Hoop Lab's
Chip On My Shoulder
We Don’t Chase Games.
We Build Players.
Skill development. Shooting. Team concepts. Performance training. Basketball IQ. Selective competition.
The Hoop Lab Way
Development First.
Always.
New Jersey is packed with AAU and travel basketball programs. Players have no shortage of teams to join, tournaments to play or games to compete in. But playing more basketball games doesn't automatically mean you're developing more as a basketball player.
Most programs recruit a team, practice once or maybe twice a week if they're lucky, then fill the calendar with tournaments. We take a different approach.
We're not interested in jam-packing players' and families' weekends just to say we played another tournament. We'll be selective about where we compete and look for high-level tournaments that actually challenge our players and give us something valuable to evaluate. There isn't much developmental value in spending an entire weekend winning games by 30 or losing games by 30.
Competition needs a purpose. We compete to find out what translates. We find out what holds up under pressure. We expose weaknesses. Then we come back to Hoop Lab and work on what the game showed us.
Zach Leach leads the individual skill development of every Chip on My Shoulder player through weekly small-group training and shooting development. Gea Uguccioni helps reinforce the Hoop Lab development system through Group Classes and Shooting Lab.
The goal isn’t to see how many tournaments we can play. The goal is to build players who look noticeably different after a year in our system.
Competition should test development. Not replace it.
Train → Practice → Compete → Evaluate → Fix → Retest
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Weekly Skill Development with Zach Leach
Every Chip on My Shoulder player trains directly with Zach Leach each week in a small-group development setting. Groups are kept at approximately five players to allow for individualized teaching, correction and accountability.
Sessions focus on individual weaknesses, skill development, shooting, footwork, decision-making and areas identified through practices and competition.
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Team Practice & Concepts
Spacing, defense, transition, small-sided games and game preparation. A dedicated head coach leads team practice so players learn how to apply their skills in real game situations.
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Athletic Performance with Collis
Collis Spann leads dedicated speed, strength, movement, explosiveness and athletic development, with up to 2 performance sessions available each week.
Owner, Sentinel Performance and Strength (SPS Fit) — Morganville, NJ
Trained under mentors across 30+ countries; competed in Powerlifting, Olympic Weightlifting, Strongman and Kettlebell sport
Coaches All-Conference and All-American selections, pro basketball & football players and team captains
More on Collis
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Selective Competition
We select meaningful competition that challenges our players, tests what we've developed and shows us what needs to be addressed next. Tournaments are part of the development process, not the entire program. Film, teaching and evaluation follow each competitive stretch.
Program Access
What's
Included
📅
Group Classes
Access to up to 4 Hoop Lab Group Classes per week. Players develop through the same Hoop Lab skill-enhancement system used from youth players through the professional level. Up to 4 Group Classes per week — small group, ball-in-hand-always, skill-focused sessions.
Up to 4x per week
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Weekly Development with Zach Leach
Train directly with Zach Leach once per week in a small-group setting and a Shooting Lab session once per week for high-repetition shooting development. What we see in practices and competition will help guide what we work on throughout the year.
Minimum 2x per week
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Team Practices
Minimum of 2 scheduled team practices per week. Spacing, defense, transition, small-sided games, game preparation and film — led by a dedicated head coach.
Minimum 2x per week
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Athletic Performance with Collis
Speed · Strength · Explosiveness · Movement · Change of Direction · Athletic Development. Collis leads dedicated speed, strength, movement, explosiveness and athletic development, with up to 2 performance sessions available each week.
Up to 2x per week with Collis
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Film, Teaching & Evaluations
Open runs, small-sided games, film sessions, teaching moments and recurring player evaluations when scheduled. Development is tracked and addressed throughout the year.
Ongoing throughout the year
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Selective Tournament Competition
Competition is selective and purposeful. Tournaments are chosen to test what we've been building — not to collect wins or fill a schedule. Tournament entry and family travel is separate from tuition.
Selective · test the development
Example Week
Weekly
Rhythm
Up to 4x/week
Hoop Lab Group Classes
Tuesday
Skill Development
Team window
Friday
Shooting Lab
Team window
2x per week
Scheduled team practices
Up to 2x/week
Performance sessions with Collis — speed, strength & athletic development
Weekend
Tournament competition, open runs, scrimmages or off/recovery depending on calendar
Chip on My Shoulder Roster
WHO WE’RE LOOKING FOR
We are looking for gym rats and workers. Period. Players who love being in the gym, want to be coached, compete, work through frustration and genuinely want to get better. Talent matters, but talent alone isn’t enough. We want players who show up, work, listen, respond to coaching and have a chip on their shoulder. If you have to be convinced to work, this isn’t the program for you. Target roster: 10 players per team.
