About our Team & Players

our Founder & Head Coach

Gillian Clarges a top class Basketball Coach, Entrepreneur and Teacher who helps young players go from low levels of confidence to top athletic performances whereby they have represented themselves at Club, School, Collegiate, County and International levels.

Gillian is the Founder of Hoop Skool Basketball and lives in Dublin, Ireland. Gillian worked with Early School leavers for 12 years and in 2018 took a break to commit full-time to her dream to help young people realise their capabilities through the game of basketball.

To date Gillian has spent the last 20 years mastering her coaching craft and working with 1000s of players in teams, small groups and 1 to 1 settings. She believe that sport is a fantastic medium to teach life skills.

Gillian was the Head Girls Coach at St Andrews College in Dublin from 2015 – 2022 and had brought multiple teams to Regional and All-Ireland Finals in her 7 year tenure. She has since left this position to dedicate all her time to her family and Hoop Skool.

As well as having a background in education, Gillian is a qualified Sports Therapist and brings this knowledge to the core of what she does every time she walks onto the court.

She believes you can find a spark in every child if you know how to ignite it. It was her own life experience in the basketball world which encouraged her into the education setting and eventually to set up HoopSkool Basketball. It is her biggest classroom and she adores every moment from coaching little basketball ballers to Junior basketball coaches.

Every time she steps on the court she feels privileged to do so. Basketball in Ireland is evolving and her basketball programmes which focus on skill development, building confidence and competitive play will contribute to a better Ireland where basketball is a sport which is loved by across the country.

Experience & Qualifications

Safeguard Trained
All Coaches are Garda Vetted
Basketball Ireland Registered Coaches
Basketball Ireland Levels Intro - Level 1
BSc in Sport & Exercise Science
Health Related Fitness, SPHE & Work Experience Tutor
ITEC Fitness Instructor and Sports Massage Therapist
Diploma In Training and Continous Education (Maynooth University)
Head Girls Coach St Andrews College Bootertown (2015 - 2022)
Basketball Ireland Academy Coach 2018
Trained under Dr Mike Hollis of Networks Basketball

meet Our Amazing Coaching Team

Mary Iskander

Lead Coach

Junior Lead - Little Ballers and Basketball Shooters Academy in Greystones and Booterstown. Mary is so enthusiastic about basketball and working with young people. Her own basketball journey has led her into coaching. Mary is the ultimate teacher. Her skillset is best when she is working with our Shooters Academy members and teaching kids how to improve their shot. Mary also works online with our Virtual Tribe and continues to flourish as a young woman. Mary is a student in Medical Science and we love to have her coach with us as she follows her path.

Megan Collins

Lead Coach

Junior Lead - Basketball Shooters Academy in Loughlinstown and Booterstown. Megan is our longest Junior Lead. She is knowledgeable about her craft and continues to grow as a fantastic basketball skills coach. Megan is a student of Science and the most organised person I know. She loves working with kids in teaching them skills for life and has an insight into what it is like to grow up through the Hoop Skool model. Megan has travelled with us to USA and France on our annual trips and is every growing in her role and capacity at Hoop Skool

client reviews

Testimonials

Our three daughters began Hoopskool in October 2016. From the outset Gillian was friendly and warm with the girls and really put them at ease. She is a natural with children; embracing and accepting of all personalities. She consistently encourages and actively supports each child to do their best as a team mate and player. We really appreciate all the hard work and commitment that she gives to her coaching: be it on the court in Hoopskool, in St. Andrew’s or virtually over Zoom during lockdown.

Gareth and Shameela Lyons

Being a relatively recent recruit over the last 18 months or so, we were hooked straight away...both kids and parents!....Gillian’s understanding of the children, their individual characters and motivation is the first thing that strikes you. This is key to how she works with the kids to help them achieve their own success. Honestly, ALL the children skip into the sessions, at every age and come out even happier! They won’t miss their session for anything! I would highly recommend Hoopskool to anyone wanting to either improve their skills, starting out on their basketball career learn and get some amazing friendships as part of the package.

Dolores and Declan Geaney
Jodi & Max Geaney
Meteors B.C. and UCD MarianB.C.

Our son Matthew has been going to Hoop Skool for almost three years now and the difference it has made to his game is incredible. Gillian has done wonders to improve his footwork, shooting and ball handling. Sessions are run with a great atmosphere and everyone, regardless of ability, is encouraged and praised. One on one sessions with Gillian have been invaluable and Matthew really looks forward to them. Hoop Skool’s various camps throughout the year are high quality and great value with top quality coaches from the US, France, UK and Ireland. Gillian is a dedicated and caring coach and her attention to detail is second to none. If you are looking to develop your child’s game we thoroughly recommend Hoop Skool.

Lisa & David Poole

Matthew Poole
Malahide B.C.

I have known Gillian for the last 7 years, since my son started with Hoop Skool, and then my daughter joined a few years later. Coach Gillian and the Hoop Skool family have been fantastic to both of them. Gillian is always so encouraging and shows such a genuine interest in all of the players she coaches. Her enthusiasm knows no bounds and her coaching is informative, fun and full of encouragement. The kids thrive in this environment and in the ups and downs of sport Gillian is always there, giving encouragement and motivating them to keep going. Hoop Skool is also not just about the basketball skills that the players will learn – they also learn lessons in personal development. They are encouraged to take responsibility, to work hard, and hold themselves accountable. Gillian is a natural mentor, and has the ability to effectively communicate with both younger aged kids right up to teenagers! Both my kids hold Gillian in high regard and her opinion is really important to them. I honestly can’t recommend Gillian and the Hoop Skool family highly enough!

Amanda Moran

Aisling Moran & Paraic Moran
Meteors BC & UCD Marian BC

Our daughter has been involved in Hoop Skool in the last two years. She has attended all school holiday camps & also Gillian’s small group sessions which she really loves. She looks forward to the camps as they involve endless hours of skills training, but with fellow Hoop Skool friends and amazing guest coaches too. The small group sessions are brilliant as they’re so concentrated..Gillian gives so much feedback..positivity about the things that are being done well & continuous encouragement about those that may need some improvement. Not to mention summer boot camp last year & Friday night live sessions. She attended 3/4 sessions a week during last summer alone !!! In the last two months in particular coach Gillian (and also her super sis coach Shell in Glasgow) have been incredibly engaging. Running 5 zoom sessions weekly between them..our daughter wouldn’t miss them for the world. Over to her words now...’I’d be lost without the zoom sessions..Coach Gill has thought me things I thought I couldn’t do ..she cares for me and my development & she has made me the player that I am today..I’m very grateful for her feedback (and also to Coach Shell too 💕)

Barry & Eimear Lynch

Kira Lynch Meteors BC

meet the Players & People

We have a broad range of individuals spanning across many ages and levels of basketball. Our youngest player is 3 years old and our oldest is 38. Some of our crew have reached the height of their basketball career, playing for clubs, in international settings or even in College Basketball here and internationally. Our private clients extend from Wicklow, Meath, KIldare, North Dublin and as far as Portlaoise & Monaghan Town. During summer we work with international players from USA, France, Spain and Scotland. Here is a snapshot of some of our people .

Contact Us

Place of Registration : Ireland
Head Quarters : Dublin, Ireland