SHOOTING SKILLS: “Jump Shot Gym is a specialized facility with eight basketball hoops and Dr. Dish shooting machines.” says Lara De Meo Hoyt, co-owner, with Jim Hoyt, of Jump Shot Gym. Shown is a student sharpening her shooting skills with the aid of the Dr. Dish machine and her customized app. 

By Jean Stratton

It’s all about repetition,” says Jim Hoyt.

Co-owner with his wife, Lara De Meo Hoyt, of Jump Shot Gym in Hillsborough, he points out the importance of practicing basketball shots again and again in order to achieve a successful outcome.

“In a typical setting, players may get 20 to 50 shots in practice. Here, with our state-of-the-art program and special Dr. Dish machines, they get 400 to 900. They can make many more shots here. It’s all about repetition.”

“Great shooters like Steph Curry [Stephen Curry, professional basketball player with the Golden State Warriors] say that they are great because they got more reps than anyone else,” adds Lara De Meo Hoyt. “That’s what Jump Shot Gym is for. The design of the Dr. Dish machine naturally improves a player’s shot arc, and helps develop the proper muscle memory to build a consistent shot.”

Training Tools

Jump Shot Gym, located  at 1 Jill Court, Suite 25, just off Stryker Road and Route 206 North in the Hillsborough Business Center, opened its doors in April 2024. Its location in a 4,500 square foot facility offers a spacious setting for basketball training tools: practice, drills, training, and shot repetition.

Jim Hoyt believes he found the perfect career move when he opened the gym.

“I had played a lot of basketball myself, as well as soccer, and I also was a youth basketball coach. I had been coaching my daughters, and I was looking for a place for them to practice shooting.

“We decided on the Hillsborough Business Center because it was near home and the size of the facility was appropriate for our program. Interestingly, there are also a lot of other sports facilities in the Center.”

The program is technologically-oriented, he explains. By means of customized apps and the Dr. Dish machines, students are able to hone their skills. “Each student has his or her own app, and program data are customized into each student’s app with all their information.”

Then, adds Lara De Meo Hoyt, “our Dr. Dish shooting machines catch both made and missed shots, and continuously pass the ball to the player. This allows the player to get up to nearly 1,000 game-like reps per hour. The machines also track the player’s stats and allow them to see their progress over time.”

Skill Development

Students are typically 10 to 16 years old, equally divided between boys and girls, reports Jim Hoyt. Middle school and high school students are especially interested in the program. There are also junior programs for younger students, even those in kindergarten.

Basketball has a growing appeal, across a wide age range, he points out. “The youngest students, kindergarten to fourth grade, don’t use the machines. They practice ball handling and skill development. Typically, they start using the Dr. Dish machines in fifth grade.”

Once they begin working with the machines, the apps are customized to each student’s needs and goals. This enables them to adjust and improve their technique through a variety of different means. In addition, Jump Shot Gym’s experienced staff of coaches is on hand to help each student.

“A lot of the players who come are very serious and dedicated to improving their skills,” reports Hoyt, “We have players from school teams and also local kids in college who come back in the summer, or whenever they are home, to practice.

“There aren’t many places like this in the country, and maybe four in New Jersey,” he notes. “This is a new technologically-oriented approach.”

Students are from all over the area, including Princeton, Montgomery, Hillsborough, and even farther afield, he adds. “There has been an incredible response. We are very encouraged, and we are getting new students all the time.”

Great Place

According to a 16-year-old Montgomery High School student, an enthusiastic and committed player, “Jump Shot Gym is a great place. I’ve been coming several months now, and it’s an excellent place to practice. I can get many more shooting reps here.”

Sessions are 45 minutes, one hour, or an hour and a half. One-time sessions, packages, and membership plans are all available. Many players opt for memberships, as well as packages, which offer savings.

The first session is free, adds Hoyt, so a prospective student can get an overall idea of what opportunities are available.

In addition to the regular training sessions, Jump Shot Gym offers private, semi-private, and team training, camps, clinics, parties, and facility rentals. “Birthday parties are really popular,” says Hoyt. “You can reserve space for part of or the entire room.”

As basketball becomes increasingly popular, Jump Shot Gym is ready to help players at all levels, he emphasizes. “We want to be a place to welcome everyone, a place where anyone can walk in and be comfortable. I look forward to introducing even more students to our great facility. I want to see students coming in to work hard and improve, but also to have fun and experience a good time. We are very proud of what have built here.”

The gym is open seven days; Monday through Friday 4 to 9:30 p.m., Saturday 10 a.m. to 9:30 p.m., and Sunday 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. For further information, call (908) 829-4322 or visit the website at jumpshotgym.com.