Hidden inside a warehouse in Salina, Kansas a small group of workers assemble one of the most recognizable basketball brands in the world.
POP-A-Shot started here. Former Marymount College coach Ken Cochran invented the game in 1981.
"I was recovering from bypass surgery and I started staring at a basketball," he said. "The idea just hit me. I started making a prototype of what would become the game."
He is now 84 years old. Cochran retired recently and moved back to Joplin, Missouri where he grew up. He sold the company to a man from California.
"When I first bought POP-A-Shot, I wasn't sure if I would move it to California with me or keep it here in Kansas," remembered Tony Stucker.
He ultimately decided the people in Salina, Kansas made the company great.
"It's easier and best for me to come to the headquarters here in Salina, than for me to bring the game to California."
In the 1980s and 1990s, you could find POP-A-Shot at arcades and pizza places all over. Then arcades started ripping off the idea -- branding all similar basketball games POP-A-Shot. The company sued.
"There were dozens of infringements. We won a couple but it became too expensive," Cochran said.
Ultimately, the company pivoted to a home version for man caves and recreation rooms.
The new owner said he has a lot of work to do and is excited about the future.
"We're focused on innovating the brand and the game for the next generation. We have a responsibly to the POP-A-Shot legacy to keep it moving forward."
