I was serious about playing basketball through my childhood, teenage years and early 20s. These days, though, I'm fine with watching the NBA and college hoops, while finding intriguing ways to cover them for readers.
Still, at a fairly in-shape 32, I get bit by the bug from time to time and have to go out and scratch that itch by playing. What helped recently is the inception of Wilson's X Connected Basketball, a smart basketball that syncs with a smartphone app to allow you to track the number of shots attempted, made and missed to improve your overall game.
So, when the good folks at Wilson sent me an X Connected Basketball to try out with a hands-on demonstration, I was all for it, cracking open the box and handling the rock to the nearest park in New York City to test it out.
Available in two sizes — official (29.5 inches) or intermediate (28.5 inches) — the X Connected Basketball has embedded sensors built into the ball with a small Bluetooth logo on its side. If it wasn't for the Bluetooth logo, you'd never know that it's a special basketball at all because nothing else stands out about its look.
So, the first line of order when using this basketball is to sync it with your Wilson app for your iPhone. (The app for Android devices is scheduled for a November release). To achieve that, you have to spin the ball 10 feet in the air near the rim, which in effect let's the smart ball gauge the standard height of the hoop. I found this to be a little tricky, spinning the ball up in the air over and over, before finally getting it to sync on the sixth try.
Once connected, flip through your Wilson app, which gives you the options of selecting one of four game modes: Free Throw, Free Range, Buzzer Beater and Game Time. The latter two put you in the pressure cooker, testing your ability to come through in the clutch. But being that I hadn't played in a while, I chose Free Throw to start. For as long as I've played basketball, I was always a good free-throw shooter, although my pride kept me from ever calling foul. But that's another story.
That being said, the whistle blew on my app and I squared up at the charity stripe, bent my knees, released and...clank. I shot a brick. And the misses kept coming. By the end of the horrific shooting display, I shot a dreadful 9-of-58 for a disgusting 15 percent.
You know that burns just to type. Honestly, I had half the mind doing this hands-on try out all over again, just so I could up my score, but the truth is the truth. I was bad. What's worse? I can't even blame it on rust. A rusty clip from the foul line would be at least 60 percent. I was four times less than that. Sheesh.
While starting my new career in masonry, I was amazed how accurately Wilson's app tracked my shots attempted, made and missed. Even when I sped things up and started firing up shots quicker, it stayed true to counting my attempts, with its virtual coach barking out encouragement for both makes and misses, egging me on for better results and keeping me motivated throughout the shooting contest.
After shaking off the rust and vowing for better results, I chose the app's Free Range mode, which let's you jack up shots from anywhere on the court.
Off I went though, putting up shots from around the court, but only faring slightly better, shooting at a 23-percent clip. (Charles Barkley voice) Terrible. Just terrible.
While playing the different shooting games, you can unlock achievement cards along the way, touching on everything from amount of shots put up to made buckets. Results from any of the shooting games can also be shared with friends or coaches on social media.
Available on Wilson.com right now, the Wilson X Connected Basketball comes equipped with a $200 price tag...nearly three times the cost of an official NCAA ball made by the same sporting goods manufacturer. But before you scoff at the price, consider it as a serious cost for a serious baller.
This smart basketball isn't for players who hoop leisurely every once in a while. It's for serious ballers of all ages, looking to improve their shooting. It's a shooter's basketball. Coaches should consider it as a real investment, able to put their players through the rigors, while improving their field-goal and free-throw percentage.
Parents will probably also love the fact that they can track their youngster's performance with smartphone app in hand, while muting the virtual coach on the app, offering live direction and verbal support themselves. Without any charging required, the Wilson X Connected Basketball has a battery that lasts up to 100,000 shots...meaning putting up an extreme of 250 shots a day for a year would still fall short of that total.
That being said, the X Connected Basketball won't make anyone a star. One could become a sharpshooter with a $20 basketball just as easy. Needless to say, the time players make to improve their shooting is more than half of it. Even a smart basketball can only do so much. Trust me, I know.
