In 2013, Helping Hoops ran its first Combine in partnership with the Longhorns Basketball Club with participants from the Helping Hoops Sunshine program. The basic concept of the Combine was to provide players, mostly from a South Sudanese Australian background, the opportunity to gain data on athletic performance and enjoy the experience of being treated as a student-athlete.
The Helping Hoops Combine returned again in 2014 on December 15, and took a huge step forward with the support of Academy League – a Melbourne company which specialises in the testing of athletes by using the latest laser gate technology. We are excited to partner with Academy League as many of the Helping Hoops Sunshine participants have high aspirations of playing basketball in the USA, and accurate, standardised, and internationally recognised data is essential to helping them access opportunities in the US high school and college systems.
The 2014 Helping Hoops Combine saw Academy League gather data across vertical leap, basketball agility, sprints, endurance, and other areas. Participants enjoyed the lights and motion of the high-tech laser gate technology used, as well as the chance to see where they ranked in their group.
Helping Hoops Ambassador, Chris Anstey, was on hand to support and gave the young athletes advice including working hard every day as if the person who will give them an opportunity was watching.
For more information on Academy League, please visit their website here.
