We've got gear competition ready

Women's Basketball, Oct 2003 by Elfman, Lois

Pat Summitt, Sherri Coale and Jody Conradt don't take the court without them. Baden is the practice and game ball for Tennessee, Oklahoma and Texas. Baden is also the official supplier of the pro leagues in England, Ireland, Estonia and Spain as well as the National Women's Basketball League in the U.S. It is also an official sponsor of the Women's Basketball Hall of Fame.

"We were the first ones to come out with a women's size ball," says Brent Williams, director of basketball and business development at Baden Sports. Baden introduced that ball in 1984.

New on the market is a ball Williams says will get people talking - the Lexum Elite.

"The evolution of the ball has started to happen," Williams says. "Our engineers worked over the past two years creating this ball.

"It's got a couple of things that are unique to us. One is the cushion control technology, which is actually in the bladder of the ball," he continues. "There is kind of an open air bubble type of bladder in the rubber that gives it a softer feel than other balls. That's copyrighted by us."

In addition to staff engineers, Baden consults coaches and players in the development of new balls.

The Lexum Elite, as do all Baden basketballs, comes in men's, women's and intermediate sizes.

The cushion-control technology involves a bladder with wider and deeper channels, which are reinforced to prevent splitting. There is a microfiber layer wrapped around the bladder. Then there is a cover that Baden indicates does not absorb moisture, does not get heavy and does not turn dark.

"This Lexum Elite ball - we've been told by many people - there's no ball like it off the glass," says Williams. "It's a very true bounce, true carom off the glass. There's no screeching. There's no skidding. It doesn't slide on the glass."

In terms of the cover, "There's still the tackiness to the ball that stays with the ball and wears very, very well," he notes. "We put our balls through tremendous bounce tests, which are the equivalent of five years of use on how the ball will hold up."

There are certainly other competition and practice balls available from Baden, as well as showy, fun items such as the Glossy series.

"It's a glossy ball that has a great feel for it. It's an indoor-outdoor ball," says Williams. Several schools use the glossy balls, which can be adapted to school colors, for pre-game special effect. "It's just a fun ball that's actually a good basketball." Another fun product is the Night Bright, a glow-in-the-dark basketball.

Baden also produces something called the skill coach ball.

"It is an oversized basketball. Our engineers have worked very hard to get it at the same weight as a regular basketball," he says. It's good for practicing ball handling and shooting.

"We also make what we call a heavy trainer, which is a very good ball for ball handling, passing, catching, that type of thing," he adds. "It's a ball that bounces like a regular basketball but is heavy."

Although Baden is involved in numerous other sports - including Volleyball, football, baseball, softball, soccer, rugby and water polo - the only item it produces is balls.

"For the last 26-plus years, Baden has just been a ball manufacturer," says Williams.