Basketball: Machines set to make gun shooters

Otago Nuggets forward Tom Rowe practises his mid-range jumper with the aid of the Gun 8000 at the...
Otago Nuggets forward Tom Rowe practises his mid-range jumper with the aid of the Gun 8000 at the Edgar Centre yesterday. Businessman Rickie Hemopo has imported three of the machines.
Businessman Rickie Hemopo believes he has just the tool to help the Otago Nuggets improve their shooting statistics.

His company has imported three American machines which help make shooting practice more efficient.

The Gun 8000 and Gun 6000 are popular training tools in the United States and have been on the market for 10 years.

But until now none of the 10,000 machines had reached New Zealand shores, Hemopo said.

"What is great about this machine is it helps players develop the muscle memory that every shooter needs to make more shots," Hemopo said.

"The guys can come down and put up 250 shots every 10 minutes."

The machine is made up of a net which catches the balls and funnels them into a shoot.

They drop through a hole on to a mechanism which fires the balls out in a pre-programmed direction.

The Gun 8000 dispatches a basketball. Photos by Peter McIntosh.
The Gun 8000 dispatches a basketball. Photos by Peter McIntosh.
Otago Nuggets forward Tom Rowe put the machine through its paces and was impressed with the training aid.

"It is by far the best shooting workout I've had," he said.

"You can just get so many shots up in such a short time. It is a most efficient way of shooting."

His forehead was glistening with sweat five minutes into the practice session and it did not take him long to adjust to the distraction of the net which surrounds the hoop.

"It gave me a bit of bother for about five minutes but, after that, as long as you are looking at the hoop and thinking about the shot, there's no worries.

"Anyone that can get in and use this machine two or three times a week is going to improve their game. It would be impossible not to."

One of the machines will be permanently located at the Edgar Centre and can be rented for use by the general public.

 

 

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