Renamed 30,000-square-foot facility boasts basketball, tennis, fitness area, new owners
FLINT, Mich. – Hill Road Sports Complex – a community-oriented, rec center-like gym focused on making people the best versions of themselves – has long been a dream of John Buterakos and Luke Lloyd. Slowly but surely, pieces fell into place and, this fall, the dream became a reality.
Hill Road Sports Complex was previously known as Genesee Sports Complex whose fitness area, basketball and tennis facilities were all owned by separate vendors. (Buterakos owned the basketball side.)
Buterakos – a semi-professional basketball player turned coach – and Lloyd – a professional basketball player turned coach – purchased the rest of the complex in August and dedicated the next few months to making the entire complex into one cohesive place serving adults and children alike.
First, a new name was in order – one that would illustrate the basketball, tennis and fitness offerings and also incorporate “Hill Road Hoops,” a name in basketball built by Buterakos over the years. And so Hill Road Sports Complex came to be.
“We wanted a fresh start,” Lloyd said. “Hill Road Hoops is what we’ve been for three years. When we took over the facility, we wanted people to know we had more to offer than just the hoops. We’re offering a place where they can get their kids and their families involved in fitness and sports.”
They then formed a new membership-driven club with the feel of a neighborhood family recreation center, including basketball and tennis clinics, yoga and spinning classes, and new fitness equipment.
“We wanted to be something you belong to instead of something you just drop into,” Buterakos said. “It’s not like just having a gym membership; we have everything.”
One of the major highlights has been the tennis facility, headed by Lloyd and tennis professional Gilbert Rincon, a three-time member of the USTA High Performance Coaching Program and director of the tennis program at Hill Road Sports Complex.
Five full-size indoor tennis courts allow for room for youth and adult clinics and court rentals.
“Tennis is the sport that keeps you young,” Lloyd said.
Adults also can play open pickleball matches every Saturday beginning at 3 p.m.
The three-and-a-half hardwood basketball courts are the centers of action for the facility with clinics, tournaments, leagues and court rentals by local clubs and schools. The Dribble Stick Academy, basketball training for ages 8 to 18, is named for the Dribble Stick, a tool to help students of all ages learn to dribble.
Invented by Lloyd, the Dribble Stick illustrates how important learning is to both owners, Lloyd said. The Dribble Stick Academy was designed to teach players the proper skills on the court with life lessons they can take off the court.
“In this setting, the kids are in a learning environment,” Lloyd said. “They learn the proper way to play. Our basketball program is one of the best – or the best – in the state. I think the thing that separates us from other facilities is the teaching of the game, whether it be basketball or tennis.”
The ITT program for ages 4 to 18 helps young players establish good playing habits as well as enhances their skills on the court. Four tennis professionals, including Gilbert Rincon, a three-time member of the USTA High Performance Coaching Program and director of the tennis program, make sure students not only learn the game but practice good habits on and off the court.
The Hill Road Sports Complex is open Monday through Thursday from 5:30 a.m. to 10 p.m., Friday from 5:30 a.m. to 9 p.m., Saturday from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. and Sunday from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Hill Road Sports Complex, a 30,000-square-foot facility in Flint, Mich., was founded in 2008. Aside from basketball training, the facility offers youth leagues and tournaments on three full-size hardwood basketball courts, one half court and a 5,000-square-foot fitness area. Open gym and rentals also are available for youth groups, and an open gym for volleyball is available for adults from 7 to 9 p.m. on Fridays. Hill Road Hoops also is home to the Michigan Mystics, Genesee Grizzlies and the Zero Gravity AAU Volleyball Club.
For additional information on Hill Road Sports Complex, email buddharams1@gmail.com or call 810-766-4667. Additional information can be found at www.hillrdhoopsllc.com.