Every hoop in New York is built the same way: a pole, a backboard, a rim, and twelve small hooks waiting for a net that often isn’t there.
Craig Campanella noticed. A 56-year-old data manager from Jackson Heights, Queens, he spends his weekend mornings walking the city with a ladder strapped to his back and a duffel bag full of nets, quietly restoring the swish to playground hoops across the boroughs. He can’t dribble. He doesn’t get paid. And every net he hangs will eventually come down.
He hangs them anyway.
But not every swish is a bucket.
Follow Craig’s net-hanging journeys and find out how to help: @nuthinbutnets.nyc
Winner, 2026 Signal Awards: Indie Podcast & Sports Documentary.
Instagram: @bucketpodcast
Email: hello@bucketpodcast.com
Email: hello@bucketpodcast.com