Introducing Elite Hoops
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I’ve often said that every app has a story. And 1,531 days after I announced my last app, I’m here to tell you another story, and start on a new adventure.
I’m happy to formally introduce the world to Elite Hoops, launching soon:
Quick Links
The Backstory
My oldest son lives and breathes basketball. He is also a visual learner. So, when he had trouble learning a full court press - I scratched out how it worked on a piece of paper. He loved that, but he wanted to review it again tomorrow.
And the next day, and the next day after that. So on.
I wanted a way for him to review those plays anytime. And, as it turns out, coaches want an easy way to share their own plays, explain defensive concepts and get them to their players and coaching staff.
On iOS, there isn’t a phenominal way to do this. And there definitely isn’t a great way to do this with audio commentary attached, either. Of course - you know where this is going.
So on September 12th, 2022, I cracked open a new Xcode project with no intentions of starting a new LLC, app or business venture at all. But, after my son instantly clicked with the app, started explaining plays back to me and watching the videos we made - I thought I might have something.
Luckily, I have no shortage of basketball coaches and parents in my life. The response was the same each time I showed it to them, “When can I use this?” The app had become a swiss army knife for the basketball world. A way to record and share plays, help players visually move around their avatar on a court to explain things, a modern, technology-first whiteboard. And, cliché though it may be, that is just the start.
So this past year, Elite Hoops has been a nights and weekends project for me, squeezing out any work I could in-between the book series and this website. It’s at an M.V.P. point for me, so check it out! If you are a basketball coach, basketball parent or know any - send them to the Elite Hoops homepage. I’ll skip going over all of its features here, I think the website does a good enough job of it. I will say, though, this thing shines on iPad - it’s the best way to use it.
The Indie Stuff
This app has been an entirely different beast than my last app, Spend Stack. I’ve been much more…brutal?…with this one. Spend Stack was a boutique app for me. I wanted it to be the pinnacle of what third party apps should stand for on the App Store. I wanted it to be crafted.
With Elite Hoops, I am trying to make a business. And so, I’ve punted several things that are near and dear to me. They’ll land in future updates. I live for implementing App Intents, widgets, quick actions - you name it. But here, I’ve had to be a bit more honest with myself.
Spend Stack took five years to launch. And that was before I was writing a five book series. I’ve managed to launch this in a year, and I’m proud of that - I think I took all of the right lessons, for me personally, from Spend Stack.
The point isn’t that I won’t be putting an emphasis on crafting a well built experience that pushes the platform. The point is that I’m launching a to-the-point M.V.P., knowing those platform features will make it in. Just not at launch.
Further, this is also my first SwiftUI-based app. What a journey that has been - to wit, there were only a few things I couldn’t do, a few rough edges I couldn’t quite punch out using the framework. It’s come a long ways, so color me impressed. Plus, it is what it is - there is no way I could move this fast in UIKit.
Final Thoughts
I can’t wait to officially join back the indie ranks! Things are coming together, and I’m pumped. As many who’ve read this website for years know (and thanks for reading, by the way!) - my professional scratches must be itched in several ways. I want to write, I want to ship apps and I want to help.
Now, finally, I’m in a spot to do all of those things. The book series is nearly done, I’m able to still write blogs posts and now I’m shippin’ something! Here’s hoping app review treats me well 🍻!
Until next time ✌️.