Middleton Grad's Podcast Finalist in iHeartRadio Competition

RICHMOND, VA–Middleton High School graduate Derek Hoot (’13) began his wheelchair career in Wisconsin, and now plays Men’s Division II basketball for SportAble in Richmond, VA.

Hoot’s latest endeavor is a podcast called “PUSH: Wheelchair Basketball,” which has quickly grown in popularity. 

“I wanted to provide a platform for wheelchair basketball players and coaches to share their accomplishments and stories. During my time playing at the University of Illinois, as well as Jordan and Germany, I met so many talented athletes with stories of overcoming adversity and thought, ‘why isn’t there any sports media dedicated exclusively to these kinds of stories?’ At that time, I had been listening to lots of NBA Podcasts like All the Smoke with Matt Barnes and Stephen Jackson, or Pull Up Podcast with CJ McCollum, so I already had an intimate player-to-player interview format to model after,” he explained.

Now that podcast is in competition with nine others for the in iHeartRadio's Next Great Podcast 2021 Competition. The public can cast votes in the competition. The deadline is Dec. 15. To vote visit: https://iheartmedia.co1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_8esRjj5M5STcxRI. 

Listen to Hoot's Pilot Episode, where he interviews five-time Paralympian Matt Scott (UW-Whitewater '08), here: https://open.spotify.com/episode/0afi0bOgDfbAXXVeZGnOs9?si=f7r9YdqyTQG74LcTXWPeFQ&context=spotify%3Ashow%3A3L5nE40PTbl0fPqe6O7sYa.