After nearly two decades of covering basketball—locally, and nationally—there’s still one question that stays with me:
Why are parents paying people to write articles about their children?
I’m not talking about legitimate scouting reports used by college coaches. I’m talking about promotional write-ups—articles that may look flashy, but don’t actually help a child take the next step in their playing career.
📍 The Las Vegas Example: When Hype Entered the City
I remember when Prep Hoops first arrived in Nevada. They reached out to me before launching and asked if I’d consider being part of their platform. At first, I listened. But after a few weeks, I realized something troubling:
They were planning to charge parents in our community for write-ups and online exposure.
Parents were signing up, paying monthly subscriptions, and hoping for results—yet most of the content didn’t even apply to their child, and it definitely didn’t translate to opportunity.
⚠️ Let’s Be Real: Hype ≠ Help
Let me be very clear:
A feature article is not a scouting report. One is for entertainment. The other is a strategic tool for recruitment.
If your goal is to build your child’s basketball future, then you need to know the difference.
💬 We’re Not Knocking Anyone’s Hustle
Let’s make this clear too:
We’re not here to knock anybody’s hustle. We’re not here to discourage anyone from trying to make money.
But what we are doing is encouraging parents to ask smarter questions and seek real value when investing in their child’s basketball journey.
You deserve more than generic exposure. You deserve informed guidance.
🔍 So What Should Parents Look For?
There are three types of basketball content you’ll see online today:
Scouting Report
Objective breakdown of a player’s game
Entered into a college coach database
Used to assist in recruitment
Player Evaluation
In-depth review of a player’s skill set, potential, and projection
Often tied to event performance or long-term development
Feature Article / Story
Entertainment content highlighting recent success
Great for recognition, but not used for recruiting
Know the difference. Don’t be misled by presentation.
🔄 What We Do at Unit 1 Hoop Source
At Unit 1 Hoop Source, we’re committed to:
✅ Giving our community honest, insightful content ✅ Celebrating players’ achievements weekly ✅ Building toward offering national & international coverage ✅ Telling stories—with clarity about what it is and what it’s not
And when needed, we can also provide an honest evaluation, a full player assessment, and a proper scouting report—based on real knowledge and experience.
📰 Looking Ahead: A New Type of Subscription Model
In the future, Unit 1 Hoop Source will launch a subscription offering— But not like the ones you’ve seen.
Our model will resemble something more in line with Sports Illustrated— A professional, story-based platform designed to deliver rich, relevant basketball content that informs, inspires, and gives voice to athletes and communities across Las Vegas, the nation, and beyond.
This will not be a vehicle for paid exposure. This will be a destination for real journalism, deeper storytelling, and high-quality insight.
🚀 Let’s Grow the Right Way
If you’re buying a subscription just to stay informed about the local scene, that’s perfectly fine. But do it with full understanding.
Let’s move smarter. Let’s grow together. Let’s keep the focus on what really matters: our children, their development, and the truth.
Unit 1 Hoop Source 