HoopLife Basketball will have a new home come September.
“We want this to be your one-stop shop for basketball,” said Habib Habib, HoopLife Basketball co-founder and president. “Whether it’s club leagues, practice, workouts, everything that’s regarding your body and basketball, this is going to be your place.”
The basketball training academy is taking over a building on Solomon Crescent in Regina and turning it into a state-of-the-art facility for all of its members to use year-round. The 9,000-square-foot space will feature a full-size hardwood court with six nets, plus a workout area with a personal trainer on-site, bleachers and office space, among other things.
“This has been in the works since 2016,” said Habib. “We envision to have a place for kids to come and showcase their skills.
“A place to go to where they can feel empowered and confident.”
One of the features of the new space will be adjustable nets for the younger athletes, as HoopLife offers programs starting at age seven.
“We got the nets that can actually get lowered down,” said Habib. “So kids can actually put the ball in the hoop and they don’t get discouraged.”
Currently, the basketball training academy, which was founded in 2016, is hosting most of its programs out of Laval High School, which has turned into a nice partnership, but the new building is set to take HoopLife to the next level.
“There are so many kids that don’t have a place to go and showcase their skills and we are so grateful for this opportunity,” added Habib. “This is going to put Saskatchewan on the map.
“If you talk to anyone in Ontario or B.C., they’re like, ‘Saskatchewan has a basketball team? It’s not just hockey there?’ But this is going to show them that we’ve got players and they get to come here every day and play ball.”
In the meantime, as construction on the space gets underway, HoopLife is still offering week-long summer camps for boys and girls ages seven to 18 before the official grand opening of the new building expected in September.