HoopLife is a spring and summer basketball organization focused on giving in-state talent exposure in hopes of providing college opportunities.
“Our biggest goal is to get our kids on the biggest possible circuit we can and get the most exposure, and we believe that is the independent circuit,” HoopLife program director Taylor Rogers said. “Our 13s, 15s and 16s are all playing on the Prep Hoops circuit, which is one of the biggest independent circuits going forward.
"We felt like it’s the best opportunity for our kids. We do feel like we provide opportunity for kids D-II and below. Obviously, we’ll have a kid or two come through that’s better than D-II, so we want to provide the most opportunities for our kids not just in basketball but also outside of basketball and how we set them up for life.”
Jacksonville assistant basketball coach Monty Patel, who is coaching the 15-under HoopLife squad, is excited about the roster and how the players are buying into the program.
“I went and called all the high school coaches I’m familiar with and asked them the best freshmen they had and they gave me names,” Patel said. “We had a big tryout and gave a lot of people an opportunity to come down here. We were definitely looking for a certain type of fit. It didn't necessarily have to be the No. 1 overall player, but had to be the whatever-number player that was willing to buy into what we’re doing.
“We’re going to be a very no-ego organization. We’re going to be very organized, we’re going to be on top of things and we’re going to give kids an opportunity to play on a big stage.”
Patel rattled off a couple of players on the team.
“Aidan Burns from Mammoth Springs is a guard that averaged about 18 points this year as a freshman,” Patel said. “He has a chance to be pretty special. He’s a 6-2, 6-3 guard. He can do a little bit of everything. He’s our best scorer. Most importantly, he’s an awesome young man.
“Bryson Hammond is a 6-5 post out of Jacksonville wearing a size 16 shoe right now. He still looks like he is growing, so he has a chance to be a special kid, not only at HoopLife but Jacksonville as well.”
HoopLife is looking to have a strong relationship with the high school coaches in the state.
“Our goal is to work with the high school coaches because we feel like so many AAU coaches get a bad name because they don’t want to work with the high school coaches, and we do because I am one and all the people on our staff is a high school coach on some level,” Patel said. “I’m lucky to have Coach Blake Ward (Lakeside), Coach Danny Salazar (Blytheville), and Coach Tyler Welch (Spring Hill) to help me with day-to-day operations on top of what needs to be done on the court.
"Our goal is to try and benefit all the high school coaches and their programs while also having a good summer for our team.”
Businessman Todd Denton built a first-class facility in Roland, which is northwest of Little Rock, for the program and others to use.
“It’s a very nice two-court facility with a film room upstairs and a weight room,” Patel said. “They offer training here as well – weight training and skills training. Todd has given us an opportunity and we’re very thankful.”
When traveling to events, the HoopLife coaches and players will travel in style.
“We have a 40-passenger bus that he bought with leather seats, six TVs, WiFi and plug-ins,” Patel said. “The kids are not cramped in a van. That’s nice for the kids to have.
"They feel like rockstars.”