Fun for years!
March 23, 2018
The first thing you notice about the Grow to Pro basketball set is the box. As my little guy said, "WOAH"! The initial impression is a big one. It looks like a lot of fun and it seems really exciting for the little ones. My little guy was very excited to get it out of the box.
The box has a photo of two kids playing with it in a house, but in my opinion, that's a bit of a stretch. First, for safety, you should fill it with water (not in my house) or sand (which makes it impossible to move). Also, it's a basketball hoop. It's bulky. You really need a lot of space -- even if it's for a little one.
The first big issue we came across is that it is a bit difficult to put together. The directions are great -- very self explanatory. However, it is quite hard to firmly put the upright posts in place. We had to get an extra piece of wood to push down on the posts to correctly seat them. (I was even sore the next day!) I am not sure if it maybe was a defect with my particular set or if it is just that difficult so it is sturdy. One it was put together, it looks really cool. The color scheme (blue, grey and green) seems sporty and fun.
Extending it is SO EASY! the hoop and backboard slides up and is locked in place by a plastic piece that pivots from the other post. It's actually a really cool mechanism.
There are no wheels on this, so move it to the spot you would like it to stay before you fill up the bottom. It is pretty smooth on the bottom, so you can drag it on grass on on turf (maybe on decking), but I wouldn't recommend moving it on concrete. It will scrape the bottom and can damage the base.
The ball that comes with it is a perfect size for little hands. It is substantial, but still won't damage anything if you use it in the house. I know this is a bit nit-picky , but the ball is completely orange. I would have liked to have the black basketball stripes on the ball.
My 2-and-a-half year-old son likes the Go-to-Pro basketball hoop even though he hasn't quite gotten the hang of actually making a basket, so it's going to take us a while to grow to pro. Because of this, when he is playing alone, he doesn't play with it for a long period of time. He may make a basket or two, (or try) and then move on. He'll come back to it every so often. He plays with it more when his sister plays basketball with him.
This model is definitely cooler then the other elementary school basketball hoops out there. I also feel it is more substantial -- more sturdy. This will be staying outside on the back porch (with the ball in the cool little divot in the base).
This product review was collected by the manufacturer.