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become more "internet-driven." He also cites challenges switching out product, dealing with late deliveries from footwear vendors and gripes from players. "e old-timer coaches still want the team shoe to look the same on everyone, but I think in today's society that's an argument maybe the coaches don't want to get into with the kids and parents. It eliminates agitation." Claussen overall feels "pretty good" about participation on the boys' side, but he believes girls' participation is still being challenged by travel organizations in other sports such as volleyball, but he's hopeful that Caitlin Clark, who plays for the Indiana Fever, will inspire some girls to take up basketball. "She and a few other girls that came out last year from the collegiate level have really heightened women's basketball," he says. "It's like Bird and Magic." "As we enter our 80th year in business, I look for our basketball business to continue to grow," reports Vance Wiegand, owner of Egelston- Maynard Sporting Goods in Covington, KY. Serving a tri-state region, specifically Northern Kentucky, Wiegand says basketball has consis- tently been his second or third largest category and has benefited as participation increased coming out of COVID. "Basketball remains a strong sport for our youth league, elementary school, middle school and high school customers," he says. Egelston-Maynard no longer goes aer the team shoe business, but Wiegand believes that's been replaced with more uniform, equipment and spiritwear options. He adds: "Sublimation has totally changed the way we do business with uniforms and spirit wear. e uniform styles and lettering options are almost unlimited with sublimation." He points out that school agreements with shoe companies have made it increasingly difficult to generate new business with high school customers. However, those schools do oen explore other sources for their uniforms and equipment once those agreements expire. In season, Egelston-Maynard finds a steady business fulfilling coach's game-day needs. "Our tagline is 'We've got what it takes to play the game,'" says Wiegand. "We stock replacement items like possession indicators, scoreboards and basketball rims that allow our customers to get their facilities quickly ready to play." Consistent Sales in Nebraska e Locker Room in Omaha, NE, is seeing "consistent" growth in basketball with high schools and colleges, but the strongest momen- tum is being seen at the youth level, according to Mitch McCann, VP–sales and store manager, who points out that they play in the late fall and spring, so that has given the dealer more basketball business from June until February. "You also get the added business from the spirit stores. We launch them for the two sessions as well as the holiday season," he says. McCann says more boys in his Nevada region are switching from rec leagues to travel organi- zations with more indoor facilities opening to support year-round play. Girls are also starting to add basketball travel programs in his market. "I believe our strongest growth opportunities resides with travel programs," he says. "ey continue to pop up in our area and they typ- ically require the kids to purchase one or two uniforms, warmups and practice gear. We see travel organizations more willing to purchase the higher end gear when the families are paying for the items." Among categories, decoration remains a specialty for e Locker Room with top sellers including uniforms, travel gear, coaches gear, spiritwear and bags. "e sublimated uniforms are something that has grown like crazy in basketball," McCann explains. "We found that we can get reversible sublimated uniforms at a comparable price to screenprinted uniforms and they look so much nicer. It also takes the stress off production by not having to screenprint numbers on four sides of one jersey." Challenges servicing the basketball category include the increasing involvement of booster clubs at high schools that creates some friction when also dealing with coaches and athletic directors. High school coaches not wanting to order until their rosters are finalized can also cause rushes. However, McCann said prioritizing basketball, especially the newer travel programs, can pay dividends since most dealers focus on football and the baseball/soball leagues first. "We like to do web stores for their uniform ordering when working with a travel league," he adds. "It takes the stress off coach and removes the liability from us." Mike Maslowski, owner of MB2 Sports, Olathe, KS, believes basketball participation is "shrinking a little" in his region with increasing competition from soccer as well as due to sports specialization overall. "e desire for players is to get that signa- ture shoe tied to a professional athlete," says Maslowski. "But I'd say the biggest challenge in footwear is inventory. Projecting what's going to be consumed versus what's produced makes it a real fine line in fulfilling a team's orders." In uniforms, he believes some vendors are better than others in turnaround times, but the primary goal is securing orders from coaches within a sufficient timeline. "Some are highly organized, some are not." Strong Hoops in Pennsylvania Chris Markey, owner of 2 the Tee Outfitters in York, PA, says basketball is "always strong" across boys and girls in central Pennsylvania, with post-pandemic seasons providing a boost in participation. Markey says of the participation li: "I think it's parents wanting their kids to get out to do more." One trend Markey sees is the return of "shorty shorts" from the 1970s and '80s."Probably two years ago, we started having people ask for them," he reports, "and then college players started rolling their shorts. Under Armour and Nike Coaches Corner's core customers run from elementary to high schools, as well as travel teams that makes the sport a year-round selling opportunity. The dealer outfits customized team uniforms, practice gear, fan gear and socks. Photo: Sandro Halank, Wikimedia Commons 38 • January/February 2025 sportstyle • sportstylemag.com TEAM

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