ONE37pm had the chance to connect with Razooky to discuss basketball's latest evolution, how he built his gym, and what it takes to maintain a productive relationship with famous ballplayers.
ONE37pm: There are plenty of ways to properly invest in training players, but you were able to secure your own gym which is now known as The Hoop House. How did that happen?
Razooky: It took years to happen, but I'm blessed there was good timing involved. Before building The Hoop House, I trained people everywhere-- YMCA's, parks, and even their houses. At that time, things came together; a gentleman had reached out to me about the facility, and crazy enough, I had reached out to him about forming a partnership there three years ago.
I was on my way to Israel to train Johnny O'Bryant III (A 2014 second-round pick of the Milwaukee Bucks) when that guy called me and asked if I wanted the facility. I immediately said yes, we had the paperwork drawn up, and I went on to redesign the whole place with the help of some good people.
ONE37pm: How realistic is it for a trainer to own a gym instead of renting out of different places?
Razooky: It's realistic, but there's a lot of challenges involved. If you want to build a gym out of a warehouse, you must ensure the ceiling is high enough for basketball action. After that, you have to be patient with exploring the market for a location and getting permission or permits from your landlord and the city.
But despite those challenges, I highly recommend every trainer to look into this. You will feel so empowered by having your gym, and the possibilities are endless for what you can do.
ONE37pm: Given who you train and what's happening in today's era of basketball, how do you teach players what's necessary?
Razooky: For us at The Hoop House, it goes back to our blueprint. We want all players to be comfortable using both hands, drawing contact, and shooting the ball with good form. In my opinion, if you're able to do those things, you can be a JV or varsity player in your freshman year of high school.
As our players get older, we want to provide them with more options to play with. Expanding a player's move set and teaching them how to ultize the pick and roll and any other situations is essential before reaching the college and pro ranks. I say that because when they're a college player or a pro, specialization is appropriate and makes sense.
ONE37pm: When looking back at your experiences working with known talents such as Mikey [Williams] and Jimmy [Butler], why has it been successful?
Razooky: There's an old saying, 'the number one quality is your availability.' These guys are willing to work out at any time of the day, and for me to be available and consistent with my effort further enables their trust in me. Once that is established, our relationship blossoms because I'm well prepared with what I want to teach them and flexible enough to incorporate their wants and needs.
Your communication and availability will dictate your relationship with your players at the end of the day.
