London-based basketball skills coach, Gary ‘Coach’ Maitland, shares his enthusiasm and professional insights on the MegaSlam 72 basketball hoop installed in his backyard. Inspired by basketball legends like Michael Jordan and Magic Johnson, Coach Maitland uses his Mega Slam Hoop not just for personal practice but also to enhance his coaching techniques, demonstrating the global appeal and professional-grade quality of our hoops.
London Coach Shares His Experience with The MegaSlam 72
“My passion for the game started in 92 I can vividly remember seeing Michael Jordan flying through the air, Magic Johnson making his unbelievable no-look passes and that inspired me. I’m Gary Maitland and I’m a professional skills basketball coach.”
Coach Maitland’s passion to teach Basketball
“I remember 12 year old Gary Maitland practicing on a hoop and a backboard that was literally pinned to the back of my parents house. The hours that I put into my back garden is something that I’ll remember for the rest of my life. Years later I played for the national team and got to see countries that I never would have visited if it wasn’t for basketball. When I came back I then found a passion to teach those details to others.”
NBA style hoop system
“Getting a Mega Slam genuinely was a ‘no-brainer’. I’ve got an NBA style hoop system in my garden where I can lower the hoop and I can work with the younger players who don’t have the strength yet to reach a 10-foot hoop. But then i can work with a professional athlete and we’ve got the performance and the response of a hoop that they’re used to playing with, training with, competing with; a hoop that makes sense to them.”
Learn more about Elevating Your Game At Any Age With Height Adjustable Hoops.
Attention To Detail
“Mega Slam Hoops care so much about the sport that’s all they focus on and if you compare that to any other brand that’s out there right now, they focus on so many things that it’s very clear that they don’t have the same attention to detail that the Mega Slam Hoops guys have.
The MegaSlam 72 means that it’s got a 72 inch backboard and that’s a regulation size, like that’s exactly the same size the NBA players will get in the arenas, so that really adds to the the feel of how you play when you’re shooting around.
True Breakaway Rims
“This thing’s got a regulation thickness tempered glass backboard which is going to give you the best ball response of any hoop system out there. That means I can throw the ball at the backboard and it’s going to have that same, arena-like feel with the Mega Slam.” Learn more about rim design in our post Exploring Basketball Rim Technology: Understanding the Benefits of 180° Directional Flex.
Playing Throughout the Night
We added a GameLight to Coach Maitland’s system.
“The Mega Slam Hoop systems come with unbelievable accessories. I have a Game Light, which you can see right up there and it comes with a static support beam which means that even when I lower the hoop the light is exactly where it needs to be, lighting up the court so I can carry on playing throughout the night.”
Best Ball Response
“This thing’s got a regulation thickness tempered glass backboard which is going to give you the best ball response of any hoop system out there. That means I can throw the ball at the backboard and it’s going to have that same, arena-like feel with the Mega Slam.
Being height adjustable means that I can lower it down to five foot, or it can be at 10 foot and infinitely anywhere between. So that means no matter what level you’re playing at, how old you are, how strong you are, it means that there’s a height suitable for you.
My hoop system has an overhang which means that my kids aren’t going to collide with the base and the in-ground system doesn’t even take up much ground on the floor which compared to a portable base takes up a lot of room.
There’s no other hoop system around that has that safety protection around there, so that if anybody does come into contact with it, there’s no risk of injury. Living in the UK means that we’re getting all kinds of weather. The Mega Slam Hoop system is totally weatherproof and it comes with a lifetime guarantee, which speaks to the quality of the individual components.
Throughout the years I’ve had all kinds of hoop systems. This one isn’t going anywhere. If you want to invest in something that’s going to be there for a lifetime, without doubt Mega Slam Hoops is the way to go.”