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Crowdfunding campaign launched for Big Joe documentary

Crowdfunding campaign launched for Big Joe documentary

The Hoopsfix Foundation has launched a crowdfunding campaign to raise licensing fees required to release their documentary about legendary basketball coach Joe White.

‘Big Joe’ is a 28 minute documentary that tells the story of the remarkable life and legacy of Joe White, an extraordinary basketball coach from East London, who used the failure of his own NBA dreams as motivation to use basketball as a tool to change lives, both on and off the court in Hackney — the most under-privileged borough in the the UK at the time — before tragically losing his life at just 40 years old.

With the film now finished, £20,000 in licensing fees are required from the likes of Getty Images, the NBA, IOC, Sky, and ITV to be able to use the archive footage that is necessary to tell the story.

Joe’s impact on the basketball world was nothing short of legendary. In just 14 years coaching with Hackney White Heat, he won 21 junior national league titles, and 16 national schools titles, but more importantly provided a safe place and direction for thousands of youngsters in London.

Thirty two of his players went on to play professionally, including one in the NBA and two at the London 2012 Olympics.

To donate and find out more, check out the campaign on GoFundMe – please consider sharing it with your networks!

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Hoopsfix Foundation partners with Access Sport to renovate basketball courts

Hoopsfix Foundation partners with Access Sport to renovate basketball courts

The Hoopsfix Foundation has partnered with Access Sport to renovate and activate five basketball courts across the capital.

The three year partnership agreement between the charitable arm of the UK’s leading basketball media and events platform and one of the leading inclusive sports charities in the UK aims to create more opportunities for disadvantaged and disabled young people to play basketball, enriching their lives through the benefits of inclusive sport.

Hoopsfix will support Access Sport to activate at least five community basketball courts in underserved areas of London.

Hoopsfix is already a leader in this space, having worked alongside Foot Locker, National Basketball Association, Basketball England, and Lambeth Council to refurbish the Clapham Common basketball courts in 2021, which have since become a hub of basketball activity in London.

Sport England’s Active Lives data demonstrates that basketball is consistently more impactful on well-being compared to other sports and attracts people from the least affluent backgrounds, holding untapped potential to transform the lives of underserved young people.

“Partnerships like this one connect Access Sport with a network of community basketball clubs and are therefore invaluable,” Tess Cinamon Duffield, Head of Programm at Access Sport commented.

“By working with Hoopsfix, we are gaining insight into what facilities could benefit from our support and linking directly with communities, volunteers and coaches who want to become more inclusive. Together we hope to provide as many young people as possible with the benefits of this amazing sport.”

This partnership will not only improve and activate basketball courts, but also provide long-term support for the London basketball community.

Clubs will have access to the ongoing guidance needed to set up and sustain a thriving inclusive club, including access to training, resources and equipment.

Hoopsfix’s network of clubs and connections throughout the British basketball scene will be used to maximise the reach of this work, ensuring that communities who really need this support can gain access.

“We know from our own research that dedicated, high quality, outdoor basketball spaces are incredibly important to getting people playing more basketball,” Sam Neter, the Executive Director of the Hoopsfix Foundation added.

“This partnership with Access Sport will allow us to transform at least another 5 courts across the capital to provide better playing opportunities to thousands of young people.”

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Hoopsfix collaborates with Foot Locker on Summer Jam once more

Hoopsfix collaborates with Foot Locker on Summer Jam once more

Summer Jam presented by Foot Locker saw the summer calendar of activity finish on a high at Clapham Common basketball courts in South London.

As part of Foot Locker and Hoopsfix’s ongoing commitment to activating Clapham Common courts following the renovation in 2021, Summer Jam was the culmination of pan-European competition that saw qualifiers held across six outdoor courts – all renovated by Foot Locker – each country sent their winning team, with Barcelona, Berlin, London, Milan, Paris, Rotterdam all represented in the 5 on 5 knockout tournament.

Team Berlin and Team Rotterdam took the Summer Jam Finals crowns in the men’s and women’s categories, respectively.

The London teams; OTS and Powerpuff Gyals – along with one other women’s team, Triple Threat, who jumped in for Paris who were without a female side, were unable to bring home the title in front of home crowds.

Hoopsfix Summer Jam 2023 Clapham

The straight knockout tournament saw Powerpuff Gyals reach the final before falling to Rotterdam – knocking out Triple Threat in the semi-finals, while OTS went out in the opening round, also at the hands of Rotterdam.

Meanwhile, in the King and Queen of the Trenches 1 on 1 competition, London took home the title in the Women’s competition, with Melita Emanuel-Carr being crowned, while in the men’s it was Rotterdam’s Caleb Vijber.

After the basketball, there was an after party on the courts, with Sainté performing on the New Balance stage.

Earlier in August, Hoopsfix also worked with Foot Locker and the NBA to hold a junior skills clinic on the Clapham Common courts.

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Second Hoopsfix Pro-Am elevates in Brixton

Second Hoopsfix Pro-Am elevates in Brixton

The second Hoopsfix Pro-Am built upon its inaugural year, packing out Brixton Rec on a weekly basis while amassing over 24,000 views on the YouTube live streams.

Working with Lambeth Council, Contested app and Stance Socks, the Pro-Am returned but moved to Brixton with every week featuring a six-game slate consisting of two women’s games and four men’s games taking place from June 18th until July 16th.

The five week summer league brought together the best of British basketball, both seasoned pros and top prospects; targeting elite level players, some of whom are rarely seen in organised competition in the UK.

Headlining names include Great Britain Senior internationals GB captain Carl Wheatle, 2x BBL MVP and GB international Justin Robinson, Kavell Bigby-Williams, Akwasi Yeboah, Jordan Williams, Dwayne Lautier-Ogunleye, Orlan Jackman, while on the female side, Ire Ozzy-Momodu – fresh back from EuroBasket Women, along with her GB teammates Georgia Gayle, Shanice Beckford-Norton, who won MVP, Shequila Joseph, Chantel Charles and Melita Emanuel-Carr.

Glacier Boys went back-to-back to be crowned men’s champions, while Team Sapphire took the women’s crown for the second straight year.

England and GB international, Shanice Beckford-Norton, was named women’s MVP after standout performances every week, while Kayne Henry, who has just finished his rookie season in Germany, picked up Men’s MVP.

Plans are in place to continue the Pro-Am for the third straight year in 2024.

For more information or sponsorship enquiries, please contact sam[@]hoopsfix.com (removing the brackets).

*Tickets were not sold, but free via registration.

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Hoopsfix All-Star Classic 2023 rises to new heights

Hoopsfix All-Star Classic 2023 rises to new heights

The 2023 Hoopsfix All-Star Classic elevated to new heights with 1700 in attendance as the top under-19 talent from across the country took to the floor.

Taking place on Sunday May 28th at Crystal Palace National Sports Centre for the second straight year, an Under-19 Women and Under-19 Men’s game, along with 3-point shoot out, dunk contest, was supplemented by an expanded coaching conference in partnership with the British Coaches Association (BCA).

The event was sponsored by Jordan as presenting partner, Sportserve, Molten and 5or6.

Jordan Family Trials

Jordan Family Trials Hoopsfix
On Saturday morning, Hoopsfix worked with Jordan to do their ‘Family Trials’, working with the Brixton Topcats junior sides for a skills clinic led by pro trainer Gary Maitland. They were taught Jayson Tatum inspired moves while trialling the new Tatum 1 sneaker.

Coaching Conference

Jordanas Mejeras Hoopsfix All-Star Classic Coaching Conference
With the BCA launching for the second time, and working alongside FIBA and Basketball England, a world-class line up of nine speakers were secured, headlined by Israeli Arik Shivek, the former head coach of the senior Israeli national basketball team, and Spain’s Luis Guil Torres, an assistant coach with the senior Spanish national team who is a reigning World and European champion.

Joining Shivek and Torres was Bristol Flyers Head Coach Andreas Kapoulas, fresh off a top three BBL Championship finish, Baltic Stars’ Jordanas Mejeras, London Lions’ and renowned skills coach Gary Maitland.

Additionally, former Lions Head Coach and British basketball legend Vince Macaulay, Sussex University’s Rob Newson, West Ham’s Head of Performance & Well-being Jenny Coady, plus MVMT Sport’s Co-Founder Simon Turner all spoke to an audience of over 50 coaches, some who had travelled internationally to attend.

3-Point Shoot Out

William Issekya 3-Point Shoot out Hoopsfix
William Issekya was crowned as the 3-Point Shootout winner at the 2023 Hoopsfix All-Star Classic at Crystal Palace, on Sunday.

The Milton Keynes guard edged out Nedas Cholevinskas in a thrilling finale on the final rack to become the latest winner of the contest.

Six players competed in the mixed gender event with Anna Nevison, Liv Forster, Fatmata Janneh and Louie Tucker missing out in the first round.

Under-19 Women’s Game

Fats Janneh Hoopsfix MVP
Team White produced a dominant first half display on their way to recording a 91-53 victory over Team Black in the Under-19 Women’s game.

Fatmata Janneh claimed the MVP award with an impressive statline of 23 points, seven rebounds, six assists and four steals, while Ebere Egbirika was another standout candidate with a game-high of 26 points.

Meanwhile, Abbey Whitehouse also added a double-double of 13 points and 10 rebounds in the win, with Team Black led by Faye Endean’s 15 points.

Dunk Contest

Josiah Philip Hoopsfix Dunk Contest
Josiah Philip defeated Lane Campbell in a thrilling final battle to take the Dunk Contest title at the 2023 Hoopsfix All-Star Classic, on Sunday.

With a final round score of 140, Philip joined the event’s list of illustrious names to be crowned champion of the contest.

Under-19 Men’s Game

Nedas Cholevinskas Hoopsfix
Team Black recorded a strong 96-66 victory over Team White in the Under-19 Men’s game at the 2023 Hoopsfix All-Star Classic.

Vince Macaulay’s side ran out comfortable winners behind the performances of Nedas Cholevinskas and Chudi Dioramma at Crystal Palace, on Sunday.

Cholevinskas took home the MVP award with 21 points, eight rebounds and four steals, while Dioramma added 12 points, 12 rebounds and four blocks with Louie Tucker contributing 16 points off the bench.

Experiences

Jayson Tatum Truck Hoopsfix
Additionally, to elevate the whole event experience this year saw an NBA 2K gaming room, a nail salon, barber shop, VIP room, Jayson Tatum van, pink lemonade stand and Tatum shoe display.

For more information or to discuss sponsorship opportunities around the 2024 edition, please email sam[@]hoopsfix.com (removing the brackets!).

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Hoopsfix Summer Jam rounds out Foundation’s event season

Hoopsfix Summer Jam rounds out Foundation’s event season

Hoopsfix Summer Jam presented by Foot Locker saw the summer calendar of activity finish on a high at Clapham Common basketball courts in South London on Saturday.

As part of Foot Locker and Hoopsfix’s ongoing commitment to activating Clapham Common courts following the renovation in 2021, Summer Jam was the culmination of five weeks of activity in the space, which began with four weeks of coaching sessions – three with Coach Gary Maitland and the final week an NBA skills clinic with Coach Junior Williams.

Clapham Common Coaching Sessions with Gary Maitland

At Summer Jam, the inaugural ‘Clapham Common Cup’ took place, a straight knockout 5-on-5 tournament for under-23s with both male and female categories, along with the ‘King of the Trenches’ and ‘Queen of the Trenches’ 1-on-1 competition presented by Dezereels for a £500 cash prize, along with DJ, MC and entertainment.

Raiders – featuring Solent’s Kai Walker and Zain Poorman, saw off Nothing to Worry About 43-36 to claim the 2022 Clapham Common Cup in the men’s division, while Team Emerald took home the Cup in the women’s division, defeating Team Ruby 40-31 led by Chantel Charles and Janice Monakana.

All winners received a Clapham Common Cup engraved tankard, along with a £100 Foot Locker voucher.

Meanwhile, the debut for the King of the Trenches and Queen of the Trenches 1-on-1 competitions, saw recent Commonwealth Games silver medal winner Shanice Beckford-Norton and Damarni Velinor fight off stiff competition to claim the crowns.

The 1-on-1 competition was organised by Deric Eze of Dezereels, as part of our vocational education, giving him his first experience of event management under the tutelage and guidance of Hoopsfix.

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Inaugural Hoopsfix Pro-Am a resounding success

Inaugural Hoopsfix Pro-Am a resounding success

The first ever Hoopsfix Pro-Am was a resounding success, selling out* all five weeks it took place, while amassing over 30,000 views on the YouTube live streams.

Over 300 people per week packed into the City of London Academy in Southwark, to watch a six-game slate featuring two women’s games and four men’s games taking place from June 19th until July 16th.

The five week summer league brought together the best of British basketball, both seasoned pros and top prospects; targeting elite level players, some of whom are rarely seen in organised competition in the UK.

Headlining names include Great Britain Senior internationals such as Orlan Jackman – fresh off winning a Commonwealth Games gold medal this summer, Dwayne Lautier-Ogunleye, Carl Wheatle, Rob Gilchrist and Akwasi Yeboah, while on the female side, London Lions’ Holly Winterburn, Shanice Beckford-Norton, Shequila Joseph and Renee Busch all took to the floor.

Glacier Boys were crowned men’s champions, while Team Sapphire took the women’s crown.

Isi Ozzy-Momodu earned women’s tournament MVP honours after consistent performances – as she prepares to head to JUCO in Florida next season, while Peter Turay, heading to NCAA Division II school University of West Alabama, claimed men’s tournament MVP honours.

Plans are in place to continue the Pro-Am on an annual basis

For more information or sponsorship enquiries, please contact sam[@]hoopsfix.com (removing the brackets).

*Tickets were not sold, but free via registration.

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Hoopsfix All-Star Classic sets junior attendance record

Hoopsfix All-Star Classic sets junior attendance record

The 2022 Hoopsfix All-Star Classic was a record-breaking success, setting a new record for a junior basketball event in the UK with 1500 in attendance as the top under-19 talent from across the country took to the floor.

Taking place on Saturday May 28th at Crystal Palace National Sports Centre, an Under-19 Women and Under-19 Men’s game, along with 3-point shoot out, dunk contest, morning clinic for Under-12s and coaching clinic packed the schedule, which totalled 16,000 views in the first day of the YouTube broadcast.

The event was sponsored by Jordan, Foot Locker, Sportserve, Molten, 5or6, Always Ballin’ and Red Bull.

Under-12 Clinic

U12 Clinic Hoopsfix All-Star Classic
Chiswick Gators U12s were invited to take part in the clinic after winning the U12 Community Basketball League title the week before. 12 of their players participated in a 90 minute session led by GB Internationals (and siblings) Kyla and Luke Nelson.

Coaching Clinic

Mark Clark Hoopsfix All-Star Classic Coaching Clinic
The 25 available registration spots were filled within 2 days of being announced as people were eager to see Surrey Scorchers’ Head Coach Creon Raftopoulos, London Lions WBBL Head Coach Mark Clark, City of London Academy’s Jackson Gibbons and Solent Kestrels and GB’s Performance Analyst Adam Sewell share their knowledge.

Foot Locker 3-Point Shoot Out

Quinn Ellis Hoopsfix All-Star Classic 3-Point Shoot Out
Quinn Elis was crowned the winner of the Foot Locker 3-point shootout after an impressive showing. The Italy-based professional guard produced a score of 18 to beat Katie Januszewska and Anna Nevison in the final to top the third edition of the mixed gender contest and follow Rhys Sundimalt and Alex Distras as winners – both of whom were in attendance, with Sundimalt presenting the trophy.

Under-19 Women’s Game

Issy Bunyan Hoopsfix All-Star Classic MVP
Team White were victorious over Team Black in the Under-19 Women’s game, taking a 79-61 victory. Issy Bunyan was named MVP after finishing with 14 points, six rebounds and two steals in just 16 minutes of action having played a key role in the pivotal run in the third quarter.

There was another strong performance from Isi Ozzy-Momodu with 15 points to lead the team in scoring, with Maisie Evison and Katie Januszewska also in double figures with 12 and 11 points respectively.

Foot Locker Dunk Contest

Charles Okafor Hoopsfix All-Star Classic Dunk Contest
Charles Okafor edged Sheffield College teammate Declan Kom to claim the Foot Locker Dunk Contest title.

ALl-Star Classic alumnus Kayne Henry, the UK’s best dunker Joel Henry, 2016 Dunk Contest champion Amin Adamu and 2021 Dunk contest winner Hensy Sako were the four judges in the contest as six participants battled it out.

Okafor and Kom both impressed with perfect scores in the second of their two opening round dunks with Simeon Perry pushed into third place, while Bryan Akanmu and Marcus Myen King-Danchie were separated by two points. Chudi Dioramma stepped in as a late replacement for Kane Daley.

Under-19 Men’s Game

Quinn Ellis - Hoopsfix All-Star Classic U19 Mens Game 2022
Team White picked up the win in the Under-19 Men’s game as they defeated Team Black 96-85 at the 2022 Hoopsfix All-Star Classic.

Quinn Ellis claimed a second MVP award of the day with a near triple-double of 15 points, nine rebounds and eight assists in the win.

Louie Jordan, signed to NCAA Division 1 school Weber State, had 22 points on 7-of-8 shooting, while US-based Marcus Myen King-Danchie had 15 points and Michael Belle, a pro in France with SIG Strasbourg added 14.

For more information or to discuss sponsorship opportunities around the 2023 edition, please email sam[@]hoopsfix.com (removing the brackets!).

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Hoopsfix Foundation to debut Pro-Am for men & women at CoLA this summer

Hoopsfix Foundation to debut Pro-Am for men & women at CoLA this summer

The Hoopsfix Foundation will debut the first ever Hoopsfix Pro-Am this summer in London, sponsored by Jordan brand, taking place from June 19th until July 16th at City of London Academy, Southwark.

The five week summer league aims to bring together the best of British basketball, targeted at elite level players, some of whom are rarely seen in organised competition in the UK.

The event, which is free for spectators, has been NCAA certified to allow Division 1 student-athletes to play and will feature 8 men’s teams, and 4 women’s teams, taking place from 12pm until 8pm on Sunday 19th & 26th June, and Saturday 2nd, 9th and 16th July.

All games will be live streamed, with photography and highlights to profile the athletes, with a physio on site throughout the day to ensure player’s welfare is prioritised. Every week, 250 tickets will be open for free registration to the community.

To register an expression of interest to play/have a team for the men’s league, please fill out the form here, to register for the women’s league, fill out the form here.

To apply for media accreditation, click here.

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Hoopsfix Foundation releases first resource to help transform outdoor basketball courts

Hoopsfix Foundation releases first resource to help transform outdoor basketball courts

The Hoopsfix Foundation today releases its first official resource, a guide on how to renovate outdoor basketball courts.

How to Renovate Your Local Basketball Court‘ is a 34-page, 5000-word booklet, guiding anyone through every step of the way to take their court from a state of disrepair to something they can be proud of.

Drawing upon experiences learned through the Foundation’s first court renovation project at Clapham Common, while also consulting with various people across the UK who have also been involved with their own court transformations, it is the first in-depth resource of its kind in the UK.

“I’m incredibly proud to release our first resource to help empower people within their own local communities,” Sam Neter, Executive Director of the Hoopsfix Foundation said.

“We’ve said that the work we do with the Foundation we want to be scaleable and have national impact, acting as a facilitator and enabler for others. This guide does exactly that.

“Clapham Common was a 3 year project from initial idea to completion and there were countless learnings along the way, and now we are able to share all of those with others with the aim of helping produce better quality outdoor facilities across the country.”

The guide, designed by Lizzy Harrison, is endorsed by Basketball England, Project Swish and Project in the Paint, featuring 14 chapters along with an appendix of case studies to demonstrate what is possible with different budgets.

To coincide with the launch, an hour long behind the scenes Vlog of the Clapham Common renovation was released on YouTube, giving week-by-week insight into what goes into a court transformation project:

The digital pdf version of the guide completely free, while the print version is £9.99, with all proceeds going towards the Foundation’s work. Optional donations are also welcomed.

You can order the guide from Gumroad by clicking here.

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