Hoop Dreams

"Our son has been going to Hoop Dreams for 3-4 years and we have noticed benefits both on and off the court. He’s learned a lot about basketball, hard work, competing, respecting others including peers and coaches, and the list goes on and on. Coaches Mark, Ross, Mike, and others continue to have a positive impact on our son and our family every day. We cannot say enough good to do justice to the basketball skills development learned at Hoop Dreams thanks to the coaching staff and family atmosphere embodied by the owners and HD community."

"I simply can’t say enough good things about Hoop Dreams! I’m very particular about who my son spends time around. Hoop dreams far exceeds my expectations in the coaching department. Coach Mark is a role model for my son on and off the court. Along with Mark, my son spends a lot of time with Coach Ross, Coach Mike and Beth. They truly care about my son and his development. I love the bball skills he is learning… but more than that… I love how his emotional endurance, confidence, and happiness are developing from spending time at HD!"

"Love love love Hoop dreams! We’ve been attending for 3 years and had the best experience! The owners, coaches and classes are great!"

"During my 2nd encounter with the organization a few weeks ago, I discussed with the owner that I couldn’t afford the tuition up front and I inquired if payment plans available. He advised me to pay only $100 which would cover the season (6 games total). My son had a game yesterday 12/4. Upon arrival yesterday, I walked my son inside the gym and over to the bench area where the coach and rest of the team were situated. Before I even reached the bench area (about 10 feet away), “Coach mark” turned around and said “just bring him right over here ma’am.” As i reached the bench with my Son “Coach mark” handed my son a jersey; I said “hello coach mark.” He looked at me looked at my son and gave him the jersey. I said again “hello coach mark.” He looked up again and looked at me and said “hey”. I then asked “are we good?” He said “yeah”. I asked “you sure”? He then says “yes, it’s just been a long day I’m sorry.” Went to my seat as the game started. About 7/8 mins into the game and I’m seeing how my 8 year old son is playing on a team where all the other players look like 8th graders. In my opinion the team was overcrowded.Too many players on one team. My son was overlooked the entire game. The other players were purposely ignoring his presence, refusing to pass him the ball while passing the ball back and forth amongst each other and not including him in the game at all. My son was already at a disadvantage because every other player on the team was literally 3times his size. Once they called a time out I walked over to my son near the bench and asked him what was going on and his response was “I can’t get the ball”. They started to play again and I stood off in the door area behind the bench to avoid walking in between the refs to get back to my seat. Another 2 mins goes by and I’m Watching again how the players are playing around my son, not interacting with him or passing him the ball and knocking him over. I then got “Coach marks” attention and asked him why isn’t anyone pass him the ball and why do they have him playing on a team where everyone is 3 times his size. He then rudely responded back that my son needed to basically figure it out and then told me as a parent I have no business standing where I was standing. I told him I was standing there to avoid walking in between the refs and I also told him that he initially was rude toward me and my son from the moment I walked in and for no reason at all. I spoke twice while trying to make eye contact and he pretended to not hear me we He treated me and my son like he didn’t want us there and didn’t want my son playing. First half was over and I walked back to my seat. 4 minutes into the second half and it’s the same thing! I was very upset at that point so I got up and left the gym. After the game my son was crying and upset and expressed to me that nobody would pass him the ball or play along with him before I even said anything to him about how I felt. As I tried to make several attempts to speak to the owner and co owner of the organization, I was ultimately greeted with nothing but lack of remorse and disrespect. I was hung up on twice by “coach mark” and the co owner today, 12/4 in the middle of Me making attempts to explain my concerns. My son does not want to return and he was very upset and at 8 years old he felt discriminated against. My son was damn near the only black boy on the team. If you are looking for a safe and welcoming environment when your child can thrive in basketball, make this your last place to consider. From my experience, the coaches are rude, the facility and program is unorganized, and the staff and coaches don’t care about the children. This place thrives of gimmicks and the coaches spend more time trying to mimic professional coaching behaviors instead of genuinely connecting with players and being fair. I truly believe my son was discriminated against, hence the reason I kept getting hung up on. We won’t be returning and I strongly advise all perspective players and parents of players to not participate in this league."

"Our son is enrolled in the Hoop Dreams after school program. This program is fantastic! It was well organized and intentional. We are very impressed with how much our son’s basketball skills have improved. We have also done the day camps, skills classes, and Little Hoopers clinics. Every program Hoop Dreams has been wonderful and my son loves all of them!"