About Hacking Hoops
A mother-son duo helping players reach the next level.
We're Wendy and Tucker. We built Hacking Hoops to give players and families the mentoring, community, and resources we wish we'd had when Tucker was coming up.
Our Story
Our why.
What's it really like to play college basketball? What path does a typical college athlete take to go from a kid shooting on a low hoop in the driveway to playing at any level of college ball? Only a college or pro basketball player really knows.
Like many families, we had the same questions you probably have, and many more, as we navigated the confusing experience of helping Tucker rise to the level of a D1 player. The hours we spent on Google and YouTube trying to find answers, plus countless conversations with other parents, coaches, and trainers, inspired our mission to connect athletes like Tucker with athletes like his younger self.
Mentorship from collegiate and pro players would have been invaluable to us. So would a community for sharing experiences and getting feedback from players, coaches, and experts. So would courses on college recruitment, confidence, and game IQ. None of that was available to us. But now it is to you. That's our why for creating Hacking Hoops.
Tucker's Story
From one offer to playing pro.
From the moment I could dribble a basketball, I dreamed of playing professionally. Little did I know the path would take me from seven AAU teams to Colgate University, where I'd play for five years and face powerhouse programs in four NCAA tournaments. It's now led me to a Finnish national championship and professional basketball in Belgium's top league.
Nine Years Playing AAU
From age 9 to high school, I played on seven AAU teams. Programs fell apart, coaches left, I wasn't getting enough playing time. Switching teams wasn't easy. It involved a lot of questions (mostly from my mom), research, tryouts, and a fair bit of convincing (mostly of me).
I'll never forget when I was ten years old and played for a team that got trounced by 40 points. I was embarrassed. Not my mom. She was determined. Two weeks later I was practicing with the team that beat us, going from a program where parents paid over $1,000 a season to one on a payment plan to cover a $30 summer league cost. I learned a lot about basketball and life in those couple of years.
At 16, I became one of the youngest players to make the Under Armour 17U team. I played 20 minutes in the first four games. In a conversation between the coach and my mom (again), he realized I was young enough to play on the 16U team, an elite squad that went on to win the Under Armour 16U National Championship. Six of us went on to play D1 basketball. Five now play professionally, including Naz Reid of the Minnesota Timberwolves.
Post-Grad to Colgate
With just one offer on the table after my senior season, I took a post-grad year at Blair Academy. I eventually signed with Colgate, a D1 school in the Patriot League. The school and coaching staff were the perfect fit. I graduated in 2023 as the first player in Patriot League history to earn Rookie of the Year, Player of the Year, Defensive Player of the Year, and Scholar Athlete of the Year.
A 38% career 3-point shooter, I stepped up even more in the four NCAA tournaments I played in, averaging over 40% from three in games against Tennessee, Arkansas, Wisconsin, and Texas.
Playing Overseas
After Colgate, I signed with an agent and played my first professional year in Nokia, Finland, where we beat Helsinki for the Finnish National Championship. I now play in the BNXT league for Brussels Basketball in Belgium.
None of this might have happened if I hadn't gotten that one offer out of high school. If there's one thing I've learned, it's that sometimes all you need is one opportunity to change everything. Keep believing in yourself, work hard, and never stop chasing what you want.
Wendy's Story
The catalyst for Hacking Hoops.
I'm Wendy Richardson, co-founder of Hacking Hoops and our Community Manager. I'm also a serial entrepreneur, a former graphic designer and website developer, and Tucker's mom.
Hacking Hoops was born from my family's experiences with the college recruiting process and the challenges I faced, both as a young athlete and later as a parent.
As a former high school All-American, I dreamed of playing collegiate basketball. I was skilled, passionate, and driven. My dreams were cut short, largely due to a lack of knowledge and guidance from the adults in my life. The feeling of not playing in college has stayed with me. I was determined not to let history repeat itself with my son Tucker. Yet it almost did. My husband and I were basketball parents. We were supposed to be in the know.
That near-miss became the catalyst for Hacking Hoops. Our mission is to provide the guidance, knowledge, and support I wish I'd had as a young athlete, and that we desperately needed as parents navigating the complex world of college basketball recruiting.
If you're the parent, guardian, or coach of a motivated, skilled, and passionate young athlete who is willing to work hard to play at the next level, consider yourself lucky. We felt blessed then and still do today.