I recently returned from Peru. Including visiting Machu Piccu, trekking through the Andes, and a ton of Inca ruins, I also drove past a ton of courts. As far as I could tell from Lima, Cusco, and a couple other smaller areas, the hoops seem to be uniform throughout the country with the baskets extending on top of a soccer goal. Even though these were almost always on the asphalt, and there are a ton of futball “pitches” around the cities, except for one occasion in Lima, I never saw any ball being played on the courts. Straight soccer, and people play almost all the time. It probably doesn’t help that the average height of a Peruvian male is 5’5″ (I’m a 5’10 center out there).
I thought that the hoops were interesting though.
By Jed Berger
September 9th, 2008 at 9:55 am
ali says:
yo jed,
i could be the 5-foot-9 magic johnson out there and average a triple double!!!! unless i run into a team of peruvian earl boykins’. nevertheless, i’m on the first thing smokin’.
thanks for the flicks. never seen hoops like that.
September 9th, 2008 at 10:57 am
FM says:
yeah interesting photos they have a ‘documentary’ kind of feel to them.
and you want empty courts, come to england! ten years ago the government erected 9000 outdoor rims but foolishly put most of them in schools where they stand idle and locked up at weekends.
September 9th, 2008 at 11:45 am
Sean Couch says:
Jed:
The fact that they are on top of soccer nets means there’s a shot that a kid might dribble with his hands rather than his feet and start shooting hoops.
September 9th, 2008 at 12:23 pm
kenny Patt says:
I am seeing a lot of empty courts in NYC as of late. Why arent these kids hooping like they hooping like they use to?
September 9th, 2008 at 2:19 pm
Bobbito Garcia a.k.a. Kool Bob Love says:
i hear you, kenny, and have thought that often myself, but there is always hope. this summer i saw more kids playing ball outdoors than i have in 5 years. the love is still there. it may not be as widespread as back in the day, but there are addicts doing drills that are in high school. i’ve balled with them, a couple around my way even keep stats when they play halfcourt and compare with each other afterwards!
September 9th, 2008 at 4:07 pm
Sho-Nuff says:
AAU at all age levels keeps kids off the outdoor courts and travelling to tournaments all summer, esp on the weekends.
September 11th, 2008 at 1:07 am
asmaticasiatic says:
Those hoops are kinda funky, so how were the women of Peru?