Hard Work Region Preview: Hopson Elite
We may be in the middle of high school basketball season but it’s not too early to look ahead to what’s coming up on the AAU circuit. Over the next few months we will be taking a look at the teams that will be participating in the PrepHoops Circuit Hard Work Region and here’s a look at Hopson Elite.
Hopson Elite will compete in the 15U age division of the Hard Work Region and will be at Havoc in the Heartland, The Summer Challenge and the Hard Work Region Finals.
I recently caught up with Hopson Elite Director Thomas Hallett to learn more about his program and what to expect from the Elite this season:
Why did you start your program? How long have you been around?
Hopson Elite started last June when former NBA player and Ohio State University all time leading scorer Dennis Hopson reached out to me about putting a team together to play in a new tournament called the Jr. NBA tournament. We put a team together and literally only had 3-4 practices. We went to the tournament and competed very well against some of the best teams in the country. After the tournament Dennis was pleasantly surprised and asked if I’d be interested in putting together a team that’s more of a full-time team. We put together a 15U team. We played in a local fall league in the varsity division and won the league and are now gearing up for the AAU season. Depending on how it goes we may add more age divisions next year.
What is the goal of your program for 2019?
We are structuring our program a little different. We created a fully funded team. Players receive their uniforms and all their gear, practices, tournaments, hotel stays, and food at no cost to them. AAU can be very expenses and we didn’t want any of our players to be excluded due to family finances. Our goal is to become a truly elite team in Ohio and a player on the national scene. We have some great talent and great coaching to help that talent excel and perform beyond what they know they can do. Our goal is to push these players to meet their individual potentials to help the team succeed. In that process help these kids understand that they can succeed in life by doing more than other people are willing to do.
What is your program’s mission each year?
Our mission each year is to put together the top notch talent from our area, and teach them that hard work will help them succeed more than their God given abilities. We want to teach them how to work to be successful people that can relate and communicate with others and hope that those skills and work ethic translate into wins on the court as well.
Do you know of any players that will be back in your program this year? Who should we have our eye on?
We have some truly gifted players on our team, many of whom are varsity contributors as freshman at their schools. I don’t know that I can single out one player over the rest. They all have great individual strengths that compliment one another one the court. Collin Nutter is 6’5″ and is developing a nice inside game that he pairs well with a nice outside jump shot. Sean Crieg is 6’4″ and is a match up problem for most teams as he can play anywhere on the court. Nate Houston and Jonas Tester are great athletes with exceptional first step speed and get to the basket very well. Jacob Copley and Noreon Grier have great court vision and get the ball to people in great position to score. TJ Hallett, Aaron McMillan, Ben Ireland, and Jaden Cook are exceptional out side shooters that can also score off the dribble.
Why did you choose the Prep Hoops Circuit?
We were invited to play in several circuits. However, the prep hoops circuit seems like it has a great reputation and great overall competition. That’s what we were looking for was a quality organization with great competition that could get our players “seen.”