Welcome to Hoop Prodigy

Have you ever wondered what was the defining element that made Michael Jordan better than everyone else? Or why Larry Bird, an un-athletic stick of a man gave the NBA one of the best basketball careers of all time? Have you ever asked yourself why Dwight Howard has struggled to define himself throughout his career, in comparison to Hakeem Olajuwon who clearly labeled himself as the definition of a NBA Center? I ask myself these questions constantly and it always brings me to the same answer, mentality. In today’s fast paced game full of dunks and crossovers we tend to lose the concept and importance of the mind. It is the mind that separates players at the top. Think about it? At the NBA level every player can run, jump, and move at an athletic level comparable to few. Yes there are the freak of nature athletes like LeBron James who defy physical limitations, but in general everyone who makes it to the NBA is an athletic anomaly. So the question begs, why do certain players excel and why is the gap so large between them and next?

The general answer to this mentality, but the details of what makes a players mentality varies. Factors can include everything from circumstance, family, education and overall IQ. I also believe that a player’s mentality can be manipulated as they develop their skills and basketball IQ. This can affect the player positively or negatively depending on who they interact with over the crucial developmental years. I have always subscribed to the idea that if you can make a connection with a young player and tap into their fragile mentality in a positive way, it will direct their mentality towards a positive direction. I believe that player who analyzes and thinks intellectually on the court, will in turn translate that to social life and education. By taking something someone can do at a high level naturally asking them to have an intellectual approach to will pay dividends in the development of their skills. It’s like asking a cheetah to analyze why he runs so fast and how can he improve his technique to run faster. This is what separates the greats from the rest, self-assessment and recognition at a high level. Using all the tools and resources available to oneself is a suggestion of evolution.

Hoop Prodigy is not a movement, its basketball evolution. Evolution starts with the mind and not the body, its starts with discipline and efficiency. Hoop Prodigy wants players to think at a high level. Age 4 is the earliest I can recall having a basketball put into my hands. Ever since then I have always had a love for the game similar to my love for my family, you may not always like your family, but you always love them. Throughout most of my basketball career my coaching and development came from people who knew about the game, but weren’t truly intellectual authorities of the game. They would focus on physical skill development, but rarely was mental development the focus. For most of my youth I played recreation and travel team ball where I was one member of the team who received minimal individual development because I was athletic and naturally gifted. Far too often the ones who hold the key of basketball knowledge let it fall on deaf ears because of a player’s natural ability. Meaning the young players ends up relying on their athletic abilities more than their mental abilities. If the mental aspect of the game shared equal focus in the developmental stages then we would have a better state of the game in 2015, FACT!

The NBA seems to be the ultimate goal of most young players and reason they want to play. The fact is most young basketball players have a better chance at winning the lottery! There are roughly 450 players in the NBA as of 2015. There are 320 million people in the USA and about 151.5 of them are male, which statically gives you a 0.000002% chance of making the NBA if you’re a male born American. But wait its gets worse! The NBA is a global game, so we have to consider the international players. There are 7.1 billion people in the world of which 3.5 billion are male. That means considering that every male in the world technically has a chance at the NBA when born. Statically the chances are 0.000000001%. I list these numbers not to deter but to educate on the fact that making the NBA is a statistical anomaly. So what does this mean for young player? To me it means use basketball as tools or education, social service, health and community advancement. The chances of becoming a College player dramatically increases and so does becoming a professional player outside the NBA. There is an option to become a professional in the game of Basketball. Hoop Prodigy teaches education as the road to becoming fruitful in this profession. Use the game to pave your way through high school and college. Let it take you around the world and open doors to new experiences and cultures.

When I founded Hoop Prodigy in 2011 my overall goal was to create a resource and center that fostered the entire spectrum of development for young basketball players. I wanted a system in place that focused on both the mental and physical abilities equally. In addition a center or campus if you will, where players, coaches and enthusiast can come and flourish in a basketball like university. This is the ultimate vision of Hoop Prodigy and hopefully will one day be fulfilled.

Hoop Prodigy is devised of 2 businesses under one directive. We have started with the website and digital offerings to be followed by the Hoop Prodigy Center which is the physical location. The chart below shows the division between the two.

Establishing a grassroots organization founded in values and principals is what Hoop Prodigy is about. You will find our methods to be both innovative and creative. When they say go right we go left, we question everything and doing things simply because of tradition is not our way. Hoop Prodigy is here to change the way you approach the game of basketball and life. Smarter players mean smarter human beings.

Our Mission is to improve and enrich the game of basketball by creating a unique experience for players, coaches and enthusiasts