NEW YORK (1010 WINS) — Want to huupe? A new, first-of-its kind smart basketball hoop, developed by tech company huupe, was unveiled in the East Village's Tompkins Square Park on Thursday, an initiative that brings the training aid directly to the local community.
“We did a study guys to show what it takes to make it to the college level. If you want to play college basketball, you got to make about 300 shots a day,” huupe founder Paul Anton said. “You can track your shots with the hoop. We want to see kids here shooting, we want to see more kids make it to the college level, use basketball as a vehicle to make it.”
The smart hoop is equipped with a waterproof backboard, a video screen and “advanced sensors, and a webcam, to provide real time feedback on shot accuracy, trajectory and count positioning,” NYC Parks Commissioner Sue Donahue said at the unveiling, which featured a basketball clinic that taught kids to play with the new technology.
In attendance were young players like Claire, who is excited to put the technology to use.
“My coaches aren't always here,” she told 1010 WINS. “It's good because it gives kids the free ability to practice and they get feedback and they get to know all of their data.”
Roy, who is 12, is a regular in the park and likes that the hoop does the tracking for him, allowing him to focus on the game.
“It's really helpful because I train in these parks. It really helps to just clear your mind and you could just look at the board and you don't have to think about it so much, so you could just shoot,” he said.
The hoop was installed on Tuesday and will be up through early October, NYC Parks said.
Huupe, based in southern California, manufacturers the huupe mini for $599, for those seeking the huupe experience at home.
