Community Highlights: Meet Afriye Phillips of Hoops Academy

Today we’d like to introduce you to Afriye Phillips.

Hi Afriye, so excited to have you on the platform. So before we get into questions about your work-life, maybe you can bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today?
Hoops Academy is a basketball academy based in Denver, CO with the mission of “education beyond the court.” We are focused on developing our athletes both on and off the court. Our goal is to graduate student-athletes who go on to become professionals beyond the sports world. Our success is not based on how pro basketball players that we produce. Our success is not based on how many pro basketball players that we produce.

Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
I do not believe any road to your dreams is smooth. We have overcome a lot of trials to start up Hoops Academy. From using gyms at 5am to get in before the morning crowd to losing A LOT of games at the beginning to working multiple jobs to pay for business expenses, we have been an example of what it is to never give up on the road to your dreams. More great things to come!

Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your business?
Hoops Academy is divided up into two sections: club teams and basketball training. We travel on the Prep Hoops Circuit for our HS boys team and compete locally with the remainder of our teams here in CO. Coach A is certified in strength and conditioning, USA basketball, and also played professional basketball with the Dallas Mavericks organization.

What sets us apart is our affordability and our mission of “education beyond the court.” We do not just compete in games to compete. We use our practices and games to teach the lessons needed to be successful off the basketball court. Whether that be in the classroom, home life, or professional life, we aim to educate our athletes that life goes on even after your basketball career comes to an end.

We are most proud of our social media presence and our focus upon our athletes. We are here to highlight our athletes and their accomplishments. We want to give them the shine they deserve and praise them for their accomplishments while they are achieving them today.

Is there something surprising that you feel even people who know you might not know about?
People are surprised that we encourage our athletes to play multiple sports! Multi-sport athletes are more well-rounded athletically, socially, and mentally as well. Specializing at a young age can ruin the love of the game. We encourage all of our athletes, especially our middle school athletes, to experience as many sports as they can.

Pricing:

• $150 per month for middle school
• $250 per month for high school

Contact Info:

• Email: hoopsacademydenver@gmail.com
• Website: hoopsacademydenver.com
• Instagram: @the_hoops_academy
• Facebook: Hoops Academy
• Twitter: @Clayton_conover
• Youtube: Hoops Academy