We field questions every day about our paywall – why we require a paid subscription to read our content. We’re only writing about youth basketball. How can we expect someone to pay to read it? We’ve spent, and continue to spend, valuable time examining our model, trying to determine the best way to best serve the basketball community with a high quality media outlet. Through that examination, we’ve been able to come to a few conclusions.

A few truths…

There’s a void in the comprehensive coverage of youth basketball.

As the amateur basketball media ecosystem has expanded, high-school-aged players have benefitted from increased visibility and an enhanced experience. Unfortunately, large swaths of talented hoopers have been left behind and unable to reap the benefits of better technology and more coverage. Before Prep Hoops Next, a comprehensive resource for youth basketball coverage and analysis just didn’t exist.

Great coverage comes at a price.

The long, slow decline of newspaper circulation due to loss of ad revenue has been well documented, and the elimination of journalists from the staff of established outlets has put a premium on top talent. There are fewer journalism jobs to go around and the best writers are more highly sought. Thorough, well-written coverage comes from great contributors, and great contributors require compensation.

Prep Hoops Next is not the first-ever outlet attempting to provide this depth and quality of coverage on youth basketball. Recruiting services have existed as a resource for college coaches for years, but with a sticker price that can be 10 times that of Prep Hoops Next, with less depth and no content. Because of our consistency, reliability and depth, we have become the most trusted resource for college basketball coaches. We cover more players and publish more basketball-related content than any outlet in the country.

Your subscription powers recruiting for families across the country.

Your subscription directly impacts our ability to find the next hidden gem in your area or in a neighboring state by allowing us to recruit and retain a respected network of scouts. Without contributors that are compensated, our coverage doesn’t exist.

The long, slow decline of newspaper circulation due to loss of ad revenue has been well documented. But thorough, well-written coverage comes from great contributors, and great contributors require compensation

Your experience on our website matters.

In addition to presenting high-quality content on the players you know, we’ve removed all outside distractions by becoming 100% AD-FREE and are investing in talented website developers who make our content easy-to-find.

Quality is of the utmost importance to us – something worth paying for.