The official launch of House of Hoops in Houston kicked off with two days of basketball clinics (run by Chainlink Fundamentals) for local kids ages 14-17. More than 140 local teens participated in a 2-hour on-court skills sessions run by Hoop Group’s accomplished team of coaches at the legendary Fonde Rec Center in Houston.

And with the season still a week away, two of Houston’s hottest stars also found some time to get down. Rockin’ only the freshest gear, Trevor Ariza and Aaron Brooks were in the house along with hip-hop legend Bun B as House of Hoops opened not one, but two new locations in H-Town.

The first location (Galleria Mall) saw a packed and energetic grand opening event which featured a Q&A session with Ariza. After that, host Bun B presented awards to two of Houston’s top high school basketball players – Brandon Peters (Yates High School) and Courtney Williams (North Shore High School) – that Dime Magazine had called out as Players to Watch this season.

The second location (Northline Mall) saw an equally-packed and up-beat event, however this spot featured a Q&A with Brooks. After Brooks answered questions from the audience and talked about his on-court shoe this season, the Nike Cradle Low, two more of Houston’s top high school basketball players – Tobi Oyedeji (Bellaire High School) and Anthony Collins (Westbury Christian School) – were honored.