Hopla's official title in the Wizards' media guide? Assistant coach/player development. His unofficial titles? Shooting coach. Shooting guru. Shot doctor.

"I just call myself a basketball coach. Teacher. Coach. Teacher of shooting," he says, somewhat Yoda-like, then pauses while searching for just the right phrase.

"Teacher of life," Hopla continues, satisfied. "I think I bring a little bit more to the table than shooting a basketball."

He has two business cards, one from the Wizards, the other from his work as a motivational speaker to companies and kids. That second card touts his "Shooting for S.U.C.C.E.S.S." philosophy, which stands for "sacrifice, unselfishness, character, commitment, excellence, standards in someone."

Like several other players around the league, Arenas was about 12 or 13 when he first met Hopla at a camp.

"He changed my shot. Made me a better shooter, mechanics-wise, timing-wise," the three-time All-Star says. "I used to have a really slow release. It was butter, but it was really slow. He changed that up for me, made me more of a defined shooter."

And why was Arenas willing to listen to Hopla way back when? Because Hopla introduced himself to the group by shooting.

"He made, like, 90-something in a row from college 3. I was amazed," Arenas recalls, eyes wide. "I was just, like, 'Whaaaa? Forget this dunkin' stuff. I want to shoot like that."'

Arenas also remembers one of Hopla's teaching tools, "Hand in Face." It's a cardboard cutout in the shape of a hand, attached to the brim of a baseball cap to mimic a defender. Arenas went home and made his own.

There's more where that came from.

"Manute Pole" is a broomstick used to simulate a tall-as-a-skyscraper opponent. "The Silent Partner" is a giant head-and-shoulders of foam used to make players work on finishing and getting the ball over a defender. Gardening gloves can help with ballhandling.

And then there are all of Hopla's little sayings, some to do with life, others to do with hoops. "Simple stuff for simple minds." "Three Ts: toe, tack, target. That tack on the free-throw line is at the center of the basket." "Make shots, not excuses." "Good passes precede good shots." "Your foundation is your footwork." "Always challenge yourself."

Those thoughts were developed over the years. Playing at a community college, then at an NAIA school in Nebraska ("People don't know what 'NAIA' stands for," Hopla said. "I tell them it's 'No Academic Information Available."'). The vagabond, have-shot-will-travel life in outposts such as Wales, Northern Ireland, Germany and Venezuela. The stint in the old Continental Basketball Association until, as Hopla put it, "the checks bounced."