Five Towners invent the ‘Dream Silencer’

If you ever heard “stop bouncing that ball in the house” then Five Towns residents Eric Braunstein and Dylan Kaufmann have a solution for you. The two former Hebrew Academy of the Five Towns and Rockaway High School basketball players combined their talents to invent what they call the “Dream Silencer.”

What looks like a mini T-shaped trampoline serves two primary purposes: you can dribble a basketball ball without generating the noise and vibrations the bouncing creates on a regular floor and its construction places the dribbler in the proper form, with the ball close to the body.

Braunstein, 25, from Cedarhurst and Kaufmann, 24, of Woodmere established the Dream Dribble company in 2016, and have been working to perfect the Dream Silencer. “We wanted it to have certain criteria and design it so it folds,” Kaufmann said. “We want kids to have the perfect tool to perfect their game.” The duo said they love basketball and still play pickup ball. For them, creating something that helps others improve their skills is a win-win.

Through a family friend, the pair were introduced to former NBA star point guard Tim Hardaway Sr., who was renowned for his crossover dribble that was dubbed the “UTEP Two-Step” in honor of his college, the University of Texas at El Paso. He is known as the “Crossover King.”

“He used to go outside in Chicago and have to dribble in a box on the sidewalk, and that’s what the Dream Silencer is, a box,” said Kaufmann, adding that NBA star shooting guard Dwyane Wade said he learned how to dribble and handle the ball by watching Hardaway.

Dream Dribble has a Kickstarter campaign through April 22, with a goal of $40,000. As of press time $17,165 has been pledged. The retail price is $189. With a pledge of $99 or more, the cost is $90. It is $30 for the carrying case and $10 extra for a black frame. All orders are expected to be delivered in August.

On the website is a video that highlights the benefits of the Dream Silencer featuring Hardaway, actor Jake Schloss, 12, from Maryland and Manhattan-based actor Halley DeVestern as the beleaguered mother.

The 3:54 video shows Schloss dribbling away on a house floor as the noise awakens DeVestern and tilts a hanging photograph.

Enter Hardaway with the Dream Silencer solution. He says that the Dream Silencer, “silences a bouncing basketball and it also enhances dribbling skills.” “When you dribble a basketball, it’s all about rhythm … when you dribble, you are kind of dribbling in a box, except your feet are wide and parallel to your shoulders, and that’s how you dribble. You never dribble the balk straight up and down, you are in a bend position.”

Along with eliminating the noise and helping to perfect technique, the Dream Silencer can help add practice time despite the weather. “You can practice inside on colder days and on hotter days,” Braunstein said.

Through Hustle & Heart Sports clinics, an athletic and fitness company established to encourage athletes of all sports and ages to reach their goals, Kaufmann has introduced the Dream Silencer. “We want to see kids get better,” he said. “I want to help give kids a useful tool.”

HAFTR Athletic Director Joey Hoenig, who also doubles as the boys’ basketball coach and coached Braunstein and Kaufmann, offered high praise for his former players’ creation. “I think this is an ingenious and awesome invention,” he said.  

To practice whenever you want, wherever you want, go to https://dreamdribble.com/.