Tuesday, August 20th, was a very special day for over 100 Rising Stars players, families, and guests at the new Rising Stars Athletic Complex. Basketball Legend Dave Hopla returned to thrill everyone in the room with a timeless show that has inspired and amazed his audience for decades.
One person in the audience knew exactly what to expect and was Dave's greatest fan: Rising Stars founder Paul Savramis. Having known Hopla since their days on the summer clinic circuit, Savramis had developed a strong friendship and mutual respect for what each does to convey a positive message about basketball and life.
Paul Savramis remembers the first time he saw Hopla perform, thinking, "This guy's the best!" That thought has remained every summer since then, which is why Savramis brought Hopla to Rising Stars this summer.
When one reads about Dave Hopla, they often see the description, "Legendary basketball entertainer considered to be the world's greatest shooter!" But even with such flowery introductions and numerous accolades, they still fall short.
"I can't begin to explain what it's like watching Dave Hopla do his show," Paul Savramis continued. "To truly understand, you must sit in that room and watch him yourself."
As I sat there Tuesday night, I didn't just watch Dave shoot the basketball. I looked around the room at the faces of the kids, parents, and coaches. They were amazed, with wide eyes and huge smiles.
"Dave had a quote for me that night when I asked him who he wanted to rebound for him during the show," concluded Paul Savramis. Dave just smiled and said, "Paul, don't you mean who do I want to 'PASS' to me? To say 'Rebound' would imply I was going to miss."
I laughed and said, "I get it," said Paul Savramis, but you never truly "get it" until about 45 minutes into David Hopla's shooting clinic and after he hasn't missed a single shot.
At the end of the hour, David Hopla had taken approximately 300 shots from every spot on the basketball court, including 30 or more from beyond the NBA 3-point arc, and missed only one shot. He was moving around the room, sharing his tales of inspiration and impressing everyone there that anything and everything is possible. You just need to want it...and you need to work for it.
Unless you were there, you couldn't believe it was possible. But it was. Paul Savramis was there once again, as he had been twenty years ago. He can never get used to seeing it, and he always wants others to experience it.
That's why Dave Hopla has been asked to perform his show across the country and around the world, including 26 trips to China. And it's why he was at the Rising Stars Athletic Complex in August 2024.
