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Home school advantage: HSAA North seeks to defend state title
Submitted photo - Members of HSAA North are taking to the court this weekend to show area teams that this self-proclaimed 'ragtag' group knows how to play some serious basketball.
By Damon Sayles, dsayles@acnpapers.com
The life of a home-schooled basketball player affiliated with the North Texas-based Home School Athletic Association (HSAA) has become something of an anomaly since mid-November.
Once upon a time, public- and private-school teams and their fans would watch the self-proclaimed “group of ragtags” enter a gymnasium and automatically expect a cakewalk. Sometime around 90 minutes later, those same schools and fans would leave the gym scratching their heads, wondering what happened.
HSAA North isn’t your average home-schooled team. It’s not your father’s home-schooled basketball program. In fact, when referring to HSAA North, you have to address them by their full name – defending state champion HSAA North.
The laughs and finger-pointing HSAA North receives quickly turn into handshakes and a sign of respect for most opponents. It’s a respect the 10-player roster has earned over several seasons, particularly the 2010-11 season as the team is 24-6 and preparing to defend its state title at this weekend’s Texas State Homeschool Basketball Championships in Frisco.
R-E-S-P-E-C-T
HSAA North consists of players who reside throughout Collin County and Dallas County. The team is coached by Paul Davis, Jim Kinville and Dan Eckhoff, and it has caught the attention of public- and private-school programs all over the Metroplex. Of the 24 victories, six have come against UIL public schools, one came against an out-of-state opponent and another came against Houston St. John’s, a team that won the Southwest Preparatory Conference state tournament last week.
HSAA North has beat UIL Class 5A Sachse and UIL Class 4A Denison this season. Last year, the team beat Arlington Grace Prep during their Senior Night. That Grace Prep team included Texas A&M-bound point guard Jamal Branch and Baylor commitment Isaiah Austin. Branch did not play in the game, but Austin, an athletic 7-footer, did.
“When we first started having relationships with all of the other schools, we were typically pre-district games for them,” Davis said. “We don’t have a home gym, so when you play teams, you play them there. Years ago, we’d play close, but we never beat them. Now, we’re very competitive with them.
“When we played Sachse, I think we really surprised them. They look at us one way when we warm up, but they find out we’re a pretty disciplined team, and our kids get after it. I think this year, we’ve beaten more private schools than we’ve ever had.”
HSAA North doesn’t include a team of players who are state-ranked or nationally ranked. It’s not made up of a group of AAU all-stars. In fact, it has two seniors this season, and only Demetrotion, a 6-foot-7 forward, is considered a potential Division I prospect.
The team, however, benefits from being athletic. Four basketball players were standouts for the association’s football team. You can tell the players know each other athletically through their on-the-court camaraderie.
“Some people may think we don’t see each other as much, but we’re all really close,” said junior point guard Davis Kinville, a McKinney resident. “We see each other a lot outside of practice. There are people over [at] my house all the time.”
Education first
The players want all to know that contrary to popular belief, being home-schooled isn’t that much different as attending public school or private school.
“I go to a school, I hang out with friends, I take classes, and I go home and do homework,” said freshman guard Cole Johnson, a Plano resident. “I think it’s the same as regular school, but I think I do more work at home than I do at the classes.”
Many of the students, rather than learning from home, participate in selective co-ops, which are conducted at selected homes. The co-ops allow the home-schooled students to learn in more of a classroom-type atmosphere.
“It’s not your average parent sitting at the kitchen table anymore,” Davis said. “The parents who oversee and dictate the co-ops really know their stuff.”
Some of the students, in addition, are taking dual-credit courses for college. The students are allowed to take nine hours of college credit each semester, which gives them a jump start on life after high school.
“I go to Richland College and take dual-credit [courses],” said Kinville, who has been home-schooled since the third grade. “I’ve taken four classes so far, and I’m working on my fifth and sixth now. I’ve taken both English I and English II. I like it because I will have a lot done by the time I graduate.”
All of the students are fans of the educational system. While all the players admit learning isn’t lax, it is a more flexible system versus the structured setup of public and private schools.
The students, in addition, said the attention given is a huge advantage over traditional schooling.
“It’s basically an opportunity to get 1-on-1 teaching of like-minded faith,” said junior Connor Davis, a Prosper resident and the coach’s son. “I think that’s a big part. Teachers aren’t teaching to the masses; they’re teaching to you.”
Playing for pride
As with any competitive group, winning championships fuels the program. HSAA North won the 18-and-under state title last year, defeating Homeschool Christian Youth Association (HCYA) in the finals. Following last year’s state run, the team finished third in the National Christian HomeSchool Basketball Championships. This year’s national event, in its 20th year, will take place in Springfield, Mo.
HSAA North won the Houston Christian Mustang Classic two years in a row. This year’s Mustang Classic was decided by a last-second 3-pointer by Demetrotion, who was named the tournament MVP.
Practices usually take place twice a week at the Integrated Athletic Development, a multiplex athletic facility in Carrollton. They usually last two hours.
Most of the practices are super-intense, mainly because the players are so competitive. They continue to receive added sparks when they hear random comments that slightly disrespect their program.
“Some people say we don’t do a lot because we’re home-schooled,” Johnson said. “They say all we do is play basketball. I just laugh when I hear that.”
Basketball, however, is something that HSAA North does well. As the state tournament concludes Saturday, it hopes to stand tall among the 125 teams entered, including all the 24 18-and-under boys teams. HSAA North has the No. 2 seed in the tournament. HCYA, which includes one of the nation’s top-ranked freshmen in Justin Jackson, is the top seed.
“This is pretty big for us,” Kinville said. “We won it last year, so we’ve got to defend the title. After that, then we’ll look at trying to win nationals.”
With every win, HSAA North players will be able to look back on its season 10 years from now. They will know that they not only helped to build a basketball program but also helped kill a stereotype of the home-schooled athlete.
“Every single game, you have to go out and prove yourself,” Connor Davis said. “You have to compete against public schools and private schools and show people you’re not just another home school.”
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