the Smash Bros Ultimate recruits at the tryout that performed better than every other recruit that was there.
It seems like the tryout was a huge success for the team.
So why is a tryout like the one that took place such an important piece to building the team for Montevallo Esports. Well, Coach Parramore has an answer for that question too. He says that these tryouts are beneficial for his team to gain talent, and that these tryouts are “very unique compared to what other athletic teams do.”
“Most teams bring their prospects to campus through recruiting trips. Given our unique situation, in order to see if people are good enough to be on our team, we need to have them play with the current members of the team to see if chemistry can be built,” Parramore says. He also says that tryouts also give prospects a chance to meet the coaches, the team and other people in person.
Coach Parramore says that the next tryout will be during the spring semester at the University of Montevallo. The team has yet to choose a date for when the tryout would be.
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