How A Practice Track Became A WNBA Placement on CBS
When Avery Berman asked me to do some ostinato practice in 2024, I had no idea one of those exercises would end up earning royalties on CBS Sports. But that’s exactly what happened with “Hoop Dreams” - a track that began as a compositional exercise and then aired first during the 2025 Men’s March Madness Basketball Tournament and then on a nationally televised WNBA game on CBS.
The Assignment
Avery’s instructions were simple: write at least ten ostinatos - short, repetitive melodic or rhythmic patterns using different chord progressions. The goal was to develop my skills in creating these driving patterns that could propel a track forward. I ended up writing twelve, exploring different progressions and rhythmic feels.
I was happy with everything I came up with and learned a lot in the process. But one of those ostinatos had a special energy and momentum that I couldn’t stop thinking about.
From Exercise to Full Track
So I decided to develop it into a full composition. I built a melody to go with the rhythmic foundation and added a horn part to give it a triumphant sports feel.
When I brought it back to Avery, our working relationship shifted from purely student-teacher into collaboration. He programmed the drums and contributed a piano part that tied everything together.
The result was an orchestral hip-hop hybrid - lush strings with rhythmic staccato accents, driving piano, an uplifting horn melody, and an energized 808 drum kit. It had personality and potential.
The March Madness Opportunity
Late in 2024, a brief came through for March Madness on CBS and I immediately thought of our ostinato track. But when we submitted it to our publisher, they said it was too long and loopy for what editors needed.
So Avery and I went back in and made revisions. We cut the length and created more variations so editors would have more options for different moments. We trimmed the loopy sections into punchy, purposeful segments. When we re-submitted the revised version it was accepted into the library.
The Placements
Production music is definitely a long game. I didn’t know “Hoop Dreams” had been used until my Q1 2025 BMI statement arrived in late August. But there it was: a placement during the NCAA March Madness Men’s Basketball Tournament. My practice track had made it all the way to the airwaves.
Then my Q2 2025 statement showed up with another surprise - “Hoop Dreams” was used during a nationally televised WNBA game on CBS between the New York Liberty and Indiana Fever. This game featured Breanna Stewart and Caitlin Clark, two of the biggest stars in women’s basketball.
Even better, when I checked Tunesat over the weekend I found out it was also used on a popular German reality show. What was once a practice track is now getting aired nationally and internationally.
What This Taught Me
Practice work has value. That ostinato started as homework, not as a commercial project. I wasn’t trying to write a placement - I was trying to learn a technique. But the exercise produced something with genuine potential.
Finish what you start. I could have left that ostinato as an exercise in a folder somewhere. Instead, I developed it into a complete track, even before I had a specific brief or opportunity in mind.
Collaboration works. Avery’s drum programming and piano part took my student exercise and turned it into something broadcast-ready. The track wouldn’t have worked without our collaboration.
Listen to feedback and revise. When our publisher said the track was too long and loopy, we didn’t argue or give up. We went back in, made the changes, and resubmitted. That willingness to revise based on professional feedback is what got the track into the library.
Good tracks find multiple homes. We revised this for March Madness, but it worked for the WNBA and German reality TV. That’s the power of writing music with strong fundamentals that can adapt to multiple contexts. Who knows where it might end up next?
The Bottom Line
After starting as a compositional exercise about ostinatos, “Hoop Dreams” has generated royalties across multiple quarters and different contexts.
If you have practice tracks or homework assignments sitting on your hard drive, take another look. Some of your exercises might be one revision away from becoming working, earning compositions. The track that feels like “just practice” today could be the one airing on CBS two years from now. Are you willing to finish it and find out?