10/13/03 First "No Tools" Portable Basketball System Hits the Market New InstaHoopTMTechnology Eases Assembly and Reduces Set-Up Time by 40 Percent Huffy® Sports Company, a manufacturer of home and institutional basketball systems, sports balls and other family recreational products, is the first company to introduce a full-size portable basketball system requiring no tools for assembly. The company's InstaHoop™ technology, which is currently being rolled out on a variety of portables at multiple price points, allows a consumer to assemble the product without the use of tools in about 40 percent less time than other portable basketball systems on the market. "The trend toward pre-assembled or easy-to-assemble products has really taken off at retail," said Patrick Ehren, vice president of sales and marketing for Huffy Sports Company. "Consumers want products that are fast and easy to assemble without sacrificing quality and playability. InstaHoop was designed with this in mind." While portable basketball systems featuring InstaHoop technology quickly assemble without tools and lengthy instructions, they still offer the same rigidity, stability and playability as other portables found on the market. Standard product features include a 44" Eco-Composite™, fan-shaped backboard, a 5/8" steel rim with the Smart Clip™ net release system and a durable plastic base that fills with water or sand for stability. The base comes with large plastic wheels for easy portability. "From an engineering perspective, InstaHoop is quite unique," said Ron White, manager of product engineering for Huffy Sports Company. "By utilizing interconnecting components and assemblies, as well as easily recognizable parts, we were able to create a basketball system that requires fewer fasteners - this translates to less parts, faster part identification and quicker assembly time." Portable basketball systems with InstaHoop technology are marketed by Huffy Sports under a variety of product names. The systems sell for under $130 and can be found at various retailers throughout the country. For additional product information, call 1-800-558-5234 or visit huffysports.com. A division of Huffy Corporation (NYSE-HUF), the company manufactures and distributes three brands of basketball products: Huffy Sports, Sure Shot® and Hydra-RIB®. Each brand varies by price point and is marketed to a variety of end users. Huffy Sports Company products are available at mass-market retailers, sporting goods dealers and specialty stores throughout the world. Product samples and photography are available upon request. Call Brian Meehan at 262.789.7630, ext. 133 or brianm@celticinc.com..