What Separates Hoops College
There are a lot of people who can claim some of the things that we have. We don’t know many people who can claim all of the things that we have. Any one of these things isn’t that big of a deal. It’s the collection of all of them that makes us different. If you don’t believe us, ask any of our clients. Don’t be surprised when we come in hot. This is who we are, like it or not.
Why us? We have DECADES of different. Different experiences come as a result of different personalities and different work ethics. We are different in how we train and coach players. We are different in our expectations. We are different in how we treat players. It comes from a perspective very few “trainers/hobby coaches” have. We are two professional individuals who aren’t trying to continue our hoop dreams. We have lived our dreams and wake up and continue living our dream every day.
We played in college. We coached in college. We have coached pros and beginners. We have won and we have lost. We have devoted our lives to learning the game and then teaching the game to our athletes to help them live their dreams whether they involve basketball or not. We use our different experiences to teach and help our athletes. We love this game and the opportunities it has given us and want to give that feeling to others. You want to be in the 1 percent, but you hang out with the 99%. You want to be in the 1 percent, but you listen to the 99%. We are in the 1 percent.
If you really want to know what it looks like, we can show you. But it won’t be easy. 99% of people won’t be willing to do it. Neither of us is the tallest or most athletic person in any gym, but I guarantee you we are the hardest workers. I heard a quote when I was a kid that went something like this…. “Remember there is someone out there who wants the same thing you do; when you aren’t working they are.” You know it’s funny to me now as an adult that something so simple could make such an impact on my life.
As I’ve gotten older, you can tell the people with truly relentless spirits because they work their butts off and still worry they aren’t doing enough. For me personally, that work ethic has given me so much. It allowed me to go from one of the WORST players to having 16 NCAA D-1 scholarship offers. I was booed off the court by other parents because I was so bad. It allowed me to play in college for my whole career and have no debt. It allowed me to coach in college for 7 years and pick and choose what jobs I wanted to take. It allowed me to meet my husband. It allowed us to grow our business even during a national pandemic. The work, it’s an addiction, but it’s my best character trait. Because of the time we have spent coaching and recruiting at the collegiate level, we have a totally different perspective than most “trainers/hobby coaches.”
We know what coaches at the level you say you want to go to are looking for. We know the skills that will translate to which levels. We know the gaps you can’t have to play at certain levels. We know the businesses that college athletics and basketball, in general, have turned into. We have been on the side that very few ever get to see. We’ve had so many people ask us how to get into college coaching. So many of them aren’t willing to make the sacrifices to do what it takes. That’s ok, but we did it. Not because we were big names but because we worked our tails off and made sacrifices. Now we want to share our experiences with parents and players who say that’s what they want.
With us, there is no, ”well I would have played at this school or that school if”. There is no room in our lives for shoulda, woulda, coulda. We have either done it, or we haven’t and we will tell you the truth. There is no…yeah I’ve watched them on TV. No, we have played in those arenas and sat with those coaches, and shared stores about practice. We have recruited the same players. We know that being a good player doesn’t always mean you “fit”, but if you’re not a good player, you don’t fit anyway. We know that resources matter. We know people, but more than that, we know how those people think. We will hold you accountable for what YOU say that YOU want and give you all that we have to help you get there. But we don’t have a magic pill or a secret sauce. All we know is work and your level of work is going to be the biggest deciding factor in your future.
We know what the ESPN-ranked players look like. By the way, that’s the only ranking that really matters. We know what those players do DAILY. We know the amount of CRAZY work those players are putting in every single day. We know that those players have an eliteness that oozes out from them. It goes beyond their measurable statistics. it’s a fire burning so deep in them you can’t help but feel it. It’s such a rare feeling, but when you see it and feel it you want to be around it and develop it. We know what it looks like to be a BCS-level “talent” without discipline and work ethic. It takes you to a JUCO. Then maybe a D-1 college that you probably can’t make it at; then to a D-2 program and maybe you make it there and maybe you don’t. We also know what that discipline and talent look like and how you can be in the dark for months without anyone noticing. Eventually, the work shines through.
We have DECADES of experiences that make us different. We have decades of watching video and breaking down players. We have decades of experience sitting in gyms watching players from 5-year-olds to college and beyond. We have decades of watching parents/coaches/programs and knowing how they are going to impact their athletes’ development. Yes, we’re referring to their basketball development, but we’re also referring to their development as human beings. We have decades of experience watching players NOT get developed during their careers and come into college underprepared. They just happen to be somewhat better than the majority of players who aren’t even good enough to get invited to elite camp where coaches are just trying to supplement their assistant coaches’ salaries. We have decades of experience knowing which athletes are going to struggle when they experience “failure” for the first time. We have decades of experience knowing which players are truly HUNGRY and have a fire burning inside them. We have decades of experience being lonely because of the HOURS, DAYS, MONTHS, YEARS, and YEARS of head down WORK it takes to get to the places we have been.
It’s hours upon hours of the mindset of doing whatever it takes. Whatever it takes to play this game. Whatever it takes to coach this game. Whatever it takes to help players be their best. Whatever it takes to be the best at our craft so we can help you be your best. But to me, that’s the fun part; it’s working when you don’t want to because you are tired. It’s not eating all day and not even being hungry because my mind has been so focused on living my dream. My two biggest blessings are my work ethic and God blessing me with someone who’s just as crazy, hungry, and on fire as I am. So, take it or leave it. This is who we are. This is what we offer. This is what makes us different. This is what can help us take you to a different level. But, this is why we aren’t for everyone. I struggle with babysitting. I struggle being in a place I value so deeply with people that see the game that changed my life as a hobby or a checklist. I can honestly say looking back; I never once thought of the time I spent in the gym as “work.” I was never checking a box. I was just out there trying to be the best and having a blast mastering skills of a game I find as beautiful as a sunrise or a sunset.