A Local Basketball Star is Back. And He's Giving Back.

When Robert Hudson was a child, he fell in love with the game of basketball. He tried out for his 7th grade team - and didn't make it. He made the final cut in 8th grade as well as the Conant High School Freshman Boys' B Team, but didn't get a lot of playing time. While other kids were playing on AAU travel teams that he couldn't afford, Robert spent his time working on his individual game- shooting hoops at Meineke Recreation Center in Schaumburg. It was here that Conant High School Head Basketball Coach, Tom McCormack, took notice of Hudson and saw his potential.

"I watched him get better and better," recalls Coach McCormack, of the days he would encourage Hudson at open gym. "He really took to heart the little things - the fundamentals."

Hudson eventually started at small forward for the Conant Sophomore team and made the Varsity team his junior year as a shooting guard. But injuries ranging from a concussion to a partially torn MCL discouraged his growth.

"Coach McCormack was a big inspiration for me," says Hudson. "He made me believe that my best days of basketball were ahead of me. I really took that to heart in my off season."

The passion and hard work finally paid off as Hudson experienced a breakout season as a high school senior. He shined as an all-conference player, which earned him a basketball scholarship to Ferris State University in Big Rapids, Michigan - an NCAA Division 2 school. He practiced and expanded his consciousness for the game playing at the college level for an entire year. Prior to his redshirt freshman season, Robert decided he wanted more of a leadership position on his team. He wanted more playing time to fully develop his game, which is what he gets now after transferring schools and playing for the Harper College basketball team. Coach Hudson, as he is now addressed, along with Coach Aagam Shah, a former three-year varsity point guard at Conant and high school standout in his own right, decided to team up and start the Big Three Basketball AAU Program - right here in the Schaumburg Township.

Thinking back to when he graduated high school, Hudson recalled an essay he prepared for the Village of Schaumburg's scholarship program. "I wrote that I wanted to come back and give back to Schaumburg one day," Hudson says, "My knowledge- what I learned about the game. I wanted to run basketball camps and clinics. Because I knew there were people out there helping me out when I was younger trying to learn the game. I had mentors."

And his mentors remain proud and ready to support his goals beyond college. "He knows what it's like to take the time to get better," states Coach McCormack. "He's a real success story here. He's so sincere and down to earth. He is a great example for the young people."

Coach Hudson and Coach Shah formed a varsity league team made up of high school sophomores and juniors, as well as a freshman team that included 8th graders and freshmen. The freshman team placed 6th - a proud accomplishment seeing it was their first year playing together against teams that were not only previously established and cohesive - but had older players. The varsity kids were points away from taking the 1st place title against a team that has played together for years. "We were proud to compete at that level," says Coach Hudson, whose philosophy is that contending simply requires the right mindset. "We can compete with any team that is out there. It doesn't matter what race, how tall or how old they are. The players just have to believe."

Big Three started its program with the concept of: by players for players. They are providing kids with unique access to athletes with recent playing experience; athletes who remain active and can relate to kids at their level. "It's not just parents running it," explains Hudson. "When the kids see their coaches doing the drills and scrimmaging with them - it takes the training to an entirely new level."

Big Three sees their interaction with kids as "bigger than basketball." They are utilizing their coaching opportunity to teach kids lessons outside of the basketball realm; how to communicate, how to be a team player, and how to be disciplined in regards to paying attention to detail. The contacts they are making with their teammates and coaches develop their social skills. "In some programs, kids just become dollar signs," Hudson explains. "They are not encouraged to be better players, and more importantly better people. We have in place a holistic approach to make kids better on and off the court."

Seeing the energy and enthusiasm of the coaches at their Tuesday night open gym at Addams Junior High School in Schaumburg confirms that it's working.

"We're trying to give kids that chance to try new things and experiment with their own personal game. We're creating a San Antonio Spurs type of playing strategy and atmosphere. The Spurs are notorious for the level of team basketball they play. We ask the kids to do the little things- the intangibles: spacing the floor, cutting hard, screening for one-another, and decision making."

The coaches want their players to be prepared to execute the fundamentals and produce when they step onto the court with their school teams and beyond. The goal is for the players to possess all the tools necessary to be effective and efficient. The coaches have made it a priority to break the players out of the one-dimensional style that their previous coaches have groomed them to be accustomed to. They want their athletes to be able to do many different things on the court, not simply specialize. They want to show kids all of the possible ways to be impactful on the court.

One parent described the Big Three Coaches as "tremendous," stating, "It's clear that they know what they're talking about when it comes to basketball. But that's only part of it. They never miss a chance to really teach the boys ... during games, during timeouts at games, in between games. They're relentless about wanting to help these guys be better players, pointing out specific adjustments to help them improve their game. Multiple times they've stayed late at practice, working individually with guys on 'one more thing.' They bring a great balance of serious coaching - but also remembering that they're dealing with teenage boys, who just need to laugh sometimes. My son absolutely respects these guys -- and loves playing for them."

Big Three is putting together teams for the spring and will be holding a skills camp in partnership with the Schaumburg Park District which can be found in its spring catalogue. Tryouts are happening soon. And open gyms continue at Addams Junior High on Tuesday nights.

For more information on Big Three Basketball, find them on Facebook at: http://www.facebook.com/BigThreeBasketball.

You can also email them at: bigthreebasketball@gmail.com

Coach Hudson offers his phone number as well. He can be reached at: (224) 645-0801.

"We're not trying to compete with other programs," says Coach Hudson. "We're trying to offer a new experience: a quality program run by players for players."