Basketball fever has hit the nation again, and at ARS, we are as excited as everyone else! The ARS/Rescue Rooter National Hoopfest is around the corner, and ARS was fortunate enough to catch up with the founder and basketball legend, Penny Hardaway, to chat about this year’s events.
Penny was right where he is most comfortable: on the court with the young men that he coaches. He has been coaching East High in Memphis, TN, for four years now, and he completely turned the program around from an underperformer to a top 10 team in the country. However, Penny was interested in reaching even more high school athletes, and on a larger scale. Penny met Hoopfest co-founder, Travis Haddock, and they discussed Hoopfest: several games held in select cities around the country that feature the nation’s top high school basketball talent. One city team will play a prep school from the same city, and it gives the players an opportunity to compete against teams they otherwise would not play, as well as garner some big attention from recruiters and scouts.
Now, six years later, not only do these all-out gritty games entertain, but they sustain the community, too. Hoopfest currently donates proceeds to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital in Memphis, TN. And for Penny, it will always be about kids.
ARS is proud to support the active youth around the country. And Penny has made it clear that the entertainment factor will be there on December 1 for their first game. “We look forward to knock-down-drag-out games from these guys. It gets them excited. It keeps them on the court, and motivated to make good grades and stay in the competition.”
