HINES D1 ELITE

If you are looking for a team to come in and create havoc as soon as they enter the building, Hines D1 Elite wants all the smoke. Coached by John Hines, these young bulls have the energy, the team camaraderie, the leadership and the right key players that doesn't reflect them being together for just two years. They play hard, with swag and aggression and back down from no one.

Let's get to know the Hines D1 Elite program.

1.How did Hines D1 Elite begin?

Our name is Hines D1 Elite Sports. It started with a collaboration of myself and one of my brothers (3), he is more into prep basketball and I am more into the AAU basketball, we both came up with the name and mission statement. “Educate and empower student athletes by providing Leadership, Discipline and Mentorship”

2.As the leader of this team, what’s the mental approach you and your team take before each game?

We take a humble but hungry approach. Our pregame talk is about leadership, energy and effort. To be consistent and compete at a high level you have to be fearless and relentless on the court.

3.You guys are moving up the ladder to be amongst the best teams in the country. What have you guys done to stay on top?

When we initially started the program, top players in our area where playing with local teams and other teams outside of the local area. While playing with those teams, most players were back-ups or did not play at all. So we decided to give them an opportunity by joining our team and to be a contributor right away, along with helping to change their mindset, rebuild their confidence and individual player development has helped us stay on top.

4.You guys have been making some noise before the pandemic. Tell us a little bit about your team.

This year being their second year in the program, the boys have a clear understanding of the

systems that we run, along with knowing the standards and expectations for the program.

5.Which tournaments are you guys looking to participate in during 2021?

John Lucas tournament, TJ Ford Invitational tournament, GASO tournaments, Spurs Nationals tournament just to name a few but we want to play wherever the evaluators and college scouts. going to be in attendance during 2021 season. We play for scholarships not championships.

6.The team has only been together for 2 years. What makes you guys chemistry so strong?

We spend a lot of time teaching and mentoring the players, helping them to build their IQ for the game. We don’t just teach plays, we teach them how to play. Also we have film study of our practices and games so they can see themselves and learn what each other do and don’t do. However, once skill and talent comes together on and off the court, then you have chemistry like no other.

7.Your featured player seems to be the big man in the middle, Baby Zion. Tell us a little about his growth as a player. 

Mana was a big addition to our program this year. He’s young with so much potential and he hasn’t even scratched the surface on how good he can be yet. As long as he keeps putting in work, you will hear a lot about him in the future.

8.What are some things you want to see your team improve on?

I would like to see my team improve on Man 2 Man defense. If they are trying to compete and play at the college and NBA level, you have to be able to play Man 2 Man defense, period! Once you buy in on defense, it will get you an opportunity to get on the court at any level.

9.Your team is pretty deep. Can you tell us a little about the squad?

Yes, our 2024 team is deep and we can go 8 to 9 deep consistently without little drop off in talent. I’m looking forward to hearing good things from them during the school basketball season this year. Again, it all goes back to their mindset building confidence and player development.

10.How was the team bonding before and amidst the pandemic?

At every chance we got, we would do some kind of team bonding. One of the things we would do is attend the men’s and women’s basketball games at the University of Texas and Baylor. I try and let our teams see what’s it’s like to play at the D1 level.

11.What are some of the goals this team has for 2021?

We definitely want to keep the momentum going building off this season for all our teams in the program. Some of our goals are to be better than we were this past season. We have to be the best at getting better every day and this applies to life, not just basketball.