Basketball coaches at Lawrence’s junior and senior high school’s might have a local youth league to thank for their talented players.

Hoopsters, a league launched eight years ago by Rick McNabb, has taught kids from second through seventh-grades about the game and developed their talents along the way.

McNabb estimated that the roster of any given junior high team would have nine out of 10 boys and girls who played Hoopsters.

Hoopsters’ reputation has grown in its brief existence and McNabb was proud to say that some of the most talented young players in Lawrence play in the league.

That being said, the league remains competitive because there was no way to stockpile talent on a roster. At the beginning of every season, Hoopsters hold a big tryout for each age group. After that the coaches hold a draft.

“Everyone’s split up to keep it competitive,” McNabb explained.

There are no cuts in Hoopsters either. So everyone gets basketball experience.

“We’ll have somebody new step up all the time instead of just one or two guys (or girls),” McNabb said.

Another thing that makes Hoopsters unique was that boys and girls play in the same league (there is also a junior high league strictly for girls).

McNabb said that gave young girls who play in Hoopsters a competitive edge when they got older.

“The girls that play with the boys in the league, when they go to their girls’ teams, they’re pretty special,” McNabb said.

The Wildcats’ Nicole Humphrey, 13, has played in Hoopsters since third grade and was glad to have played in a coed league.

“I think it’s helped a lot because Hoopsters has a lot of guys in it so that makes it a more competitive league,” she said.

Popular with boys and girls alike, Humphrey said the previous weekend’s Hoopsters action was often the hot topic at school.

“A lot of kids play Hoopsters,” Humpherey said. “Mondays at my school, that’s what everyone’s talking about is who won what game and things like that.”

The word on Hoopsters has spread and though many kids join for fun, basketball often becomes a more important part of players’ lives. Most players develop long-term basketball goals once they get hooked by Hoopsters.

Trey Techal, 9, is finishing up his second season of Hoopsters, and hoped to use his experience to eventually play junior high, high school, college and maybe professional basketball.

Those were his long-term goals, in the meantime he wants to develop into a productive point guard and play an integral role in leading his team to victories.

“It’s pretty important to get my teammates involved,” said Techal, who plays for the Ducks in the second and third-grade division. “After I get my teammates involved, I can get myself involved.”

Hoopsters has taught Techal to be a good teammate and made him a better player.

“I think I’ve improved a bunch,” he said. “Last year I think my average was 2.4 and this year my average is 4.2.”

Humphrey began playing Hoopsters for fun, but now she wants to play in junior high and high school.

“Over the years as I got better my goals changed because I got into more competitive basketball,” she said.