PrimeTime Sports

Spawned by 360 Volleyball founder Clarence Nevels, the Arlington (TX) based basketball team is guided by Parfait Kipasa, and it is eying the top spot on the state grassroots scene.

Kipasa is as tough on his players as he is himself. He said that his roster is improving and the goals for the program are no secret.

"I plan to make 360 Basketball the biggest AAU team in Texas, literally. And I will.”

Being the underdog and an underrated team has been turned into an advantage for Kipasa.

The first-year team has played with a chip on its shoulder when it has felt it wasn't getting the respect it deserved.

Consistency was the target at the PrimeTime Sports EYB Classic.

“Competing at the level that was thrown at us was good,” Kipasa said. “Overall our performance in the tournament was aggressive on both ends of the floor. I do not like how we came in sluggish but I liked how we picked up the tempo.”

Being able to handle adversity when being down; not playing up to par and picking up the slack mentally and physically are always positive steps for young basketball team.

Increased success will help the program off the court as well.

Most of the recruiting work is done in Grand Praire and Arlington.

The primary focus for the team is on the offensive side of the ball, but Kipasa said the team still trains hard on defense as well.

Led by two Arlington Bowie seniors — 6-foot-4 guard JeRyan Glover and 6-foot-5 forward Bruce McCain, 360 Basketball has a good base to build their program. 

The players share common strengths: getting to the rim by driving and not being afraid to attack the middle of the lane.

“Finishing is a must because I am more of a bigger guard and driving to the hole easily,” Glover said. “My weakness is just getting up and playing defense more.”

“My weakness would be dribbling and working on the defensive side of the ball,” McCain said.

A third leader on and off the court for 360 basketball is 5-foot-10 point guard JT Brown. He is also from Arlington Bowie High School.

“My strength is getting to the paint and dropping down the floater,” Brown said. “Mid-range and making my teammates open is a must at the point guard position.”

Brown’s performance stood out from others at the recent PrimeTime event and his skills were shown at the Swishers Court.

With steady improvement, Kipasa thinks he has the talent pool and the coaching style to exceed his lofty goals.

“My mission is to change basketball in Arlington,” he said. “To take kids from the streets to the gym and show them how to succeed.”