About Christian Popoola.
Christian “PoP” PoPoola’s keen eye for talent was molded from a young age under the tutelage of some of the most revered coaches in basketball today.
PoP picked up the rock in the 4th grade and never put the ball down. In his youth, PoPoola learned the details of the game from the legendary Ed Azzam of Westchester High School, the pace of the game from So-Cal AAU pioneer, David “Rock Fish” Benezera, and the intricacies of personnel from the late Mark Mayemura, a respected international scout. PoP’s passion and work ethic helped him blossom under these brilliant basketball minds, and PoP graduated high school as a consensus Top 100 player in the country.
Immediately following high school, PoP attended the University of Idaho and played for Coach Kermit Davis, currently at Middle Tennessee State University. From there, Christian transferred to LA City College and was a two year JuCo All-American for Coach Mike Miller, an illustrious figure in the Southern California basketball community. PoP’s JuCo success led him to UNLV where he played for current Indiana Pacers’ Associate Head Coach Billy Bayno. During PoPoola’s time at UNLV, UNLV’s staff was packed with heavy hitters, Dave Rice (Assistant Coach at University of Washington), Billy Wuczynski (Assistant Coach at Boston College), and Glenn Cyprien (Head Coach of NBA D-League’s Iowa Energy). The influences of these coaches can be seen in PoPoola’s vast knowledge of the game of basketball.
PoPoola’s distinct upbringing in basketball has helped him emerge as one of the most distinguished High School and College Scouts in the industry. PoPoola began his scouting career by launching an NCAA-compliant scouting service dubbed Premierball. PoP served as Owner and Head Scout for the duration of the seven years that Premierball operated. Recently, PoP decided to take his brand in a new direction by establishing PoPoola Rating and Development. PoPoola Rating and Development will be the premier source for information and evaluations regarding the most elite 8th through 12th grade prospects in the country. PoP’s track record as a scout speaks for itself as PoP has personally mentored and developed over 100+ collegiate and professional athletes. Furthermore, PoP’s close personal relationships with some of the most recognizable coaches in college basketball has given him the ear of some of the top programs in the country. PoP is renowned for his precise evaluations and is incredibly trusted within the highest circles of basketball.
PoPoola is not simply a scout, however. PoPoola is also a creator fascinated with the development and growth of players. This thirst for innovation has led to PoP organizing exposure events and creating developmental products. PoP is a Partner/Founder of Elite Athletic Training Sports (EAT Sports), a basketball training company that produces the #1 training pad in the world, the EAT Pad. Used by over 26 NBA teams and hundreds of colleges, recently, the EAT Sports brand has begun marketing its pads to football and rugby. PoPoola continues to strive for more, and this market expansion is evidence of his hunger.
PoP’s personal life centers around his three sons, all of which play basketball. His oldest son is currently on a basketball scholarship at (INSERT SCHOOL). The younger two boys are identical twins forging their own path within the game of basketball.
PoPoola aims to educate the grassroot basketball community and understands the responsibility he has to nurture the next generation of basketball players. It takes a village to raise a kid, and PoPoola deeply values his relationships within the basketball community. Christian PoPoola sees himself as more than a scout and hopes his consultation service can be used as an avenue to success for today’s youth.