Customizing Your Look

• There are a host of sites that let you design and order your own basketball jersey. Several are listed in the Resources section, and a simple Internet search will turn up many more. Once you've found a website that specializes in basketball jersey design, the choices are all yours.
  
  The first decision is what material you want. You can get jerseys in cotton, nylon, polyester and other fabrics. Polyester is the most popular, simply because it absorbs sweat better and will not shrink as much when washed.
  
  If you do choose polyester, you'll need to determine the type of mesh you want. Simply put, the mesh is the holes in the jersey that allow your skin to "breathe" and keep you cool -- or at least cooler than you would be without the mesh. These holes vary in size, and most jersey-building sites give you the opportunity to choose the mesh that's right for you.
  
  The next decision is color. You can choose from any number of solid colors for the main part of the jersey, along with the colors of numbers and trim around lettering, and the ribbing around the neck and arm holes. Some jerseys also come with colored panels on the sides.
  
  You'll want to decide what you want printed on the front of the jersey. You can go with a team nickname or the city, school or organization the team represents. In basketball, it's common for teams to wear white -- or light-colored -- jerseys with the team's nickname on the front while at home, and dark-colored jerseys with the city name on the front when away.
  
  You will need to decide what "cut" you want for the neckline and, in some instances, the arm holes. Necklines generally come in V-neck and rounded shapes. Some have borders (or even double borders) that can be made a different color than the main part of the jersey.
  
  Some sites allow you to add your team's logo, which can be placed in various locations. One of the most popular locations among professional and college teams is at the bottom of the "V" in the neckline. Teams with rounded necklines will occasionally embed the logo directly under the neckline, or on the back of the jersey above the player's last name.
  
  Of course, the ultimate way to customize a jersey is to put your own name on the back. That's part of the fun when you design your own basketball jersey online.