Hooplandia Day brought a taste of tournament weekend to the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame on Wednesday, April 22. As a bonus to their day at the museum, participants took part in a clinic instructed by Hooplandia General Manager Drew Dawson and USA Basketball’s Joe Staszyszyn. Players also received exclusive event-branded merch; discounted registration for tourney weekend, June 19-21; and professional team and player photos by Brittain Perez.
Half of the nearly 100 players that congregated on the Court of Dreams at the museum came from the Boys & Girls Clubs of West Springfield and Springfield. Because the Boys & Girls Clubs of Western Mass. are Hooplandia’s philanthropic partner, Eastern States Exposition, producer of the tournament, sponsored 50 club kids between the two facilities.
The Basketball Hall of Fame schedules talks, performances and clinics to keep kids busy during school vacation week. The team at Hooplandia was thrilled to have the chance to close out their April programming with a highly interactive event built with the intent to give kids an appetite for tournament weekend in June. The skills they learned prepared them for the fast-paced 3x3 style of basketball played on the courts at the festival.
“I give credit to Coach Drew and the entire Hooplandia team for putting together an outstanding day,” said Paul Dionne, Vice President of Marketing at the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame. “From where we stand at the Hall, this felt like a real win—an event that delivered high energy and deep impact all around.”
Coach Joe Staszyszyn made the six-hour drive from Carlisle, Penn., for the occasion. He is a player development coach at the USA Basketball Gold Camp, a speaker with the USA Basketball National Coach Academy, a Junior National Team Player Evaluator and a clinician. His other clients include Euroleague International, the International Basketball Federation (FIBA) and ESPN top-ranked high school players. He is a program consultant for the men’s and women’s basketball staff at Duke and Villanova as well as coach and co-owner of Unleashed Potential Basketball.
“The kids today were phenomenal,” said Coach Staszyszyn. “They had great energy, and they worked hard. My piece was a skills development piece. We taught them a lot of things about footwork, shooting and we gave them a little sample of playing some 3x3.
“There isn’t a better place to play basketball than here at the Hall of Fame,” continued Coach Staszyszyn. “Drew Dawson is a longtime friend of mine. I know he’s done a lot of work great work in the 3x3 sphere—as that is a global game now—so Hooplandia is off to a great start. I love what they are doing here to grow the game. I thoroughly enjoyed myself.”
Drew Dawson is two-time New England Prep School Coach of the Year, Ireland U20 Men’s National Team Coach and Head Prep Coach at Choate Rosemary Hall. As of the start of the year, he is also the figurehead for Hooplandia, serving as the event’s general manager and team captain for all those working hard to prepare for the festival with him at Eastern States Exposition (ESE).
“I have so much gratitude for our event partners at the Hall,” Dawson emphasized. “We appreciate their help facilitating this clinic, and we hope that this will become an annual community kickoff building up to our June festival. Between the Hall, the Boys & Girls Clubs and Eastern States Exposition I saw a well-oiled team on the court today and that makes me very excited to see the tournament in full swing.”
You can register for festival weekend now at Hooplandia.com. Tighten up your team roster, lace up your high tops and hit the courts with us, June 19-21.