Introduction: Ben Monrad- Basketball Hoop

After these few months of quarantine, I found that I needed a way to play my favorite sport basketball at night and when it was raining outside. I decided I needed to build a small basketball net and post so I can play on my dining room table at home. The basketball net needed to be made from materials I had in my house and portable. It needed to be easy to put together and take apart. I wanted the net size to fit a ping pong ball and the post to stand approximately 8 inches high. This instructable will show you how I built, tested, and refined my net and post.

Supplies

-Cardboard, Small Ice Cream Cup, Paper Clips, Ping Pong Ball, Magic Marker, Scotch Tape, Water Bottle, Ruler, Blue Painters Tape.

Step 1: Step 1-Collect Your Materials

I began by collecting the following materials in order to build my project:

  • Piece of Cardboard 6x6 inches
  • Small Ice Cream Cup
  • Paper Clips
  • Ping Pong Ball
  • Magic Marker (Red and Black)
  • Scotch Tape
  • Water Bottle
  • Ruler
  • Tape
  • White Construction Paper

Step 2: Step 2- Prepare Your Materials and Build the Prototype

  • Empty the ice cream cup by eating the ice cream.
  • Cut the bottom out of the cup using scissors. This will be your basketball net.
  • Using a paper clip attach your net to the bottom of the 6 x 6-inch piece of cardboard that will be your backboard.
  • Carefully put your paper clip into the open top of the water bottle.
  • Be sure to leave the water bottle half full in order to have weight to anchor the basketball net.
  • Test your prototype by tossing or bouncing the ping pong ball into the net.
  • Disassemble your design in order to complete the project in step 3.

Step 3: Step 3- Finalize Your Design

  • Wrap your 6x6-inch piece of cardboard with the white construction paper similar to wrapping a present.
  • Use a marker to draw a square on the backboard to resemble the box on a backboard.
  • Using another piece of construction paper, wrap the water bottle in order to give the appearance of a post. Pick any color you like, I chose black.
  • Using the blue painterś tape, wrap the ice cream cup net.
  • Reassemble the entire project as described in Step 2.
  • Shoot the ball and have fun.
  • Play shooting basketball games such as HORSE and OUT with siblings and family members.