Prospects of a new machine are uncertain.
The shared shooting machine for Goucher’s basketball teams is broken, and it has been since the
end of last season. Players say that last year, the machine was vital to their success as a program.
A shooting machine is a device placed under the hoop that functions as both an automatic
rebounder and ball launcher. It automatically returns made and missed shots to the player. Most,
if not all, colleges (and high schools) with a basketball team have a shooting machine.
Guard Darby Sherman ‘26 for the Women’s Basketball team says, “It’s impacted my shooting
by making me wait until I can find multiple people to come and shoot with me. Normally, I
would just go shoot by myself whenever I wanted, but now I’m on a time constraint. ”All the
interviewed players reported having to shoot with multiple people. This may not seem
significant, but having to schedule a day and time with other people to practice can be quite
cumbersome. Women’s player Savannah Holmes ‘27 says she is less inclined to go to the gym
because she has to rebound by herself. Overall, players say it’s more difficult to get shots up
without the machine.
Coaches are aware of the machine and are trying to fix it. Coach Oliver, head coach of
Goucher’s Women’s Basketball team, says that the machine is on their radar, and Coach
Klingman, head coach of the Men’s Basketball team, says he would like to get a new one. Both
coaches say the machine may have been mishandled. However, when asked about this, women’s
player Sanai Knox ‘28 said, “I wouldn’t say mishandled. I think we all have respect for the
stuff that is given to us.” Knox went on to say that players do their best to take care of the things
they’re allowed to use. Knox added that she believes the machine has been overused. Coach
Klingman went on to say that while he thinks the machine may have been mishandled, he, too,
believes that it was overused, stating that the broken machine is a reflection of the number of
hours both teams used it. Both coaches said they would check the current shooting machine to
see if it’s still covered under warranty.
The coaches believe that it is an issue with the ball return, also known as the throwing arm.
When using the machine, the arm frequently gets jammed. This problem can be temporarily
fixed by turning the machine off and back on or turning the crank handle (the mechanism that
adjusts the power of the throwing arm) to the lowest setting. However, when using the machine,
these mechanical failures happen quite often, and they are not only time-consuming to fix, but
they also interfere with the shooter’s rhythm, thus rendering the shooting machine unusable.
Unfortunately, new shooting machines are expensive, with different brands and models ranging
from $500 to more than $10,000 according to drdishbasketball.com and shootaway.com
respectively. The brand of machine Goucher has is from the company Shoot-A-Way, the model
is called The Gun 12k. This is one of the most advanced and expensive machines on the market,
currently selling for $10,600 on their website.
During last year’s B&G Athletic Challenge fundraiser, the Women’s Basketball team raised a
staggering $10,140, not to mention the men’s team raising an additional $8,654. With $18,794,
they could definitely put money into getting parts fixed.
Furthermore, in the fiscal year of July 1, 2023, to June 1, 2024, Goucher Athletics reported that it
spent, $38,696 on recruiting expenses, $507,406 on total operating expenses for men’s and
women’s teams, and $3,571,749 on grand total expenses of all teams. The total revenues of all
teams that year were $4,089,165, and the total net profit $517,416.
Moreover, Goucher College just finished up its [UNDAUNTED] campaign spanning from 2014
to 2025 and pulling in over $170 million. As of June 30, 2024, Goucher’s endowment was
valued at $293 million. Additionally, Goucher has decided to build a 44,000 square foot science
facility, the Judy C. Lewent ’70 Science Center, which is set to open in the fall of 2027 and cost
$50 million.
The Women’s Basketball team is set to receive new home uniforms this year and new away
uniforms in a few years from now, but even top-of-the-line uniforms only cost between $60-
$100 per player. On the Men’s and Women’s teams, there are 31 players in total. If both teams
were to get new home and away uniforms, the total price would only be between $3,720-$6,200
(not including tax).
Unfortunately, there still remains uncertainty regarding whether or not Goucher’s basketball
teams will have a shooting machine this season.
By Leila Townsend ’26
Featured Image Source: Goucher Athletics
