Little Tikes Easy Score Basketball Set Review

Parts and Construction

So when I opened the box, it was pretty much as I expected. No little parts which was nice. Just the big parts that you just had to put together. Nothing was overly complicated when putting the pieces together. Put the backboard and hoop on the blue post and put the the post on the base. It can take a little bit of muscle to get things fitted but it’s generally simple.

One of the things you are going to have to get on your own is the weight to put in the base to hold it down. The instructions suggest sand but, of course, I didn’t have any sand. So I used water instead. I have plenty of that. I poured a couple of gallons in but didn’t fill it up all the way. Doing it with the water worked out just fine.

With the water (or sand) now in the base, the unit becomes much heavier. Take this into consideration if you are the type to have trouble carrying heavier items. You might want to put the basketball set in the position where you want it to be before you put the water or sand in first.

Another thing about setting this up is the net. The net can be a little cumbersome. I think this was the most difficult thing about setting the basketball set up. The thing is, it’s not really that difficult. It’s just tedious. Stretching the net out so it will fit and getting each loop locked on properly can be a bit of a task.

How it Plays

This basketball set comes with 3 balls so both of my kids will have plenty turns slam dunking or at least attempting to slam dunk. I was able to get a couple shots in myself with 3 balls around.

I initially setup the Little Tikes Easy Score Basketball Set for easy use for my 6 year old since she was more pumped to play some basketball than her 3 year old sister. The height was set for her height but of course, my 3 year old wanted in. She had trouble hitting her shots because the hoop was just a bit too high for her. So, of course, I had to lower it much to my 6 year old’s dismay.

The height adjustment is fairly simple. All you need to do is hold the post in place with one hand, use the other hand to unlatch the red tab holding up the position of the hoop. Once unlatched, lower the post into the position you desire and reinsert the red tab to hold the hoop into that height position and you are good to go!

One thing that I did notice about the basketball set is that after a while of usage, the net might come lose. It’s kinda upsetting since getting the net on was the most difficult this about putting the basketball set together. I had to stop the fun and adjust the net so it would stay on.

Quick Tip: Try wrapping the net loops right below the loop with scotch tape to keep the loops attached

Even if you don’t do this quick tip, the net should stay in place after several hours of play due to the settling of the net fabric from constant ball tossing. If you can’t wait that long, feel free to try this tip to get the net to stay in place.

When the kids have a bunch of energy, they usually want to pick up a few balls and go to town with slam dunking on the hoop. What’s great is that it can grow with your child(ren) as they age. The height adjustment can go decently high. Granted, kids over 6 will probably be too tall already for this basketball set. If you are looking for something bigger I suggest the Little Tikes Just Like the Pros Basketball Set which can be set much higher than the this basketball set.

Cleanup and Storage

Now here’s where things get a bit dicey. As you might be able to tell, this basketball set has no way of folding up. If you store this outside somewhere, it’s not an issue. But if you play with it inside like my kids do, you are going to want to store this in a play where it takes up minimal space.

Now the good thing is that the hoop shrinks down pretty low. The problem is that is it when it comes to minimizing space, this is it. It cannot fold up anymore than this. So finding a suitable spot within the home can be a problem especially if you have a small living space. We keep ours in the basement and the balls in a small basket with other balls of similar size.

So if you are limited in space, I wouldn’t recommend this for inside play. But of course, not many kid basketball hoops are small in nature.

Overview

If your kid really likes basketball or you are wondering if your kid would like basketball, this is great starter basketball set to get pique their athletic interests. Sure the net might have been a bit of an issue and storage can be difficult within the house, but the most important thing is that the kids have fun with this – and they do.

Feel free to check out the Easy Score version and the Just Like The Pros version for bigger kids.

Little Tikes Just Like the Pros Basketball Set

Looks just like what the pros use and adjusts to 5 heights from 4 to 6 feet. Comes with 1 junior basketball.