If you’ve had the opportunity to attend a high school basketball game in North Carolina this season, chances are a noticeably brighter game ball caught your attention.
That Halloween pumpkin bouncing around the court and whipping through nets is the new Wilson EVO NXT basketball, implemented by the NCHSAA during the offseason in place of Wilson’s WAVE edition.
A YouTube video by Ben de la Cruz, Team Sports Product Line Manager for Wilson Sporting Goods, breaks down the ball’s advanced technology into three categories: soft core, micro-touch cover, and extended-range tech.
The soft inside is intended to allow for better control, while the additional layer is intended to counteract moisture and provide better grip and the new technology redistributes weight and balance of the ball for long-range shots.
Here are the early returns from Richmond Senior’s coaches and players.
P.J. McLaughlin, Richmond point guard
Q: What’s the main difference between WAVE and EVO NXT?
McLaughlin: These balls are more slippery, last year’s balls had more grip.
Q: How long did it take to adjust to the new ball?
McLaughlin: It took us like two weeks to get adjusted to these balls. We still trying to figure them out.
Q: What’s the hardest adjustment to make?
McLaughlin: Dribbling. When you try to keep it in your hands, it goes everywhere.
Donald Pettigrew, Richmond boys basketball coach
Q: What are your thoughts on the addition of the EVO NXT?
Pettigrew: I like the WAVE ball better. It is what it is, though. Like I told the guys, ‘We got to be able to adapt to it.’
Teddy Moseley, Richmond girls basketball coach
Q: How has the team dealt with the addition of the new basketballs?
Moseley: I think we’ve adjusted to them pretty well, even though they’re not the best looking balls.
Lady Raiders senior Keionna Love dribbles the newest game ball mandated by the NCHSAA this season. The Wilson EVO NXT basketball features a softer texture than previous game balls.
