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NPHS Students create Mini Hoops League
NPHS students have generated a mini Hoosier Hysteria with the creation of the Mini Hoops Basketball League.
NPHS students Nic Hensely, Zach Huff, Matt Farrington, Chase Hutto, Gunner Burress and Will Buescher formed the Mini Hoops League shortly after gaining a following on social media platforms.
“After basketball games last year, members of the basketball team would play mini hoops after home basketball games,” Hutto says, “After a while, more students became interested. While eating out, Nic Hensley asked if we wanted to form a league, so we started by trying to find mini hoop goals and other supplies.”
“We use an app that we found on an app store to help keep track of our stats and keep track of teams in the league,” Zach Huff says.
The league’s format follows the same format as most leagues.
“We have eight teams and two conferences, so we split them up into four teams per conference,” Hensely explained. “Each team plays each other in their conference and then plays a team from the other conference at least once in eight weeks. After the regular season, we have three playoff rounds that are single elimination.”
Much like the creation of the Mini Hoops League, the location of the games is not one most people would think to use for the league.
“The Buescher Family Farm has a barn that is not used until the planting season, and they let us use it to have these games,” Hutto explained. “Before we started the league officially, we power-washed the floor, set up the mini hoop goals and marked the floor with black tape for the boundaries.”
“We normally just play when we can or after home basketball games, and fans would come,” Hutto says.
Word started to get out about the league with more fans coming and social media accounts already created. Hensley posts videos to their Instagram, TikTok, and more. Eventually, the students were reached by ESPN.
Hensley runs social media and graphic arts for the Mini Hoops League and says videos have reached 1.3 million views, and when ESPN reached out to them, the boys were ecstatic.
“ESPN reached out to us and asked if they can post our videos, and we got the message during our homecoming dodgeball tournament,” Hutto said. “So I shouted across the gym to Nic, who was announcing the tournament, ‘ESPN just asked to post our video!’
“We have a lot of people ask us every day how they can sign up, and we’ll be having up to 24 teams for a tournament on the 23rd or 24th,” he added. “We never knew this would blow up into something this big.”
With a huge following on social media, the group started to get more serious about turning this fun hobby into a business.
“We have been approached by a couple of entrepreneurs that have asked about this becoming a serious business, and we have this thought that maybe after high school, it might work,” Hutto says. “But we all play basketball, and we can’t accept any money or gifts while we are playing a sport per IHSAA rules, so we don’t want to step on any toes.”
Hensley, Huff, Farrington and Hutto play for the NPHS basketball team. They found a passion for a sport and a hobby to play on the side and are now turning it into something that might go beyond a small hobby.
When asked about what improvements could be made in the future for the Mini Hoops League, the boys have many ideas.
“One thing we would like to do on social media is giving the teams and players a personality,” Huff said. “That way, anyone watching or following the league can follow their favorite team or players and keep track of stats.”
“We also would like to have better camera equipment so we can potentially livestream these games for fans who can’t make it and also get better shots of plays,” Hensley added.
Potential sponsors around Bainbridge see this as a way to get involved and sponsor the league; however, due to IHSAA rules and regulations, Hutto and Hensley say, “We are not accepting any gifts or donations until after we are done with IHSAA sports.”
A passion for basketball and a fun hobby to do after basketball games starts in a barn like the foundations of Hoosier Basketball. Much like how basketball was turned into Hoosier Hysteria, the Mini Hoops League is growing to reach new heights and sink in on new goals for 2022 and future seasons.