Customized nets give hoops a school flair

When John Anastio drives through suburban cul-de-sacs, what attracts his attention are the basketball hoops in the driveways.

“Our biggest customers are people in the cul-de-sacs with basketball hoops in the driveway,” said the owner of Krazy Netz, an Olathe business that dyes basketball nets, affixes a team logo and sells them to hoops-hungry fans.

Krazy Netz, operated and managed by GPP Sports Group, LLC, has been Anastio’s baby since 2014, when he bought the company, which had been struggling to get an investor for the new type of net-dyeing process. The company now has 21 collegiate licenses and plans to double that by the end of the year, Anastio said.

Q. What exactly is your product?

“We manufacture, sell and distribute custom unique colored and licensed NCAA and NBA basketball nets. Our patented technology produces a heavy duty net made of 200-gram knotted polyester, which is up to four times the strength of a normal basketball net. They are weather-tolerant, sewn to military grade standards and a special eco-friendly UV seal ensures long lasting color for years,” Anastio wrote in an email after an interview.

Q. How did your business get started?

The business began when basketball enthusiast Troy Heck of Lawrence, an avid Kansas State University Wildcat fan, needed to replace a worn basketball net on his driveway hoop, Anastio said. He had the idea of dyeing the net Wildcat purple, and after a lot of experimentation developed the right mix of dye. The dyed net with the Powercat logo was the first college license, and three or four more licenses followed, but Anastio said the business was still trying to get off the ground when he discovered it. Anastio bought the company and now has 21 collegiate licenses.

Q. How does your business model work?

The company has to apply for the license before it can do anything else, Anastio said. The application process to the Collegiate Licensing Company is lengthy and costly with a lot of … hoops … to jump through, he said. Krazy Netz has to list potential customers and proposed sales volume. The licensing company then takes the idea to the university. After approval, the company has to pay an advanced royalty fee on its expected sales.

The company gets the nets from China and then dyes them the colors dictated by the school and stitches on the logo. Krazy Netz also sells undyed nets without logos.

Q. Where and how do you market your product?

Krazy Netz uses a multitude of marketing platforms, including sporting goods stores, the Internet and social media, bookstores, rec centers and even grocery stores during the basketball season, Anastio said. It sells the nets on its own website for $24.99 for a colored net with a logo and $14.99 for a colored net without the logo.

The company also markets the nets as fundraising items for high school and middle school efforts and such things as Boy and Girl Scout basketball camps. The nonperishable nature of the nets makes them a good alternative to popcorn and cookie dough for kids who want to sell to their out-of-town relatives, he said.

Q. What are your opportunities for expansion?

Anastio foresees corporations and high schools as potential customers who may want to increase their exposure with the colored and logo nets. He also wants to expand the current college licensing to the top 40 basketball schools in the country. In the future, his company will look at opportunities to develop nets for hockey and the U.S. soccer market, he said.

“We are also working with several NBA teams and are excited to expand into amateur and semi-pro markets internationally,” he wrote. Additionally, the company is developing a glow-in-the-dark net to be available in a variety of colors.

Q. Will we see any of your nets used in the big games?

No, because of strict regulations on the type of nets used. The National College Athletic Association forbids the use of colored nets at its games, Anastio said.

This story was originally published May 10, 2016 at 4:26 PM with the headline "Customized nets give hoops a school flair."