Q: Is this the actual program cost or is it a projected figure?

• The total program cost of $750 is the actual program cost. It will include a uniform, insurance, coaching fees, tournament fees and gym rental fees for the duration of the season. Click here to see a cost breakdown, showing you how we came up with this dollar figure.

Q: Will there be fundraisers to help reduce costs or possibly enhance the season experience for the players and their families?

• We encourage fundraisers. However, Hoops 101 will not participate directly in fundraisers as our staff would not have the time to devote to the cause of fundraising. We want to focus our energies on the training of your son or daughter.

• We understand this is a significant financial investment. So we encourage and support any group of parents interested in setting up fundraisers. Some ideas include hosting a tournament, car washes, raffles, and Free Throw Shoot-a-thons.

• In addition, we have seen young players send out letters to friends and family seeking sponsorships to help them take part. We find that the more directly involved the student-athlete is involved in the process, the more ownership they take and the more they understand the sacrifices and hard work it takes to create opportunities.

• Our payment system is set up in three monthly installments to help ease the burden, and we also accept credit card payments via PayPal. Here is the payment schedule:
  • April 1--$200 (includes tuition for Spring Hoops 101 Academy)
  • May 1--$200 (coaching fees, tourney fees, insurance)
  • June 1--$200 (coaching fees, tourney fees, insurance)
  • July 1--$150 (coaching fees, tourney fees, insurance)
    • TOTAL PAYMENTS: $750 payable by check, cash, money order or credit card.

• Just to clarify, Hoops 101 will not be involved in any of the fundraising directly. It is the responsibility of each parent to pay the tuition for their son or daughter and to secure the funds to pay for the program as outlined above. If finances are an issue or if you have some ideas as to how to sponsor athletes, contact us.
  

Q: Is this a set tournament schedule or will there be input from the parents of the players?

• The schedule is flexible. Our Hoops 101 Select calendar has been created to give all participants an idea of when and where practices and games and tournaments will take place. It is intended to show you the scope and sequence of the program.

• We plan on practicing 1-2 times per week, depending on team and individual conflicts. More often than not, we will practice 2 times per week, but reserve the right to limit that depending on team conflicts, holidays and unforeseen events.
  • From spring break to the end of May, we look to practice one time per week on a weeknight (Mon, Tue or Thu) and we will also practice once on Sundays as part of the Hoops 101 Academy at Dripping Springs.
  • We are looking at Tuesdays and Thursdays during the summer, once school is out of session.

• We do intend on taking part in 2-3 tournaments per month. Once again, these tournaments will be shaped by parent and player input.

• It is unlikely that all players will be able to take part in all scheduled activities. We understand this. But we will try to accomodate as many as much as possible. We also ask that you work hard to attend as many events as possible so that the team can have its best chance at growth and improvement.

Q: Who will be coaching the teams and what is their background?

The coaching tree will be set up as follows with a master coach and several team coaches. The roles and responsibilities are outlined below:

• Master Coach--A high school or professional level coach, who will help organize curriculum and practice plans. He or she will be an experienced Hoops 101 coach with experience working with a variety of ages and teams. They will be a certified coach in the state of Texas or a retired coach, who was once certified. In short, it will be a real coach whose main profession is coaching.

The Master Coach will attend all practices barring some unforeseen conflicts. He or she will attend some tournaments, but not all. The MC will serve as a mentor and resource for the team coaches and will supervise them to make sure they are professional in all dealings.

The MC will also give the team coaches clear expectations and guidelines so that they can allow the team coaches to grow and improve as individuals.

• Team Coach--In an effort to broaden our ability to secure good young coaches, the master coach will work directly with a team coach, who will sometimes be an area middle- or high-school coach or a college student studying to become a coach once they graduate.

  The team coach will be responsible for attending all practices and tournament games.

  During games, the team coach is responsible for all game-time decisions including substitutions, offense, defense and time outs.

  Although the team coach may still be in college, we have high the same professional-level expectations of these coaches. They will conduct themselves in a professional manner at all times or will be removed from coaching the team by the Master Coach.

Q: Who will be overseeing the coaches? Will he or she be advising the coaches on the direction and development ?

• Hoops 101 founder and director Nelson Terroba will oversee all coaches. Each coach will perform a criminal background check. As supervisor, he will implement the curriculum, drills, teaching methods and practice organization procedures for all coaches in the program.

• Coach Terroba has coached at all levels from grade school to middle school, to high school to Division I basketball. He has been a head coach at Dripping Springs, a special assistant for the Texas Longhorns Basketball program under Rick Barnes, and presently works at Austin High School as a varsity assistant basketball coach.

• Coach Terroba has attended and coached a variety of basketball camps and schools including Don Meyer Coaches Academy, Snow Valley Basketball School in Santa Barbara, Point Guard College, University of Texas camps, Texas Association of Basketball Coaches Camp and Don Eddy Basketball camps in an effort to continuously learn more about the great game of basketball.

  Click here to see Coach Terroba's Professional Experience
  
  

Q: Is this a one year deal or is this an opportunity to be at the beginning of a long term program?

• Hoops 101 Select is the next level of training for Hoops 101. We, as a baketball organization, strive to teach the game the right way. We do not cut corners or take instruction lightly. We are committed to excellence in all we undertake. With that in mind, we are forming Hoops 101 Select with the vision that it will grow into a respected select basketball option for basketball players who are serious about getting better.

• This program is not for everyone. There will be high level competition at tournaments and, eventually, high level competition for spots on our teams. After a successful first year, we are looking to expand to four teams. The teams we form will depend on the number of players who show interest and the age concentration of those who sign up.

Q: Is it true that college scouts sometimes come to AAU Tournaments looking at players on Select Varsity Level Teams?

• College scouts attend a large number of tournaments during the summer to evaluate talent. Many of the local tournaments we will take place in will not feature college basketball coaches. Some of the larger tournaments like Kingwood, Tops in Texas, Whataburger Shootout and others feature more college coaches. As we get varsity level teams established and playing at a high level, we look forward to attending these very types of tournament in and out of the state to give our players a chance to compete in the largest venues and to increase their exposure at the same time. We will take parent and player input when making these decisions.

• While we want to support each player's dream of playing at the next level, our philosophy is built around focusing on small gains in improvement—getting 10% better over the course of a month, 2% at a time. Over time, this approach to cumulative training makes a significant impact on each player's game and on the team's progress as well. We want players to improve and be as good as they can be.

• We believe this approach gives each player the best opportunity to be as good as they can be at all times—regardless of whether a college coach is in the gym or not. And when that college coach just happens to poke his or her head in the gym, we want him or her to stop and take note of our our collective level of play, approach to excellence, and understanding of the fundamentals and nuances of the game.