Basketball courts and hoops have been a place where family and friends have fun for decades. However, when you buy your hoop, you can create a private place where you and your friends or family can have a great time. With a hoop around your property, your kids can enjoy themselves without having to leave home.
There are plenty of different options available when it comes to choosing a basketball hoop. This can make the selection process quite exhausting. By the end of this article, you should have a good idea of what you should be looking for. That way, you can make a good buying decision.
When it comes to setting your basketball court up, you’ll want to get a quality hoop. A quality hoop is a centerpiece to crafting the perfect basketball court that is going to offer years of enjoyment.
There are three different kinds of basketball hoops that you could choose from including In-Ground, Wall-Mount, and Portable. Read the following we wrote after some discussion with Big Game Hunters and select the perfect hoop for you below.
1. An In-Ground Hoop
This is one of the most popular options available in the marketplace. It can be a very difficult hoop to beat. Not only does it offer the greatest durability and stability, but it provides a good aesthetic and a very realistic experience. After all, an in-ground hoop is buried in the ground. Thus, it allows for a stable gameplay experience, unlike the other options. It’s what you will find in dedicated basketball courts due to the durability they possess.
With an in-ground hoop, you will have a lot of work to be done. It requires you to dig a hole for the anchor and to fill the hole with concrete. Along with having to do a lot of prerequisite work, it does require you to have a lot of space too. After all, you’ll need to ensure that you have enough space along your patio or driveway to get proper usage out of it. Since it’s a permanent fixture, you want to measure twice before even attempting installation.
If you do end up buying an in-ground hoop, you will have a detailed booklet of instructions that you can follow provided by the brand you’re buying it from. You could also get a professional that has the experience to handle the entire process for you.
As with a lot of things in life, you typically get what you pay for. This is especially true when it comes to buying an in-ground hoop. There are a lot of different options that you could cycle through, but we will be able to talk you through the various options available to ensure you find something that works.
2. Wall Mounted Hoop
This is another option that you could potentially go with. This is a good option for those that are looking for something cheaper and easier to install than an in-ground hoop.
Typically, they are connected to a garage or an exterior portion of your home. This makes it a good option for those that don’t have enough room for a full hoop whether in-ground or out of the ground.
While these wall-mounted hoops are more affordable, they do come with inherent disadvantages. One of them being connected directly to your home. Because of this, they could result in damage to the exterior of your home and the installation process could compromise the structural integrity of your home.
With these units, you have to worry about players missing the basket altogether. With other hoops, you don’t have that same worry. After all, the hoops aren’t usually situated in a place where your home would get hit often. Therefore, you want to factor in whether or not you are willing to live with balls hitting your garage or your home frequently.
If you do end up buying a wall-mounted hoop, you will be provided with detailed installation instructions along with structural requirements for proper assembly and installation. We could always refer you to a professional that can handle the entire process for you.
3. Portable Hoop
This one is quickly becoming one of the most popular varieties of hoops. After all, it comes with inherent benefits due to its portability. The best thing about this style of basketball hoop is the versatility it possesses. After all, it can be moved around as needed. Also, they happen to be much easier to install for a novice.
However, they also come with inherent downsides based on the fact they are portable. After all, they are lighter weight and less sturdy to allow for portability. Therefore, they aren’t going to provide nearly the same kind of experience that you would get with a more sturdy in-ground option.
Here are some of the downsides to a portable hoop:
Stability
As mentioned, the stability is simply not the same. With a portable hoop, you’ll find the backboard to generally be flimsy. This can cause the hoop’s backboard to bend upon impact which can unrealistically impact bank shots and ball direction. Therefore, you won’t be able to use it for realistic practice because the ball will be bouncing completely different than an in-ground hoop at a gym or even an outdoor court.
Safety
Another drawback to this type of hoop has to be the safety factor. These hoops are much lighter weight than in-ground hoops and they aren’t cemented into the ground. As a result, they tend to blow over in high wind conditions and they have the potential to break if they make a hard impact with the ground. Also, if someone dunks on these hoops, they could end up pulling the hoop down with them.
However, a lot of people may be left with portable hoops being the only option if you cannot install a wall-mounted or an in-ground hoop because you’re renting. However, because of the lower quality of experience, you’re likely to get from a portable hoop, Breakthrough Basketball doesn’t offer them. If you do find yourself wanting a portable hoop, you’ll want to check out a local sporting goods store to get one for yourself.