meet the hyphy hoopers

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team profile: hyphy hoopers

Team Members: Jarrod Shappell, Ezra Shappell, Joey Mucha, Luke Spray, Alternate: Nick Aiwazian

 

Location: San Francisco, CA
 

Year Founded: 2026
 

Team Song: Super Hyphy by Keak Da Sneak

We caught up with the captains of the Hyphy Hoopers, a team built at the intersection of elite arcade talent and Bay Area bravado. 

The squad is co-captained by Jarrod Shappell, a 2025 Pop-A-Shot National Championship competitor, and Joey “The Cat”, widely regarded as the highest-ranked Skee-Ball player in the world and the force behind Joey the Cat’s Arcade. With Pop-A-Shot pedigree on one side and championship-level Skee-Ball instincts on the other, the Hyphy Hoopers bring a unique blend of pressure-tested skill, showmanship, and competitive curiosity into the Virtual League, one that feels equally at home on The Ocho or in the heart of San Francisco’s Mission District.

What follows is a mostly accurate transcript, edited for clarity, brevity, and journalistic integrity.  

q&a with the co-captains of hyphy hoopers

Pop-A-Shot: Who's on the team? How did the team come together / how do you know each other?
 

Hyphy Hoopers: Jarrod Shappell, Ezra Shappell, Joey Mucha, Luke Spray, Alternate: Nick Aiwazian

We met through the gravitational pull of greatness. Since Jarrod is the highest ranked Pop-a-Shot player in the Bay Area and Joey the Cat is the highest ranked Skee-Ball player, it was destiny. Ezra, being the offspring of greatness, is following in Jarrod’s footsteps and has no ceiling to his potential. As a radio show host, Luke Spray is the team’s hype man and our resident left hander. Our alternate, Nick A saw Pop-a-Shot on the Ocho and knew it was his calling. 
 

Pop-A-Shot: Sounds like the Avengers of bar games. How do Joey's Skee-Ball skills transfer to Pop-A-Shot?
 

Hyphy Hoopers: Having won multiple national championships in Skee-Ball, he thrives under pressure and definitely has the hand-eye coordination necessary to excel…but Pop-a-Shot has a unique motion, the transfer of the balls, the flick of the wrist, and unwavering shoulder strength required… and are still an adjustment.
 

Pop-A-Shot: Where's the team play its home games?
 

Hyphy Hoopers: We play at Joey the Cat’s Arcade which is a unique arcade, bar, and event space in the heart of San Francisco’s Mission District.

Pop-A-Shot: We've heard reports that Jarrod's weakness is Bonus Time. True? False?
 

Hyphy Hoopers: I am not sure who you heard this from but they are a liar and a fraud. My wife says I am fantastic in bonus time BY THE WAY!
 

Pop-A-Shot: Noted. In addition to insecurity, any other team weaknesses?  
 

Hyphy Hoopers: At present our weaknesses are sore shoulders and optimism. We’re working through these as a team and have enlisted a sports psychologist, physical therapist, and asked injured linebacker Fred Warner to come to pump us up next week (oddly he has yet to reply).
 

Pop-A-Shot:  Does the team have any traditions, rituals or superstitions?

Hyphy Hoopers: Does Biofreezer afterwards count as a tradition? 

 

Pop-A-Shot: Some pundits have ASAPEZRA ranked as the #1 junior in the nation. What advice does he have for young Pop-A-Shotters? 
 

Hyphy Hoopers: Ezra is committed to staying focused, working hard, and above all else getting better than your dad so you can publicly shame him.

 

Pop-A-Shot:  Any opposing teams or players you have your eye on this season?

Hyphy Hoopers: Having lost in front of a few thousand people on The Ocho to the handsome and talented Michael Pashkow, Jarrod is interested in taking down Pop it like it's hot. He still walks around his house muttering “f*cking Pashkow.” 

 

Pop-A-Shot:  Anything else you'd like to share before we wrap things up?

Hyphy Hoopers: Joey and Jarrod were reminiscing about what a treat it is to be surrounded by other grown men and womens who take arcade sports so seriously. Grateful to be taking it seriously with the entire Pop-A-Shot community!

built for the bright lights

Between championship experience, crossover arcade credibility, and a home base that blends competition with culture, the Hyphy Hoopers embody what makes the Pop-A-Shot Virtual League unique. They take the games seriously, the results personally, and the community around it all with genuine appreciation. Whether they’re chasing redemption, managing sore shoulders, or debating the finer points of bonus time, one thing is clear: the Hyphy Hoopers are all in—and enjoying every second of it.

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