SAN DIEGO – The Hoopers Collective is bringing the women's basketball community in San Diego together one day at a time. They are a nonprofit organization that hosts open runs, skills labs, and social events for women in basketball. 

Sarah Porter and Abigail Leaupepe-Tele serve as the collective’s president and vice president. Porter played basketball at Ole Miss, UC Santa Barbara, and the University of Utah while Leaupepe-Tele played basketball and ran track at East Texas A&M University (formerly Texas A&M Commerce). 

“Both of us played in college and have coaching experience, and wanted to provide a community out here in San Diego dedicated to women's basketball,” Leaupepe-Tele said. 

As former collegiate athletes, they are passionate about growing the game, connecting players and empowering fellow female athletes. They also wanted to find ways to stay connected and continue playing basketball after graduation. 

Both Porter and Leaupepe-Tele grew up in San Diego and are very familiar with the local women's basketball community. They’ve also played in southern California basketball leagues, like the Drew League in Los Angeles. However, they noticed the lack of local opportunities for women to play recreational basketball against other women and set out to change that. 

“After [college], I just wanted to find a community dedicated to women's basketball and I realized that’s something that we had to create ourselves,” Porter said. 

Since the collective’s founding, they have hosted weekly open runs* and events for basketball lovers in San Diego. The Hooper’s Collective provides a space for players of all skill levels and ages to develop their game, compete with and get to know other female hoopers. 

This weekend, the Hoopers Collective hosted their Courtside Social at Mavericks Beach Club in Pacific Beach. The event included women's open runs on Maverick’s outdoor court and a community mixer with signature cocktails and giveaways. Leaupepe-Tele also served as a live commentator during the open runs. Women's sports brands, including Kiana Sportswear and the Los Angeles Sparks, even provided merchandise for the collective to raffle off to attendees. 

Every Monday from 8-10 p.m., the Hooper’s Collective hosts weekly open runs at the Encanto Park Recreation Center. The collective’s next open run will take place on Sept. 6. For more about other upcoming events, check out the Hooper’s Collective website. 

Web photo credit: Soleil Dam/@mediabysoleil

*Open runs: Open runs in basketball refer to organized short 5-on-5 pick up games. They’re typically conducted on full or half-courts and players usually drop in.