Exactly three minutes left in the fourth quarter, Mike Dunleavy has just hit his second straight three to give the Pacers a 115-111 lead, and I’m sitting there wondering if the only two Phoenix Suns games I’ve seen this so far this season are going to be losses (the first being to Golden State in the high octane shootout a few weeks ago). Fortunately the two time MVP stepped up big time by leading a 10-2 run to end the game and capture the win. Steve Nash hit back to back free throws before drilling a 3 pointer on the fast break to give the Phoenix a point lead in the final seconds of the game. He finished with 18 points and a season high 17 assists.

Amare Stoudemire also had a huge game with 42 points, and 13 rebounds offsetting Jermaine O’Neal’s 30 point night. It was a pretty close the entire game, the Suns held a few double digit leads but the Pacers quickly bought it back down to single digits to put pressure on the Suns to score. Although they struggled from the three point line (3-16), but they made up for it at the free throw line (28-31), Amare making 12 of his 13 attempts.

In this post I will be reviewing the Hops Supaclean pair of basketball shoes.

First off, a small disclaimer, I got a pair of these shoes to review for free from Hops who have also bought an advertising package on Bball City for the next 6 months. As for the review I have permission to be as honest as I want: if I think the shoe is a piece of crap, then that’s exactly what I’m going to write (not that it is). As for my qualifications as a shoe reviewer: I have spent most of my life playing basketball and I also worked at a shoe store for a few months when I was younger, so I have a general idea of what makes a good basketball shoe.

About Hops

From their website:

2 years in the making “HOPS” is an exciting new brand of high performance basketball footwear. “HOPS” is based in Melbourne, Australia but its shoe designer comes from Italy. Both the Designer and Company Founder are basketball people with over 50 years combined basketball experience. Both have a passion for the game of basketball which is the reason why “HOPS” was formed.

“HOPS” is determined to bring top quality footwear to the world at reasonable prices. Over 20 testers from 4 different countries have been wearing the “HOPS” shoes for the last 12 months. Through the feedback that has been received “HOPS” has been able to fine tune their brand to deliver the best possible shoe ready to be sold globally.

Source

The Review

Build Quality

The shoe features a combination of synthetic leather (for most of the upper body), suede around the front, rubber for the outsole, and mesh underneath the laces for breathability. The build quality is solid, and after a few weeks of casual wear (indoors and outdoors), as well as some decent time on the hard wood, the shoe has not taken any damage except some minimal wearing at the bottom of the soles.

Performance

To be honest I really wasn’t expecting the shoe to hold up that well on the court, the fit was definitely different than what I’m used to wearing on the court (usually a pair of Jordans). But the shoes held up very well in all major areas; comfort, support, durability, and performance.

The Supacleans feature a high collar that goes up to the ankle on the inside part of the shoe, and drops down in a v shape on the outside. The tongue of the shoe is held down to the midsole using a piece of elastic on each side. This combination gives a snug, comfortable fit without compromising ankle support.

The grip on the shoe is excellent as well; it features a zig zag wavy tread all the way up the bottom sole, kind of like with the older Adidas Superstar models. The Supacleans also feature a medial wing, which is basically a slightly wide outsole on the inside of the shoe. It is supposed to improve balance and explosiveness in lateral movement. When testing it out, I did notice a slight improvement in balance, but overall it felt pretty normal.

Affordability and Availability

The deal breaker with the Hops brand of shoes falls with the affordability and availability of the shoes. Although it’s competitively priced at $100AUD it does get considerably more expensive when you factor in the shipping / customs charges for worldwide orders. For example in Canadian dollars a pair of Supacleans would come out to around $130 ($150AUD) after shipping and customs. This isn’t a problem for Australian residents who not only don’t have to worry about any customs charges, but they also get free shipping for the rest of the month and a 3-5 day delivery expectation.

Verdict

Hops have built a solid shoe in the Supaclean model; it’s well built, has a retro innovative design, and provides great support and comfort on and off the court. Although I can’t see it becoming a big hit in the North American or European markets until it becomes more widely available (ie. locally), Hops is definitely on the right track to building a solid brand of basketball shoes.

More Pictures

A week after skipping practice, missing a game, being fined $180,000, and playing off the Knicks bench, Stephon Marbury has finally returned to the starting lineup. In that time, the struggling Knicks extended their losing streak from 3 games to 6, they will be looking to break that streak against the uptempo Golden State Warriors tonight.

Four games into the season, I’d venture a guess as to say very few people would’ve picked the New Orleans Hornets being on top of the league. But that’s exactly where they are right now after a nearly picture perfect game in Los Angeles earlier tonight gave them their fourth consecutive win to start off the season.

First off, David West had his usual solid game with 22 points, 8 rebounds, and a perfect 8-8 from the free throw line. Then there was Peja Stojakovic who absolutely shot the lights out from the perimeter, making 10-13 from outside (a new record for the Hornets). You could feel the collective sigh of the Laker crowd every time he spotted up at the three point line, followed by silence punctuated by a swish. Chris Paul also played pretty good with 19 points, and get this, 21 assists (another Hornets record). Yup, that’s pretty much firing at all cylinders.

They may have missed out on the playoffs last year, but look out for the New Orleans Hornets this year, they have a solid starting line up (5 players averaging double figures), a deep bench (including Morris Peterson, and Bobby Jackson), and a few superstars who can carry the team on the off night.

Just wanted to thank our new sponsor, Hops, for advertising on our site for the next few months.

A Little about Hops

Hops Sportswear Ltd is a family owned Business based in Melbourne Australia. 2 years in the making this original brand was dreamt up in New Zealand, developed in Australia, designed in Italy and built in China. Hops was launched in November 2007.

Matt Kaipuke a former point guard who played in the New Zealand NBL is the founder and CEO of Hops. Pietro Pellicelli Kicksguide artist of the year in 2005 is the Chief designer of Hops. Pietro is based in Italy. Both Matt and Pietro are Ball players 1st and business men 2nd and are both passionate about designing top quality shoes at affordable prices.

Source

Bball City will also be featuring an exclusive review of the Hops Supaclean shoes in the coming week.

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