Reflections on an NCAA Icon: Our Story with MSU.

When I first connected with Michigan State, we were still so new that no one in basketball had really heard of us. After all, SNA Sports originally built our name through volleyball. But as I discovered some of the things happening in Europe with portable basketball goals, I realized we had a chance to revolutionize the game in America as well. At that point, it was 1989 and MSU was in the midst of constructing the Jack Breslin Center.

Back then, I think we all only had an inkling of where Spartan basketball was headed. 

Nevertheless, I went to meet with the facilities director and explained the difference a spring-lift mechanism like ours brought to goal set up and tear down. He had ever seen anything like it and recognized the possibilities for his program.

SNA outfitted the Breslin Center with two main goals and four sideline goals for practice. We’ve been partnering with their facility ever since. Truth be told: it’s been a pretty quiet partnership. Because when you buy an SNA goal, it’s built to be maintenance-free and customer-serviceable.

Now, of course, we’ve re-engineered our goals a number of times since that original purchase and after 17 years, we helped MSU upgrade their main goals to better accommodate the growing weight of shot clocks. As to those practice goals, they have continued performing well for the last 29 years.

At SNA, we exist to enable coaching staffs to concentrate on doing the thing that is most important to them—building terrific people, not just strong basketball players. That’s the kind of service we brought to MSU and that we bring to every client we serve.

-Jim Peterson
Founder, SNA Sports Group