Category Archives: NBA

Road Trip

Miscellaneous, NBA, Wizards

Well, we are on the road the week before All-Star weekend. Left for Denver on Tuesday, got in to the Ritz. What a beautiful place with a gym next door. After arriving headed over to the gym to work with Etan and Pech. Got a good night’s rest.

Melo had 49 points on us. He is a tough cover. It was great seeing my close friends John Welch and Jahmal Mosley. They are doing a great job, they are excellent coaches but even better friends. I am very blessed to have them as my friends. Good luck the rest of the year. It is always a pleasure to see you guys. I only wish that we could spend more time together talking hoops and catching up on every thing.

Flew to Phoenix after the game. Got into our hotel around 2 in the morning. Had practice with low numbers again. Got some shooting in. Etan and Pech stayed after for some work. Enjoyed a great meal with the coaching staff and Zach our media guy. He is the best, always on top of everything. The weather is fantastic in Phoenix this time of the year. Another good night of rest. That makes two this week! Up early to meet with the staff and then off to shoot-around. The gym is always freezing in Phoenix during shoot-around. It sure does heat up when it is game time. The guys played their hearts out. They were shorthanded but fought for everything. We ended up with a one point loss. Caron and Antonio did not dress. Deshawn is playing on one leg. He is on the All Madden team. D Steve is as tough as they come. Caught the plane to San Francisco afterwards.

Got to our rooms around 2 again, by the time the bags arrive it is 3 and sleep is never long enough. We are at the Hyatt, it is not the Ritz, but what a view of the city and the bay. San Francisco is a great city. Went for a nice walk after our meeting. Play tonight and come back to the hotel for another night before flying to L.A. to play the Clippers on Wednesday. We need to get a win, soon. We also need the All-Star break to get our guys healthy and to rest the others.

Being on the road you not only miss your family but the people at the Verizon Center. They are always helpful and friendly from the top of the organization to the ball boys and ball girls. A great group to be around. Hope everyone back in D.C. is doing well and staying flu free.

Don’t forget Thursday is Valentine’s Day. Enjoy the All-Star game. Take care, until next time.

The Man Who Made Me Give Up Dunks for Threes

NBA, Shooting, Wizards

By: Gilbert Arenas
From: Agent Zero: The Blog File

It was in my development stage of high school when I came across Dave Hopla. I started late and it was around the time when dunking was the new thing. If you can dunk at an early age, that’s the best. Every kid is trying to dunk. So I want to camp and Coach Hopla came out there and usually when you see shooters at these camps, you’re waiting to jump on them and be like, “You missed! You missed!” but he was like, “I’m going to play this game that’s called ‘Shooting Against Reggie.’” You know, because everybody at the time thought that Reggie Miller was the best shooter in the league. So he put a hat on that had a hand cut out hanging from the brim so it was right in his face. He said, “Every one I make counts for one for me; every one I miss is three points for Reggie. We’re going to 21.”

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Wizards Cash in on ‘Free’ Advice

NBA, News, Wizards

From: The Washington Post
By: Ivan Carter

Shot Guru Hopla Has Helped Team Improve Percentage From Line, Other Areas of Court

Even when he misses a free throw this season, which is not nearly as often as in the past, Wizards center Brendan Haywood doesn’t worry too much about it. He simply waits for a chance to consult with assistant coach-player development Dave Hopla and makes the necessary adjustment the next time he steps to the line.

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Mid Season

Miscellaneous, NBA

    It is hard to believe that the season is already half over. We are sitting at 23 and 18 with no Gilbert and no Etan. Hopefully we will have them both back soon. It is amazing what modern medicine can do these days.

    Antawn and Caron both deserve to be All Stars. As good as they are as players, they are even better human beings. AJ is a 20 and 10 guy night in and night out. Caron brings toughness to the team and has raised his game to another level.

    We have a tough stretch coming up. We are in Milwaukee tonight. Last time we played them Redd was out and we picked up a victory. They are a different team with him and they are looking to push the ball more than the last time we played them. Then we have Toronto back to back. We play them home on Tuesday and then in Toronto on Wed. They have been playing extremely well as of late. Then we have Utah home on Friday. Utah is a very good team that is very physical.

   This past week we had a real nice win versus Dallas on Martin Luther King day. Then we were horrible against the Cavs. We were bad defensively and offensively. The Cavs rolled over us. Thank goodness there is another game to get ready for. Memphis comes into town for our next game. We beat them on Friday evening. We started out with our best quarter of the year, holding Memphis to nine points while scoring 30.

   It is great going to Milwaukee to see my good friend Jim Todd. JT was up in Toronto last year where he was the lead assistant to Coach of the Year Sam Mitchell. This is JT’s third stint in Milwaukee. He has been an unbelievable friend of mine over the years. I have known him for many many years and have done numerous camps and clinics with him. We had a lot of fun up in Toronto with Bobby Peterson. Hopefully I will be able to catch up with Bobby and the rest of the guys in Toronto.

   Carole, McKenna and Jessica (our nanny) are settling in just fine. Still learning their way around. They know the way to every mall and shopping area already. I know my way to and from the Verizon Center.

    Thanks to everyone that have purchased my videos and dvd’s and logged on to my website.

   Until next week. Have a blessed week

Settling in DC

Miscellaneous, NBA

I have finally moved into my new place and my wife Carole and daughter McKenna are down for good. They have been traveling back and forth from Maine while Carole recuperated from her foot surgery. It’s tough being apart from the ones that you love and it is impossible to be a good husband and father when you are not together. Last year in Toronto was very difficult being away from family and not getting to see them on a regular basis. Now being in D.C. gives me that opportunity to be with them. I miss Toronto and every one involved with the organization, everyone there treated me well and made me feel at home. The players were great both on and off the floor. Bible study group headed by Herbie was truly a blessing for me and the regular guys who attended. Joey, AP, Juan, Hump, Luke and Willis the security guy.

I just couldn’t go back to Toronto without seeing and being with my family. My wife’s job would not allow her to work out of Canada. As much as I love basketball, nothing compares to my love for my wife and daughter. Now I am living the dream, my wife, my daughter and the NBA. I cannot thank Bryan Colangelo enough for giving me the chance to work full time in the NBA. My family and I are looking forward to seeing all the sites in Washington, DC.

Everything is fine in D.C. I just keep praying for Gilbert to come back healthy and better than ever. People don’t realize how special this kid is. He has an unbelievable work ethic and drive. It is always a special occasion to see him in the locker room and to have him on the bench. Hopefully, I can get Gil to be a guest blogger.

The rest of the guys are doing a great job. It seems that everyone is contributing. Pech returned from his broken ankle in Atlanta and scored his first NBA bucket. Congratulations Pech!!! Coach Jordan and all of the assistants are fantastic and very knowledgeable. They are doing an unbelievable job in having the players ready to play and have them focused on the correct way to play the game. This is a special group of players to overcome all the injury problems that we have had. They just keep coming to the gym working and not complaining about anything. True professionals in every sense of the word.

We have Boston later tonight and then again on Monday. Until the next update, Best Swishes, Dave

Swish! Wizards assistant Dave Hopla shoots, shoots, shoots – and teaches

NBA, News, Wizards

By: The Associated Press

WASHINGTON (AP) -It seems safe to say he owns the highest shooting percentages of anyone on an NBA payroll.

Even Gilbert Arenas wouldn’t dare challenge him to a 3-point contest.

Washington Wizards assistant coach Dave Hopla is a 6-foot bundle of energy with graying temples, a slight paunch and a rat-a-tat-tat patter. He also can put the basketball in the hoop, over and over and over again.

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My First Blog

Miscellaneous, NBA, Wizards

Welcome to davehopla.com. I am very excited for the upcoming year, hope that you are too. I will be blogging each week and I will also have guest bloggers on the site as well. On my blog I will be giving updates as to what I am doing, how the team is doing, as well as some of the players that I have worked with in the past. I am really looking forward to doing this.

Now that I am working with the Wizards, I don’t get to see as many college and high school games as I did in the past. But I sure do get to watch the greatest athletes in the world play on a daily basis. I have been blessed by the Good Lord to be involved with the game that I love for 38 years now. It is hard to believe that I am now 50.

I always enjoy hearing from ex campers as to what they are doing with themselves. Keep me posted, I would love to hear from you. Any suggestions that anyone might have about the website, let me know. My main man Rob Santoro and I are always looking to improve it and keep it fresh.

We have Houston tomorrow night at the Verizon Center and then go to Atlanta to play on Friday. Back home to play the Celtics this Saturday. Until next week, may your jumper hit nothing but the bottom of the net.