KIERAN SHANNON: From Belfast to Knicks for a shooting star
Years earlier, Hopla had given another one of his incredible shooting demonstrations at a summer camp, ‘failing’ to miss even one of the hundreds of free-throws and three-pointers he had launched all the while talking to his gobsmacked audience about everything from how great it was to be alive to the mechanics of the jump shot.
Then, a 16-year-old from Philadelphia approached him. Could Hopla take him for a shooting workout the next day? Hopla said he’d struggle; he had to leave town early the next morning. Kobe Bryant asked if they could meet at 6am. Hopla agreed, and the following morning, showed up at 5.40am, sure he’d preserve his record of invariably being the first to the gym. Bryant was already waiting for him — with a message he verbalised.
“I just want you to help me become the best there’s ever been to play this game.”
That intensity and ambition astonished Hopla but he could relate to it because he’s the best in the world at something himself. At 54, he is the best shooter on the planet. YouTube him. The year just past, he made 13,712 of the 13,899 shots he put while speaking at camps, a success rate of 98.65%. He made over 93% of his three-pointers, set a world record for making 18 in a minute, and on top of that also made his way back into the NBA.
I had interviewed Hopla before, over the phone, for my book Hanging from the Rafters but met him in person for the TV documentary We Got Game: The Golden Age of Irish Basketball, which will premiere on Setanta Sports this Friday at 10.30pm. As the programme’s narrator Jerome Westbrooks reminds us, not every American who played here in the 80s was black and 6’8”. As well as talking to Jasper McElroy and Terry Strickland and Tony Andre while we were Stateside, we wanted to catch up with the 6’1” old white guy who never misses about how he found Belfast during the Troubles while playing three years for St Gall’s.
The same day the documentary crew made the nine-hour haul from New York up to the tranquil waters of Boothbay Harbour in Maine, where Hopla and his family resided, Mike D’Antoni resigned as New York Knicks coach. The previous night, the Chicago Bulls condemned the Knicks to a sixth consecutive loss. The oldest — and probably most underachieving — franchise in the NBA was in turmoil.
We were in New York to interview Mario Elie, formerly of Killester and now an assistant coach in the NBA with the Brooklyn Nets, or the New Jersey Nets as they were back then. Nobody was talking about the Nets’ imminent move across the river. It was all about D’Antoni and how to get the best out of Carmelo Anthony and who the hell was this Mike Woodson guy who had stepped in as temporary coach.
Meeting Hopla is an unforgettable experience. He oozes energy, goodwill and good humour. Ask Eugene Young, the well-known Ulster GAA coach, who played with him in those years with St Gall’s. Ask Ray Allen, the best three-point shooter in NBA history who has used his services. Or Chris Bosh, who knows him well from the time they were both on the payroll of the Toronto Raptors. And ask Carmelo Anthony, the Olympic gold medallist.
Six months after our trip from New York to Maine to see Hopla, Mike Woodson asked Hopla to make the reverse journey to become part of his coaching staff. The Knicks have been transformed. Last year they finished eighth in the eastern conference, just about making the playoffs. This year they are second, only a game behind reigning champions Miami Heat.
They’ve gone from one of the poorest three-point shooting teams in the league to one of the best. A lot of is being attributed to Hopla. The NBA schedule is one of the most grinding in world sport and between all the games and planes, players have every excuse not to practise extensively. Knicks insiders though reckon at least a dozen of their 15-man squad work half an hour every day with Hopla on their shot.
“He’s a great motivator, especially when you’re out there shooting the basketball,” Anthony has said. “He’s very positive, always able to tell you about your mechanics and what you’re doing wrong.”
The great thing about Hopla is he’s astonishingly generous in sharing his secrets; he’s just written a book Basketball Shooting. He hasn’t forgotten his roots either. When he was in London last week for the Knicks’ clash with the Detroit Pistons, he spoke fondly to friends and journalists from Belfast about his first gig in pro basketball.
He did the same with us last March, which you can see next Friday and again next week on Setanta. Enjoy one of the wonders of the basketball world.
