The weekend has come, but the work is just beginning at Park Center High School. Amani and Quinton Hooker, brothers who share the title of former Park Center student-athletes who have turned pro, returned to the community they call home June 22-23 for a duo basketball and football camp.
Amani Hooker is a Park Center and University of Iowa alum that has played for the NFL’s Tennessee Titans since 2019. The former Pirates football star and 2015 Mr. Football finalist is a safety at the Titans and was a fourth round draft pick. The 2018 Big Ten Defensive Back of the Year has played every season since his drafting and has played 66 games with 263 total tackles for the Titans as of the 2024 off-season.
The former Iowa football star told the Sun Post that bringing this camp back for a second-consecutive year was an important part of the mission to make a lasting impact.
“It’s important to me to make sure this camp isn’t a one-time thing,” the Titans safety said. “I want these kids to be able to see me year after year, see these coaches year after year. I want to get around to kids across the community too, some of these kids might not talk much and we want to give them an opportunity to build some friendships and relationships.”
Hooker added that he wants to help spread the message of learning lessons through football that can be used on and off the field.
“I want these kids to work hard and understand that, whether or not football is even your favorite sport, the teamwork that comes with it and the things you can carry with you from the football field, it’s all stuff that correlates to any work force or opportunity.”
The year 2024 marked the first time the camp featured basketball star and Amani’s brother, Quinton Hooker, a development that Amani Hooker was excited to see come to fruition. Quinton Hooker is 29, the older of the two brothers by three years.
“My brother’s the one that started things off for this school for us. For me, it was a big deal watching him go through his basketball career here. It’s important to me that these kids see the guys that came before them and understand what it takes to be a Mr. Football, Mr. Basketball. If that’s something you aspire to, it’s going to take a lot of hard work and dedication.”
Quinton Hooker is also a Park Center alum and starred for the boys basketball team before playing at the University of North Dakota for four years from 2013 to 2017. The former Minnesota Mr. Basketball turned to Europe for his pro-career and has played there since 2017. His current team is SIG Strasbourg, a successful and storied team in the French Pro A League, one of the top competitions in Europe.
Both camps were set to an age range from 8 to 14 years old and were hosted at Park Center High School. The football camp began with a full group warmup at the center of the field at Pride Stadium, before the group of several dozen kids split up into seven groups and rotated through seven positional stations run by a combination of Park Center coaches and players. Both Hooker brothers were present through the camp, helping instruct youth and providing examples on how to do different tasks at the stations.
Another 24 hours later, the second stage of the camp took place in the main gym at Park Center.
The basketball camp took place at the main gym at Park Center and included six stations for players to practice. They were divided by age groups and rotated through the stations, which were manned by Chelsia Reina (Hooker), Brehana Hooker, Janice Hooker, Raynard Hooker, Julia Hooker, Devin Buckley, Josh Brown, Joe Davis, Aaron Anderson, Dominique Dawson, Malcom Lawson, Peyton Wensel, Geno Crandal,l Cortez Seales, Josh Collins, Sean Watkins, Theresa Reina, Stelle Francis, and Michael Reina.
Quinton Hooker told the Sun Post that it meant a great deal to him to be present in the community and help his family give back to Brooklyn Park.
“For me, it’s important to be present because it creates a positive culture. We’ve had a lot of great athletes come through Park Center,” he said. “We want the younger generation to know, not only that they can do it, but that there’s help along the way. ... It’s really a blessing to able to do this with Amani, and our sisters are here too. It’s a weekend for our family to give back to the community that’s given us so much as well.”
The Strasbourg star also noted that it’s a powerful experience to see how things have grown and changed at Park Center since his Pirates career.
“Before my generation, there weren’t a lot of players that were staying at Park Center. When I was coming through it was a decision to play here,” Quinton Hooker added. “For me, to be a part of this now and see a group be committed is really awesome. We see a lot of good teams coming out of Park Center, but it’s not just about having a good team, it’s about having good people. ... Honestly, for me it’s just amazing to see what God can do, I’m almost speechless. I try to put it all into words but it’s more of a feeling.”
Park Center football head coach Jordan Sallis, who was on staff when Amani Hooker played for the Pirates, discussed the importance the Hooker brothers camp has in the mission of culture building at the school and in his program.
“Something like this where Amani comes back like this, it’s all about culture building. ... You know, I’m not a Miami Hurricanes fan at all, I’m a Florida State fan, but one thing when you watch the documentary about them and who’s on their sideline, it’s the alum, the guys who’ve done it before,” Sallis said. “That’s how you build a family culture. We want former Pirates and current Pirates to understand each other because it’s all the same page. For our football program, it’s always been about getting out of the mud.”
Sallis discussed the impact of young athletes in the area getting to see and interact with men who have gone from Brooklyn Park to pursuing their dreams and playing at a high level.
“As humble as Amani is, he plays in the NFL,” he added. “He plays in the ultimate place that all of us coaches, players, would have liked to have gone to. But he’s out here with his family, walking around and talking to kids in Brooklyn Park because he sees he’s just a kid from Brooklyn Park, who went to Park Center and now is living his dream.”
Most Popular
Comments / 0