Owner / Coach

Tiara Simpkins

About Tiara

A former college basketball player at The College of New Jersey who was awarded Defensive Player of the Year her junior season and also lead her team to two NJAC Championship titles.

After a successful collegiate career, Tiara went on to play professional basketball with the Harlem Ambassadors where she traveled the country playing for many nonprofit organizations to help raise money for the community and encourage children to stay in school and off of drugs.

When her playing career was over, she joined the staff of Hoop Heaven in Bridgewater, NJ. While there, she managed the facility and provided private and group instruction for children Kindergarten through high school. She also coached AAU basketball for the past nine years.

Tiara coached her 8th grade girls to a state championship in New Jersey and also competed in the National AAU Championships in Orlando, FL the summer of 2015.

Following her dream of owning her own basketball facility, Tiara has become President and Founder of Hoop Heaven Georgia where she will continue to help today’s youth develop their basketball skills and share her love of the game.

Coach

Vinnie Politan

About Vinne

You may recognize Vinnie Politan as the morning anchor on the 11Alive News, but he has also been coaching basketball since the mid-eighties.

After playing for a State Championship team in NJ, Vinnie began coaching at basketball camps and summer high school leagues.  In college, he worked for the Stanford University basketball program coached by Dr. Tom Davis and Assistant Bruce Pearl.

He has coached both boys and girls AAU teams for Hoop Heaven and specializes in teaching young players shooting fundamentals.

Coach

James Smith

About James

A current collegiate basketball player at DeSales University where he plays point guard. Prior to playing college basketball, James was a standout at Hillsborough High School in New Jersey where he led his team to a County Championship his senior year while being named the tournament’s Most Outstanding Player.

James has been a summer camp instructor at Hoop Heaven for the past three years.

Coach

Injiya Crawford

About Injiya

A current Division II college basketball player at Colorado University at Colorado Springs where he helped lead his team to a conference championship in 2016.

Prior to his college career, Injiya attended Thunderridge High School where he is ranked third all time in career assists.  He was also honorable mention for First Team All Conference.

Injiya has been a summer camp instructor at Hoop Heaven for the past two years.

Facebook
Twitter
INSTAGRAM