02/28/02 At This Weekend's NCAA Final Four, It's All About the Hoops...Literally Each basketball system used at the Final Four takes 100 hours to manufacture and costs $12,000 a piece The stage is set for yet another NCAA Final Four®. The teams are determined and the host cities of Atlanta (men's tournament) and San Antonio (women's tournament) are at fever pitch. Every second of drama and excitement will be broadcast to millions of basketball fanatics across the land. But one of the biggest and most important pieces of the Final Four is the one most often overlooked by fans and the media. What about the hoops? The basketball systems used at both the NCAA Men's and Women's Final Four Championships are the centerpiece of every exciting lay-up, dunk and three-point buzzer beater. Even the ceremonial net cutting by the winning team couldn't take place without the baskets. So what does it take to make the basketball hoops used at the Final Four and who are the people who make it happen? You need to go all the way to southeastern Wisconsin and Huffy Sports® to see the journey of how each hoop makes it from the manufacturing line to the country's national stage. Our journey begins in the small town of Sussex, Wis., home of Huffy Sports Company, one of the biggest and most recognized names in sporting goods. The company, which is primarily known for its consumer basketball systems found in driveways across the world, also manufactures institutional basketball systems under the Hydra-RIB® brand name. Hydra-RIB systems have been used in 22 of the last 25 NCAA Men's Final Four Championships and are currently used by more than 50 percent of NCAA Division I institutions, including: North Carolina, Syracuse, Utah and Wisconsin. The systems used at the Final Four cost $12,000 per piece. "The basketball hoops are the most important element of any basketball game — especially the Final Four," said Patrick Ehren, vice president of sales and marketing for Huffy Sports. "We're thrilled to be playing such a huge role in these tournaments. 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." Each Hydra-RIB system used at this weekend's Men's and Women's NCAA Final Four, took roughly 100 hours to manufacture; and that's just the beginning. Once completed, each system had to endure over four hours of testing to make the final cut. The testing process started with each system being fully assembled at Huffy Sports' plant and tested to ensure height, balance and stability requirements. The units were then disassembled, shipped and reassembled at each site. From there, the systems went through another round of testing to ensure accurate height adjustment as well as rim tension. Once the testing was complete, the hoops were cleared for play. "When you're a part of something like the Final Four, your product has to perform — just like the players," Ehren said. "We make sure that every Hydra-RIB unit is built for peak performance and durability. After all, it doesn't get much bigger than the Final Four." For basketball fanatics who want to play like their favorite NCAA team, Huffy Sports even makes Hydra-RIB basketball hoops for your driveway. These high-performance, arena-style systems retail between $399 and $1,200. For those interested in finding out more about Hydra-RIB consumer hoops, visit hydra-rib.com for more details. So as you gather around the TV this weekend for all the basketball madness, don't overlook the hoops. The road to the Final Four is tough for the teams, the players and even the basketball systems that make it on the floor. And remember, for every exciting play, there is a basketball hoop that helped make it happen. For interview requests and/or product photography, please call Brian Meehan at (262) 789-7630, ext. 133, or e-mail to brianm@celticinc.com.