Most people wouldn’t associate the concept of ‘giving back’ with highschoolers. Then again, Mineola is not ‘most places.’

For two Mineola High School athletes – seniors Sophia Hogue and Chance Williams – passing on what they each have learned in the sport of basketball has long been a part of their lives. 

The two coach the Mineola Little Dribblers’ team, the ‘Lady Hoopers.’  It is an oddity to see the pair in a league which is almost completely coached by adults, most past their athletic prime. 

Hogue and Williams each played in Little Dribblers’ from the earliest opportunity, so they are no strangers to the experience. As they matured, and eventually aged out of the Little Dribblers’ league, they returned in order to coach their siblings. 

For Hogue that meant coaching up her little sister Olivia, while Williams was tutoring his little brother Leland.

Each have been mainstays of the league (as young coaches) for years. In fact, Williams counts a couple of league championships under his belt. 

“When Olivia aged out of the Little Dribblers’, I didn’t intend on coaching again, but I got a call from the league. They asked me to coach, and I couldn’t say no,” Hogue explained. 

It was just coincidence that Williams’ little sister, Jaycee, was on the same team that Hogue had been asked to coach. So, together, Hogue and Williams decided to take the coaching duties again. They were officially Little Hoopers.

The two make a great combination. Hogue’s exuberance is matched with Williams’ technical prowess.  The team certainly responds to them both. 

The coaches described the team as a “happy group who have a lot of fun learning the game.”  That was obvious watching the Little Hoopers in action on a recent Saturday. The Little Hoopers lost a close one, in a game decided in the final minute. 

Hogue and Williams are both mainstays of their respective varsity basketball teams. Williams is a starting forward with strong fundamentals and a talent for rebounding the off-side. Hogue is a guard who plagues opposing teams with her incredibly quick reactions and her ability to nick the ball away.

Fellow Lady Jacket Caroline Castleberry and Hogue played together throughout their Little Dribblers’ experience. Williams counts current varsity teammates Carson Threlkeld and Ainsley Steward as teammates from the youth basketball league as well. 

Watching the two coach is a lesson in restraint and ‘communicating the most important thing.’  Their messages to the team are simple and straightforward, and given with sincere encouragement.

“Being a coach makes me a better basketball player; it teaches another perspective to the game, which I benefit from,” said Williams.

Hogue agreed, adding, “It is a great learning experience, and it builds my personal confidence and leadership skills.” 

Following that close loss of a couple of Saturdays ago, the Little Hoopers huddled up outside the gym for a quick talk.  There were some comments about the game, but what really stood out was how Hogue went around the circle of girls, explaining something positive which she saw in the play of each. It was clear just how important those words were to her players.

“What I really hope to communicate to the young ones is just how fun the game of basketball is,” Hogue confided. 

For Hogue, the basketball journey will continue next year at Bethel College in North Newton, Kansas, where she will be playing for the Lady Elks. When not on the court, she will be working through a pre-med curriculum, as she hopes to be a pediatrician.

Williams also hopes to compete collegiately, not on the court, but rather as a pole vaulter.  He is eyeing Texas Lutheran University in Seguin or Nelson University in Waxahachie. He intends to leverage his current coaching experience by making coaching his chosen profession.

For any other young people who might consider coaching in the youth leagues, the two offered some advice: don’t let your age influence how you coach, and always share the joy of the sport.

Hogue and Williams shared that their experiences coaching youth basketball has been a pretty even exchange.

“We prepare them with the basics to compete at the next level, and they provide us with lessons in leadership and life skills,” they summarized. 

The impact of highschoolers committing time and energy to youth sports is just one more thing that makes this community special.