HoopLife Basketball brings international talent and inspiration to Sask. youth

The HoopLife basketball camp hit Regina over the weekend to teach kids how to dribble, shoot and make smart plays.

Youth basketball players from Regina and Saskatoon were given the opportunity to experience elite training at HoopLife’s one-day basketball development camp Saturday in Regina.

The camp featured international trainer Jordan Lawley and Marek Klassen, a guard on the Canadian national team.

Klassen plays for Team Canada’s 3x3 basketball team and has had a decade-long professional career overseas while Lawley has trained NBA stars Klay Thompson and Zach LaVine.

“The kids here in Saskatchewan don’t get to see talent like this. These guys bring a whole wealth of experience that no one has ever seen before in Saskatchewan,” said Andrew Gottselig, the Hooplife CEO and founder.

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Gottselig said the program was initially created to help youth to find confidence in their skills while also teaching them how to use basketball as a tool for personal growth. He went on to express how his college basketball coach did just that for him.

“When the game does something like that for you, you want to give back,” he said.

Founded in 2017, HoopLife has locations in Regina and Saskatoon providing all-season training sessions and basketball leagues to youth athletes in the province who want to sharpen their skills on and off the court.

Gottselig said that “HoopLife is a program to support the entire province” and by bringing in big names like Klassen and Lawley it is inspiring and supporting youth to do just that.

For Lawley, who is currently based out of Orange County, CA, hosting the Regina camp was extra special for more than one reason.

“My family is actually from Regina,” Lawley shared. “It was my opportunity to kind of come back and give a little bit back to the community, even though it’s a little bit chillier than Southern California.”

Lawley now runs a professional basketball training service that spans across Australia, Canada, the United States and other countries. He expressed that his motivation for running the youth camp was to give young athletes hope and access to high-level training.

“I think it’s really important to give kids hope and to give them the understanding that it’s not far out of reach … It gives them a little bit more of an appeal to be like, ‘I’m within arm’s reach of getting the same knowledge and instruction as a lot of these NBA or WNBA athletes that we work with.’”

Young athletes in attendance said they were inspired by the experience.

“I think this is a really amazing opportunity. I love everything that’s going on with Jordan and all the other coaches,” said Theo Weisbrod, a HoopLife participant since the age of six. “I’ve learned a lot about IQ and making smart decisions. It’s been an amazing experience.

“Team Canada is my dream. That’s my goal for my basketball career.”

As a national basketball player and founder of the app Hooper IQ, Klassen was able to inspire youth like Theo to reach their full potential on and off the court.

“I was never the tallest, I was never the most athletic, but I was always the smartest on the court,” he said. “And part of that means that I was able to think the game at a high level,” said Klassen.

Klassen hoped this camp will mark the start of more high-level basketball opportunities for Saskatchewan youth.

“Being able to bring Jordan to this facility, a world-class communicator and basketball coach, is huge,” Klassen said. “This guy’s coaching NBA all-stars like last week, and now he’s in Saskatchewan, in Regina. That really brings great joy to my heart.”

Gottselig expressed that Hooplife basketball training camps will continue to help enhance the skills of youth basketball players across Saskatchewan and the country.

“HoopLife is a program to support the entire province,” he said. “Regardless of where you play, HoopLife is here to support everyone and to be a place that kids can come for skills training and fun.”

Since its founding, HoopLife has expanded to Saskatoon and hosts camps across Canada, from Vancouver Island to Nunavut.

More information on HoopLife program can be found here.