Tryouts

Although the Pennsylvania State Keystone Games are not scheduled to take place until the end of the summer - beginning Aug. 11 and running through Aug. 15 at the University of Scranton - tryouts for the basketball team that will represent the Scholastic Region 1 (Southeast area) will begin this week. The Southeast area will be represented by two teams, the North team - which will comprise some of the best talent in Delaware County, Chester County, Bucks County, and Montgomery County - and the South team, which will include mostly Philadelphia talent.

St. Joseph's junior Ahmad Nivins and Villanova sophomore Scottie Reynolds have accepted invitations to try out for the USA men's basketball Pan American Games team trials at Haverford College from July 12 to 14. Nivins, a 6-foot-9 center, and Reynolds, a 6-2 guard, will be among 30 of the nation's top college players at the tryout. The 2007 Pan American Games will take place in Rio de Janeiro from July 25 to 29. The 12-member U.S. team will be coached by Villanova's Jay Wright. Nivins led St. Joe's by averaging 16.6 points and 7.5 rebounds per game and was voted first-team all-Atlantic Ten Conference last season.

Hoping to uncover another gem or two, the Soul will go back to Temple University to mine for talent again this year. The Arena Football League team will hold a pair of open tryouts on the field at 15th Street between Norris Street and Montgomery Avenue. The first session - for fullbacks, linebackers, linemen and kickers - is scheduled for Saturday. Registration will begin at noon and will be followed by testing and a series of drills and skill evaluations. The second session, set for Sunday, will include quarterbacks, wide receivers, running backs and defensive backs.

The Soul will hold an open tryout for players on Saturday at the NovaCare Complex in South Philadelphia. Registration begins at 7:30 a.m., with warmups at 9, and the tryout starting at 9:15. Registration on the day of the event is $80 cash or cashier's check. Pre-registration is $60 at www.philadelphiasoul.com . Participants are asked to bring appropriate workout gear and shoes. Testing will take place on field turf, so metal cleats or spikes are not permitted. A trainer will be on hand for emergencies only - not for player taping.

The Kixx will conduct open tryouts for players tomorrow and Friday at Tri State Sports at the Sun Center in Aston, Delaware County. To participate in the tryout, players must sign a waiver and pay a $25 fee. The sessions will run from 9 a.m. to noon each day at the TSS complex at 63 Concord Rd. For information, call 888-888-5499 or visit the team's Web site at www.kixxonline.com. The Major Indoor Soccer League team also plans an invitational combine for players on Saturday and Sunday.

The Kixx will hold open tryouts and an invitational combine for players 18 and older who are interested in joining the team. The open tryouts will be held Sept. 9-10 from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. The combine is scheduled for Sept. 11-12, with training scheduled for 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. on the 11th and 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. on the 12th. All sessions will be held at Tri-State Sports, the team's practice facility at 63 Concord Road in Aston, Delaware County. The team's training camp opens Sept.

So what does a talk-show host really need? Great voice? Great hair? A personal trainer? Try interesting legs. As the Search for the Unknown Talk-Show Host got under way in Philadelphia yesterday morning, it quickly became clear, at least from the "studio audience," that hosiery - or the lack of it - was as interesting as sex, politics or personal fulfillment. Take Aldine Hallman. Hallman, who's from Camden, was just one of many South Jersey residents to cross the Delaware yesterday for a shot at a show on the new America's Talking cable network.

Maybe we should blame "Pauly Nipple," that Paula Abdul "stalker" guy. Last year, the American Idol auditions in Philadelphia drew the show's biggest crowds ever - and some of the zaniest contestants. This summer's talent quest, however, which starts Thursday in San Francisco, has only one stop northeast of Louisville - and it's nowhere near a Liberty Bell. The tryouts Aug. 19 in East Rutherford, N.J., will conclude the summer search. The rest of the itinerary: Louisville, Ky., July 21; Phoenix, July 25; Salt Lake City; July 29; San Juan, Puerto Rico, Aug. 2; Kansas City, Mo., Aug. 8; and Jacksonville, Fla., Aug. 13. (For rules, forms, instructions and other details, go to www.americanidol.

Carli Lloyd has a busy soccer week ahead. Saturday, the Delran junior midfielder will play in the state Group 2 final against Mendham at noon at the College of New Jersey. The next day, she will be off to tryouts for the U.S. under-18 team in Tucson, Ariz. The tryouts are for selected members of the four U.S. regional teams. Lloyd was a member of the U.S. Region 1 team, which consists of the top players from Maine to Virginia. Lloyd will spend a week in Arizona, meaning her Thanksgiving will include much more soccer than turkey.

The crack of wooden bats and the thwock of leather gloves sounded early on Saturday at Campbell's Field, home of the Camden Riversharks. The team's 12th annual open tryout brought more than 100 hopefuls to the diamond under the Ben Franklin Bridge before 8 a.m. Everyone was there to have a good time, but some took the event more seriously than others. Zeke Boren, 29, stood to the side of the infield and sized up his competition with quiet confidence. The Moorestown native has played the game nearly his entire life.

The Soul is holding an open tryout tomorrow at the NovaCare Complex in South Philadelphia. Registration is $80 and doors open at 8 a.m. Workouts begin at 9 a.m. under the supervision of new head coach Doug Plank. Players also can register today only through the team's website ( www.Philadelphia Soul.com) for $60. Three players from last year's tryout - Nyere Aumaitre, Jerome Hayes and Keith Stokes - started games for the Soul in 2011. The workouts will occur on the turf at the Eagles' practice bubble so metal cleats are not permitted.

What: Reebok Breakout Challenge When: Tomorrow-Saturday Where: Philadelphia University, Gallagher Athletic Center Who: About 115 high school players earned their spots through Headliner tryouts at 13 locations around the country. This is a chance for college coaches to evaluate players who might otherwise be under the radar. Schedule: Games run from 8:30 a.m. to 9 p.m. tomorrow through Friday and from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Saturday. The locals: Six players from the city leagues are scheduled to take part this week: Shep Garner, Roman Catholic, 6-2 guard, freshman Brandon Austin, Imhotep, 6-5 forward, sophomore Ben Bentil, Haverford School, 6-8 forward, freshman Daiquan Walker, Constitution, 6-1 point guard, junior Miles Overton, St. Joe's Prep, 6-3 shooting guard, junior Rysheed Jordan, Vaux, 6-2 guard, sophomore

Reebok's grassroots officials are in Philadelphia this week, looking for the next John Wall. The sneaker company will host 118 of the nation's top high school basketball players at the Reebok Basketball Breakout Challenge at Philadelphia University. The camp, which began with Tuesday night's media reception with Wall, will conclude Saturday. "I think the key point is this is an event that mirrors John Wall's discovering path," said Brian Lee, head of global basketball at Reebok.

Billie Jean King was chatting courtside with a few friends during the Freedoms' tryouts for ball boys and ball girls Wednesday afternoon when 8-year-old Tauheed Browning Jr. caught her eye. Browning, who barely comes up to King's waist, was volleying with Freedoms head coach Pascal Collard when King stopped her conversation and turned to watch. "Go, go, go," King cheered with each of Browning's returns. When a high-lofting hit landed behind Collard, which he playfully did not return, King let out a cheer, holding a fist high in the air. Everyone was a kid again at Parkside Evans Playground, where the Freedoms held one of several tryouts for their forthcoming World TeamTennis season.

Philadelphia's edition of the Reebok Headliner Tryout Camp was minus the expected headliners. Friends' Central School's Amile Jefferson, Math, Civics & Sciences' Jeremiah "Lump" Worthem, and Paul VI's Ron Curry were among 49 registered campers who did not attend Sunday's event at Cabrini College. There were only 51 participants on hand for the 10 a.m. start. Camp officials said they were not disappointed by the subpar turnout. "This gives opportunities to the other kids," assistant camp director Rahim Thompson said.

Temple coach Fran Dunphy said Friday that Lavoy Allen is neither injured nor ill and that the 6-foot-9 forward simply decided not to attend the Portsmouth Invitational Tournament for personal reasons. "There's really no story behind this other than, as Lavoy said, he didn't go because of personal reasons," Dunphy said. "He will go to a number of individual camps, so he'll have a chance to show his talents in front of NBA people. I'm not sure how that will be determined. " Dunphy said Allen has yet to sign with an agent.

They may not be able to work out their own players because of the lockout, but the Eagles continue to bring a number of prospects to the NovaCare Complex as they prepare for the NFL draft. Colorado cornerback Jimmy Smith and Clemson defensive tackle Jarvis Jenkins were two of the more notable visitors because of the Eagles' need at each position and because both are projected to go in the first two rounds. Smith was at the NovaCare last Wednesday, according to NFL.com, and Jenkins paid the Eagles a visit on Monday, the National Football Post reported.

Switching from football to soccer won't be easy for Chad Ochocinco, if it happens at all. By the end of his first workout with Sporting Kansas City on Wednesday morning, the star wide receiver of the Cincinnati Bengals was panting hard and obviously exhausted. "Exactly what I expected," said the six-time Pro Bowler. "I would be a little winded being that I haven't ran at this pace or this level since the end of our season of football. It was fun. I didn't expect to come in here and be Superman.

The Soul will hold an open tryout for players on Saturday at the NovaCare Complex in South Philadelphia. Registration begins at 7:30 a.m., with warmups at 9, and the tryout starting at 9:15. Registration on the day of the event is $80 cash or cashier's check. Pre-registration is $60 at www.philadelphiasoul.com . Participants are asked to bring appropriate workout gear and shoes. Testing will take place on field turf, so metal cleats or spikes are not permitted. A trainer will be on hand for emergencies only - not for player taping.