Category Archives: News

Wizards Cash in on ‘Free’ Advice

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.

Continue reading Wizards Cash in on ‘Free’ Advice

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

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.

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

Pech vs. Dave Hopla

By: Dan Steinberg
D.C. Sports Bog

Dave Hopla, as you might recall, is the Wizards’ shooting savant, an assistant coach who can apparently shoot the basketball better than any human, and who once made 14 million consecutive free throws.

Oleksiy Pecherov, you might recall, is the Wizards’ lanky Ukrainian prospect, a young man who’s currently outfitted in a walking boot and has recorded zero minutes in his NBA career.

Continue reading Pech vs. Dave Hopla

The Legend of Dave Hopla

By: Dan Steinberg

The Wizards’ new assistant coach, Dave Hopla, has to be the most intriguingly bizarre assistant coach in the NBA. This is a man whose Web site brags that he is considered by many to be the top shooter in the world, regularly knocks down 495 out of 500 shots, and once made 35,332 out of 35,979 shots during a lecture series. That’s 98.20 percent. When I jump out of bed in the morning, I don’t even hit the ground 98.20 percent of the time.

Continue reading The Legend of Dave Hopla

The Shot Doctor

By: The White President

Years ago I attended George Mason University basketball camp headed by Paul Westhead. Each day we had a guest speaker, including some NBA stars like Washington Bullet Doug Overton. (WOW!)

One day our speaker was not an NBA player, so all the kids were upset. It was a shooting coach that was going to teach us how to shoot. The guy came in and introduced himself and started to lecture about the importance of shooting. During his entire lecture, he swished foul shot after foul shot. He missed 0 shots in fifteen minutes, and was talking the entire time.

Continue reading The Shot Doctor