My son is a basketball fanatic.  And at 15, in just a year and a half of playing seriously (pickup games, etc.) he has become quite the fanatic.  He already had 3 previous balls he plays with.  But when he saw this one he said 'yep, that's pro quality' with a long smile.  The grip is so good, the response is up there also.  If you want to bring a smile to your players face you can't go wrong.