Photo | Courtesy of 360 Hoops
The smaller playing surface and fast-paced games of 360 Hoops allow for facilities like Game On to maximize revenue and use of their space.
April 21, 2025
Fitchburg sports complex hosts debut of new type of basketball game
Photo | Courtesy of 360 Hoops
A player goes for a slam dunk at 360 Hoop's debut at Game On in Fitchburg.
More than 133 years after the first-ever basketball game was played in Massachusetts, Game On Sports & Performance Center in Fitchburg was the site of the debut of a new spin on the game.
360 Hoops, a version of basketball featuring a smaller, circular court centered by a unique three-basket hoop, is designed to help level the playing field for athletes of varying height and make the most out of gymnasium space available in schools and athletic centers like Game On, said 360 Hoops Co-founder Anthony Gomez.
360 Hoops debuted at Game On on Thursday night with a ribbon cutting and open gym session, which featured players of a variety of ages trying out the new take on the sport on more than a dozen hoops spread out across Game On’s playing area. The event was the first of four scheduled to be held across the country in order to introduce audiences and sports complex owners to the sport.
Gomez said he and fellow Co-founder Shane Brey invented the sport after trying to find ways they could teach youth the sport, even when space for a full-court of traditional basketball was not available.
360 Hoops taking up less space is beneficial for both schools dealing with crowded gymnasiums during gym class, and for places like Game On, which could maximize the use of its facility by hosting up to five 360 Hoops games in the space taken up by one traditional basketball court, Gomez said.
“This will bring the highest return-per-square-foot of playing surface of any sport, which means more earnings for the sports complex,” Gomez said. “It’s a tough business for them, so having more ways to generate income is good.”
The hoops can be used in a variety of ways, featuring games of either 3-on-3 action or a 3-on-3-on-3 variant. The goal of the game is to score on one of three hoops, which are attached to backboards arranged in a triangular shape at the center of the playing circle. The hoop’s height can be adjusted via a foot pump hidden under a protective mat at its base.
Having multiple hoops to shoot at tends to open up space between players, allowing those with a height disadvantage to have more opportunities to get off shots without being blocked, Gomez said.
Game On plans on hosting three 360 Hoops tournaments this summer, said Dean Hirtle, the center’s senior vice president.
“I met [the 360 Hoops founders] down in Florida not too long ago, and they were telling me the story about them drawing this up on a napkin,” Hirtle said. “Now it’s coming to fruition, which is pretty awesome.”
Fitchburg Mayor Sam Squailia was in attendance for the event and said the sport’s debut in the city was an exciting development.
“This is the first stop and unloading [for 360 Hoops], straight from the factory,” Squailia said. “The kids are picking it up quickly.”
Gomez is working with school districts across the country to try to get the hoops into more gymnasiums.
“We’re trying to get more kids into team sports,” he said. “You can go to your average physical education class, and you might have 90 kids sitting there, half of them on the bleachers falling asleep. This is a way to get them all playing.”
Eric Casey is the managing editor at Worcester Business Journal, who primarily covers the manufacturing and real estate industries.
WBJ Web Partners
Most Recent
Most Recent
0 Comments