Armstrong Brings It All Back Home
Dec. 20th, 2011
Bergen Catholic won its season opener which means Billy won his first game as a Varsity head coach. Check out this great article on Billy and his team from the Patch.com. Many of you know what Billy's "Seven Keys to Success" are which is mentioned in the article.
NBA Coach Lawrence Frank Comes to Camp!
July 27th, 2011
Hoop Dreamz campers got a surprise visit from former NJ Nets and current Detroit Pistons Head Coach Lawrence Frank. He gave an engaging speech and put campers through drills he uses with his NBA teams. We'll be rooting for the Pistons this season!
Billy featured on River Dell Patch
June 19th, 2011
Billy Armstrong was interviewed for the "Where Are They Now?" article on River Dell Patch. Check it out here.
Billy Armstrong named BC Varsity Coach
May 20th, 2011
This was a very special day for Billy as he was officially named the Varsity Basketball Coach at Bergen Catholic HS. He feels honored to be able to give back to his alma matter at the Varsity level after coaching the JV for three successful years. Proof that hard work and dedication does pay off! We hope everyone will support Billy and the Crusaders on their quest for greatness.
The Record article
Star-Ledger article
Remembering TJ
May 18th, 2011
Our President's Week Camp honoring TJ O'Brien was a huge success. Campers learned a lot and had a lot of fun, but most importantly we were able to donate $2500 to the Tomorrows Children's Fund on behalf of TJ. Please donate if you can and help in the fight against childhood cancer!
Ryan Lee Chooses Harvard!
April 20th, 2011
Do you remember "The Ryan Lee Story"? Ryan was one of the hardest workers we have ever had at Hoop Dreamz. Once again his hard work has paid off as we are so proud to announce he has been accepted to Harvard, Yale, Princeton, Stanford and MIT! He obviously can't go wrong with any of those choices. We wish him all the best and know he will be a great success.
Ryan's email to Billy:
"I can't begin to express my gratitude for all that you've taught me and for all the support not just on the court, but off as well. I grew so much as both a basketball player and a person as I learned under your guidance, and for me, it was definitely a life-changing experience. Again, thank you so much for everything!" - Ryan Lee
Krista LaRezza - Athlete of the Week
March 15th, 2011
We are proud to announce Krista LaRezza of Montvale is the Bergen Record's Athlete of the Week. Krista is a Senior at Pascack Hills HS and one of the top players in North Jersey. She has trained with Billy and is also a Hoop Dreamz camp counselor. Way to go Krista!
BC JV Mission Accomplished
February 19th, 2011
Billy's JV team steamrolled through the season and with only one tough loss to Kennedy their final record is 21-1. They finished their season in style with an impressive win over Teaneck in the JV County Championship. There were some great individual performances by Amani Adams and Richie DeLuca who both earned "All-Tournament Honors" and John Tsimis who earned "MVP". It was a great team effort all year long. What an outstanding season it has been!
Hoop Dreamz All-Starz
February 5th, 2011
We are proud to report that six 8th grade Hoop Dreamerz were selected to play in the NVPSBL All-Star game for their respective CYO teams. Congrats to Ryan Matthews, Michael Crowley, Daniel Fitzmaurice, Perry Veras, Brian Mulligan and Ian Marini. Way to go boys!
Jordan Friedman commits to Skidmore!
December 23rd, 2010
We are so happy to announce sharp shooter Jordan Friedman, Senior at Pascack Hills, has committed to Skidmore College. Jordan started training with Billy in the 9th grade to improve her point guard skills and since then she has become one of the premiere guards in Bergen County in addition to being a lethal 3 point shooter. She is also a Hoop Dreamz camp counselor and you can catch her at our summer camp before she goes off to help the Throroughbreds of Saratoga Springs NY. She has worked very hard and we are so proud of her. Way to go Jordy!
RIP Chris "CJ" Donfield
December 21st, 2010
We are extremely saddened to announce the passing of Billy's High School coach and mentor CJ Donfield on Tuesday Dec. 21st. His coaching accomplishments are endless, but more importantly he was like a second father to Billy and the most selfless person you could ever meet. CJ exemplified the Hoop Dreamz motto "Trust, Care, Commitment" in everything he did. He was an outstanding man who will be deeply missed.
BC article
The Record's article
Victoria Lesko picks Boston College!
August 26th, 2010
We are so pleased to announce Victoria Lesko, Senior from Rumson NJ, has received a full D1 scholarship to play at Boston College in the ACC. Victoria has been training exclusively with Billy since the 5th grade. Her hard work and determination has really paid off and we could not be more proud of her. We look forward to her having a great final HS season and playing at the next level. Read more about Victoria in the hoopgroup blog where she mentions Billy and view the newspaper article and photos
Awesome season for Alex Radetzky
February 16th, 2010
Old Tappan Senior Alex Radetzky is doing a great job leading her team this year. She has been training with Billy since 7th grade and all that hard work has really paid off. Good luck in the upcoming state tournament and the rest of your season!
Krista LaRezza rallies Cowgirls
January 25th, 2010
Another Pascack Hills star, Krista LaRezza, hits a late 3 pointer to win the game for Pascack Hills and keep their tournament dream alive. Krista has been training with Billy for many years and has played on Hoop Dreamz AAU. Way to go Krista keep it up!
Jordan Friedman the difference maker!
January 12th, 2010
Pascack Hills star Jordan Friedman trained by Billy Armstrong scored 20 points in their win over Paramus. Jordan is one of the top 3 point shooters in the county and has been training with Billy for several years. Keep up the great work Jordan we are proud of you!
Hoop Dreamz player makes D1 team!
November 10th, 2009
Congratulations to Mike Horn on making the basketball team at Binghamton University! Mike was one of two walk on players chosen out of 50 to make the team. Mike is from Woodcliff Lake and was a stand out player at Pascack Hills HS. Billy has been training Mike for several years and has coached him at the AAU level. You can watch Mike on ESPN2 when Binghamton plays Pittsburgh on Nov. 17th. Congratulations and Good Luck! Hoop Dreamz is rooting for you!
16U Blue League and County Honors
March 31st, 2009
Congratulations to the 16U Blue on their wins this past weekend and advancing to the final 8 of the NJ State Tournament! Good luck this weekend, we will all be rooting for you! We would also like to recognize three Hoop Dreamerz who have achieved all league and all county honors during this past High School season:
Shane McLaughlin - 2nd Team All County (Northern Valley Old Tappan)
Eric Flanagan - 2nd Team All League (Bergen Catholic)
Jeremy Clarke - 2nd Team All League (New Milford)
Way to go! We are proud of you!
Pocono Trailblazers merge with Hoop Dreamz
March 5th, 2009
The highly ranked 14U and 16U "Blazers" teams have merged with Hoop Dreamz for the Spring season! And we are excited to announce the arrival of some fantastic new coaches to our program.
Hoop Dreamz the song! You gotta listen to this!!!
November 24th, 2008
An up and coming artist, Mr. Wicked, contacted us about his new song called "Hoop Dreams" and we wanted to share it with all of you. He grew up with Caron Butler (Washington Wizards) and wrote this song about Caron's life and everything he went through to get to the NBA. It is a very positive song so please take a listen! We may get a live performance and a visit from Caron himself in the near future so watch out for that! Download Song
Hoop Dreamz at the Beach is a BIG success!
July 25th, 2008
Our first ever "Hoop Dreamz at the Beach" camp in Lavallette was a huge success and was even featured in The Ocean Star newspaper. Look out for us next summer when we're back at the Jersey shore.
Davidson advances to the ELITE 8
March 29th, 2008
The Cinderella team of the tournament, Davidson easily takes down BIG 10 power Wisconsin and secures a spot in the ELITE 8!
Davidson makes the SWEET 16
March 23rd, 2008
Congratulations Davidson on beating #2 seed Georgetown and making the SWEET 16!!! Let's keep the win streak going as they take on Wisconsin this Friday! GO WILDCATS!!!
Davidson wins a close game
March 22nd, 2008
Congratulations Davidson on pulling out a close game against Gonzaga! Please root for the Wildcats as they take on Georgetown.
BC standout Mark Fizulich: You will be missed
March 12th, 2008
We are so sorry to announce that Billy's former teammate and friend Mark Fizulich passed away this week after a long battle with leukemia. Over Billy's basketball career, Mark was the most competitive teammate he ever had. Even with a relentless will to win, he always had a smile on his face. Mark, you will be missed, and never forgotten. "50"
Davidson breaks into the NCAA top 25 ranking!
March 10th, 2008
Billy's college, Davidson, was just ranked the 25th team in the country! While your getting ready for March Madness, make sure you cheer on the Wildcats! Check out the rankings .
Aubrey LaRezza - Athlete of the Week
February 19th, 2008
We are so proud to announce that Hoop Dreamz very own Aubrey LaRezza has made the Bergen Record's Athlete of the Week! She is a great player as well as a great person. Congratulations Aubrey!
Win-win for LaRezza
February 11th, 2008
Aubrey LaRezza, trained by Billy Armstrong, hits 1,000-point plateau as Pascack Hills pulls upset. .
A Big Night for Jasmine Rosa
February 2nd, 2008
Jasmine Rosa trained by Billy Armstrong scored a game-high 23 points as Dumont defeated Westwood.
Pascack Hills Holds off Northern Highlands
January 16th, 2008
Note: Michael Friedberg is trained by Billy Armstrong
"Junior forward Michael Friedberg scored 15 points, grabbed 12 rebounds, and had three important blocked shots in the fourth quarter to power unbeaten Pascack Hill past previously unbeaten Northern Highlands."
The Ryan Lee Story - A “Hoop Dream” Comes True
January 1st, 2008
"Have you ever had a dream or a passion for something but didn’t quite know how to achieve it? Did you think it was too late to start? Why do some people succeed while others fail? This is the story of how one boy turned his dream into reality."
Jay P. Granat, Ph.D interviews Billy Armstrong
December 13th, 2007
"Last week, I had breakfast with an outstanding young man who attributes much of his own development, maturation and success to his love of basketball, to his willingness work hard and to his desire to learn everything he can to better himself and to learn everything he can about the game that he loves."