Home basketball courts are a great way to bring some much-needed fun and physical exercise back into the family atmosphere, and new innovations and better technology have given consumers more options than ever before. Additionally, these changes have become increasingly important as basketball and other physical activities now have to compete with an increasingly large body of home entertainment options such as video games, TV, and movies that keep kids more than content sitting in their living rooms rather than enjoying the outdoors. So to give a rundown of modern courts and how a custom basketball court can benefit your family, Mike Westhead of Home Court Hoops, a New Jersey basketball hoop installation company, has provided this guide to help explore this new face of home basketball courts.
According to Westhead, one of the most important things to keep in mind when purchasing a home basketball court is that it is ultimately for the children. “I would say that 100% of the people that buy basketball hoops are buying them for their kids - so it’s a purchasing decision made by a parent,” he says. “There are 2 types of parents that cross paths with me – those that go to a major chain, and others that do research and search basketball hoops and do a little bit of homework.”
Westhead says that the clients who go to him are looking for something a little bit different from what is offered by normal big retail stores, and it can have a huge impact when it comes to actually getting kids to use the basketball court. “One of the specialties I have that separates me from my competition is my custom courts,” says Westhead. “My philosophy is that to get people to play outside, you make it fun.” And Westhead’s basketball court stenciling service in New Jersey does just that!
Additionally, for families with kids of multiple heights and age groups, there are also now adjustable hoops that allow parents to customize the height to make the game more accessible to more children. “The adjustable height hoops you see now are not the ones people are used to seeing,” Westhead says. “They typically go from regulation size - 10 feet - all the way down to seven feet, and some even go to six and a half feet. So they appeal to kids of all ages and they’re just as sturdy and just as reliable as any other type of hoop.”
Not only do basketball hoops these days come with the option to purchase adjustable height, but they also have a number of different options for what you will use as a backboard. According to Westhead, the main two types of backboards are now acrylic and tempered glass, the latter of which has become the standard backboard used in colleges and high schools around the country, and for good reason. “It just plays better,” Westhead says. “It’s more quiet, it’s a more realistic form of playing, and if it were not, then high schools and colleges wouldn’t use it.” Though Westhead doesn’t like to tell customers how to spend their money, he personally believes that the extra $100 or so to purchase a tempered glass backboard will be worth it for the extra 20 years one gets out of it.
Ultimately, if you’re considering a home basketball court for your household but are overwhelmed with the variety and choices, your best best is to go with a professional such as Westhead who can ensure that you get the basketball court that fits your family’s needs.