03/31/03 Hydra-RIB® Plays Key Role in NCAA Final Four Hydra-RIB basketball systems take center court at this year's NCAA Men's and Women's Final Four Tournaments When the country's top college basketball teams hit the floor next month at the NCAA Men's and Women's Final Four® Tournaments, one company will be paying particular attention. Hydra-RIB, one of the country's leading brands when it comes to institutional, arena-style basketball systems, is supplying the official hoops that will be used during play at both the Men's Final Four in New Orleans and the Women's Final Four in Atlanta. Hydra-RIB systems have been used in 23 of the last 26 NCAA Men's Final Four Championships and are currently used by more than 50 percent of NCAA Division I institutions, including: North Carolina, Syracuse, Arizona and Wisconsin. "We're thrilled to be playing such a huge role in these tournaments," said Patrick Ehren, vice president of sales and marketing for Hydra-RIB. "The NCAA Final Four is the country's premier basketball event. To be a part of something like this says a lot about our company and the quality of our Hydra-RIB products." For this year's NCAA Men's and Women's Final Four Tournaments, Hydra-RIB has supplied four units; two for use during play at both cities. Each Hydra-RIB system is professionally installed and goes through an exhaustive testing process to ensure accurate height, balance and stability requirements. Each Hydra-RIB unit used at this year's Final Four Tournaments takes approximately 100 hours to manufacture and sells for approximately $12,000. In addition to the Hydra-RIB institutional units found at NCAA arenas across the country, Hydra-RIB also manufacturers recreational basketball systems for serious play at home. These high-end basketball systems retail between $399 and $1,300 and can be found at local sporting goods dealers. For more information on where to find Hydra-RIB consumer basketball systems, visit www.hydra-rib.com or call 1-800-558-5234. Hydra-RIB is a division of Huffy Sports® Company, a leading manufacturer of home and institutional basketball systems. Huffy Sports Company also offers a complete line of inflatable sports balls for sporting goods dealers and mass-market retailers. A division of Huffy Corporation (NYSE-HUF), Huffy Sports Company manufactures and distributes three brands of basketball products: Huffy Sports, Sure Shot and Hydra-RIB. Each brand varies by price point and is marketed to a variety of end users. Huffy Sports Company products are available at mass-market retailers, sporting goods dealers and specialty stores throughout the world. For interview requests and/or product photography, please call Brian Meehan at (262) 789-7630, ext. 133, or e-mail to brianm@celticinc.com.