How to Choose a Wall-Mounted Basketball Hoop

How to Choose a Wall-Mounted Basketball Hoop

There is a huge selection of wall mounted basketball hoops and choosing the right one can be overwhelming. But in reality, there are just a few key things you need to consider in deciding which hoop is right for you. Once you have narrowed down your selection using these criteria, selecting your hoop will be much easier.

What Setting Will Your Hoop be Used In

The setting in which your hoop will be used is key in deciding what kind of hoop to buy. If your hoop will be used in an institutional or competitive setting, you may want it to extend further from the wall to allow more room for play under the basket. You also might want to choose the clear look of tempered glass or acrylic for a more professional appearance, rather than steel, fiberglass or aluminum which tends to be white or metallic. And you might want a larger board, such as a 72 or 60 inches, rather than 48 or 54 inches. Alternatively, if your hoop will be used in a residential setting, a shorter distance from the wall to the backboard and a smaller board may be acceptable.

What Distance Will You Need from the Wall to the Backboard

The regulation distance from the court baseline to the basketball hoop backboard is four feet. Anything short of four feet will restrict the amount of room available to play and move under the hoop. Of course, your space may be limited, in which case a hoop with a very short extension may suit your needs perfectly. Alternatively, if your hoop will be in a gym or other institutional setting, or if you have plenty of room to work with, you probably will want to allow for the full four feet. In this case, to determine the total amount of distance you need, you need to add four feet to the distance from the baseline of your court to the wall in order to determine the total wall-to-backboard extension you will need. For example, if you had three feet between the wall and the baseline, you would need a total wall-to-backboard extension of seven feet.

What Size Backboard Do You Want

A regulation size backboard is 42 inches X 72 inches. So if you want regulation size, you would choose a hoop with a 72 inch backboard. A 60 inch hoop would be appropriate for a practice or rec gym or a youth facility, and a 60 inch, 54 inch or 48 inch would be fine for a residence (as would a 72 inch if you are planning to invite over LeBron James and his pals).

What Backboard Material Should You Get

Professional, college and high school arenas generally use tempered glass backboards. The bounce of the ball off tempered glass is the crispest and truest of any material, and glass has the least vibration. However, while tempered glass is very strong and will generally hold up to normal basketball play, it can break if hit with a baseball, rock or other hard object. So if your hoop will be used in an environment where there is a risk of flying objects, you might want to consider acrylic. Acrylic has the clear look of glass, but is virtually unbreakable. If your hoop will be used outdoors or in an institutional setting such as a school or park, you might also want to consider steel, aluminum or fiberglass. All are extremely durable (with fiberglass being the least so) and also are a little more cost effective.

Foldability and Adjustability

You should consider whether you need your wall-mounted basketball hoop to fold out of the way when not in use. This allows you additional flexibility in the use of your gym or other facility. If foldability is important, you should get a hoop that either folds to the side or folds up to the ceiling. Generally foldability is available only on wall-mounts that extent at least four feet from the wall. Upward folding hoops can have either a manual or an electric winch.

Finally, you might want to consider adjustability. If you expect young kids to be using your hoop, you may want to be able to adjust the rim height down from the standard ten feet. Some wall mounts with shorter wall-to-backboard extensions (generally four feet or less) have built in adjustability. Usually these hoops will allow you to lower the rim down to seven or seven-and-a-half-feet (and sometimes even six feet). If you need a hoop that extends more than four feet from the wall and you want adjustability, you will need to add a separate height adjuster. Separate height adjusters generally will allow for adjustment down to eight feet.

Hoops We Offer

At TopHoops we have wall mounted hoops that will work with virtually any set-up. Choose a First Team UniSport, UniChamp, WallMonster or PowerMount, or a GoalSetter GS or Baseline, for residential settings and/or institutional settings with limited space, requiring a wall-to-backboard distance of four feet or less. These models are available with different size backboards and backboard materials, and some have built in adjustability. If you need a longer distance between the wall and the backboard, you should look at the First Team SuperMount (stationary), First Team FoldaMount (side-folding) and Gared Fold-Up (upward folding) models. These come in a variety of wall-to-backboard extensions, generally between four and twelve feet, as well as a variety of backboard options. With respect to First Team, the number included in the name will indicate the distance from the wall to the backboard. For example, a SuperMount 46 can be installed with a wall-to-backboard extension of anywhere between four and six feet. A separate height adjuster can be added to each of these models if adjustability is important.

Bottom Line

While choosing a wall-mounted hoop can seem overwhelming, using the criteria above and our HoopFinder you can narrow your selection and find the hoop that is perfect for you. At TopHoops, we have a huge selection of wall-mounted hoops, all high quality and with free shipping, and are here to make your hoop-buying process as easy as possible.