Best places for pickup basketball?
June 18th, 2008 by WesJust like the old days, got fired up after watching the NBA Finals Tuesday night and had the urge to shoot baskets somewhere.
I watched the game at my parents’ house, so naturally the first option was Alewa Park, where I grew up shooting along with our backyard hoop. At 6:45 p.m., the court was already crowded.
I figured everywhere else nearby — Lanakila, Pu‘unui, Kawananakoa — probably also would be crowded by now, too, and I just wanted to shoot, not play, so ended up driving all the way to a small park at the top of Alewa Heights. It’s only one basket with a halfcourt there, so thought maybe it would be empty.
Nope.
But it’s a good sign, I guess, that basketball fever has not faded among our youth. Everywhere I drive, the parks seem crowded with pickup games or at least a bunch of kids shooting baskets.
I haven’t played pickup ball at a public park in several years, so I might be out of the loop as to where the best games are.
So I thought I’d put it out there on this blog, for all the kids in high school or just graduated: Where are the best games these days?
In our days (high school and after), for us it was (in order of our frequency):
1. UH outdoor courts (behind swimming pool) — On Sundays in the late 1980s/early 90s, this was the happening place in town. Four courts, all in pretty good shape. Games running constantly from around 2 p.m. till almost dark, around 6 or 7. Good mix of high school players, former high school players, cagey veterans. Last time I checked, the courts had grass growing through the cracks and half the baskets didn’t even have rims.
Too bad; looked like a graveyard of glorious games of the past.
2. UH Gyms I and II/Klum Gym — It was supposed to be limited to UH students with IDs, but I started playing there in the ninth grade and didn’t stop till maybe a year or two out of college. Always could find games there on Sunday afternoons, and from 6 p.m. till 9 or 10 on weeknights. Even former UH player Reggie Cross would play in Gym II on Sundays, in the offseason while he was still playing for UH.
Lots of active and former UH football players would show up, too.
3. Wilson Park (Waialae) — The main draw back then was 8-foot baskets, where we could pretend to be Dr. J or Michael Jordan or Dominique Wilkins. But there were some pretty good games on the 10-foot rims there, too, with several active or recent high school players from various areas showing up. The upper court had the nice surface, I recall.
4. Crane Park (Kapahulu) — Competition here could be good, again with some high school players showing up. I recall two courts, so there was more opportunity and shorter waits.
5. Kapaolono Park (Kaimuki) — Two courts, pretty good games, lots of high school guys. Could get windy sometimes, making an inside game more reliable than outside jumpers.
6. Aina Haina Playground — Kinda same as Kapaolono, but can get even windier. Unlike other courts, no real place to sit in between games, I recall.
7. Kanewai Park — Underrated, I thought. Pretty good games on two courts, not too windy if I remember.
8. Kaimuki District Park — Only played there a few times, but I liked it.
Now, you might notice that all of these courts happen to be in a three-or-four-mile radius, around the UH/Kaimuki/Waialae area.
The thing is, I lived in the Kalihi part of town but always seemed to migrate toward that side, and I know others came from outside the area, too.
I’ve played pickup ball at other places, like Alewa and Pu‘unui obviously but also Kawanankoa, Kailua Rec Gym, Stevenson. Never on the West side or Central O‘ahu.
So, all you high school ballers and recent grads, help an old brother out, here.
Give me your lists of the best places on the island for pickup basketball.
June 18th, 2008 at 9:23 am
Heh, Crane Park! If I’m not mistaken, didn’t the likes of Magic Johnson and other celebrities get involved in pickup games, there? In any case, the competition can get fierce there.
1) Halawa Heights park’s basketball court. Nice and secluded, away from traffic.
2) Aiea High School outside basketball court. (See a pattern here?)
3) That basketball court near the beach past Ko’Olina resort as you’re heading toward town. NO close areas of shade nearby, seemingly (I’ve not played there) — but, that got me to thinkning, ehy, this is Hawaii; there should be MORE basketball courts near the shoreline [!]
4) There’s somewhere at or in Kaena Point where none other than Prince [!] played basketball. I must find this place.
It’s been decades since I’ve played
.
June 18th, 2008 at 11:21 am
From what I remember:
Petrie (sp.?) Park by Waialae Elem. had a few good games there until the lights burnt out. Don’t know if it every got changed.
Kilauea Gym by Kaimuki Middle School also had good pickup games. I don’t think it’s open every night though.
Kapolono, Wilson, Petrie would usually have their “days” when it’s packed.
There’s also couple courts in the Aina Haina/Hawaii Kai area that are somewhat deserted so if the usual courts are busy, people could go to those courts.
I live in the Waialae/Kaimuki area so I haven’t really played on the other parts of the island.
June 18th, 2008 at 11:29 am
I grew up playing pick-up ball at Manoa Gym, starting at around age 12 up until well into my 30s. Back then, the floor was some kind of strange ceramic tile that I’ve never run into anywhere else. This was way before they had the new gym, and they redid the floor with hardwood in the mid-80s.
The game was every Sunday at 10 AM, playing with a lot of local police and firemen, as well as some pretty good local players. You had to get there early and get in the first game, because there was only 1 indoor court and often a 2 or 3 game wait. There was a steady group of regulars. I remember Chris Quick (St. Louis), Kelly Grant (Maryknoll and now Kaimuki’s coach), Leo Leopoldo (Farrington), Lenny Kai (Kamehameha) and others showing up from time to time. There were Friday night games, as well. Best of all, everyone respected calls and there were very few fights. There were always kids around, and most of the regulars made an attempt to set a good example. The last time I played there, a kid I coached as a 10 year old dunked on me.
I live in California now, and have for 20 years. When I get back to Hawaii, I often try to check out a pickup game either at the outdoor courts at University High or at Manoa Gym for old times’ sake. What has always amazed me is the Hawaii pickup players’ insistence at playing zone defense in pickup games. I tell players in California that they only play zone where I grew up, and they’re amazed. I haven’t been back to Manoa for pickup in a years (I’d be curious to know if readers have any experience with the game there), and my most recent experience has been that UH is now the place to play.
June 18th, 2008 at 1:16 pm
I recall playing in the manoa area, deeper in the valley then UH. Best time to play is around 2:00 am. 2 on 2 and in street clothes. Howzit Wes? ever tried it?
June 18th, 2008 at 1:33 pm
The thing I hate is, regardless of which neighborhood or park you play in, guys get all whiny or sometimes even threateningly violent when it’s time to pay up after losing. Some guys put more energy into avoiding payment than they did into playing the entire game itself. If you agree to play, be preapared to pay.
June 18th, 2008 at 2:51 pm
Another good place to play at is under the bridge by Moanalua Middle School. All you ballers know where I’m talking about.
June 18th, 2008 at 5:00 pm
Hey Wes,
So when are the all state baseball pages coming out? Or did u not pick the teams yet? im eager to see them.
Aloha my brotha,
Jonah
June 18th, 2008 at 6:07 pm
Chicken,
I think you’re thinking of Paki Park. That’s supposedly where the college guys used to play, with an occasional pro showing up.
Mahalo for reading.
June 19th, 2008 at 7:46 am
Back in the late 80’s there used to be some rocking games at the Punahou lower field courts (the ones next to Wilder). Richard Haenish (sp?) used to bring the Chaminade guys out (Tony Randolph and Tim Dunham plust others) and Dan Hale sometimes brought some UH guys out to play. Kind of under the radar, since the games didn’t go too often, but when they did…wow.
June 19th, 2008 at 12:04 pm
Ok. So what is offensive or scares you about what I wrote about this topic which, by the way, has nothing to do with high school sports?????
June 19th, 2008 at 2:20 pm
Hey Wes, do you know when the NCAA Summer League starts up? Those are fun games to watch.
June 19th, 2008 at 2:48 pm
My spots in the late 80s early 90s were:
Kaimuki Park, either outside or in the gym (Gym opened at 10 AM on weekdays for those of us who worked nights).
Under the bridge at Moanalua had some pretty good games.
Manoa gym on Wednesdays. The wait was sometimes long but the folks at the gym were smart to put a signup board, so nobody could “cut” in line.
At any court, it would suck if you got stuck with bad players or your team had bad chemistry and you were one and done. On the flip side, there’s nothing like beating teams and staying on the court and taking on all comers. I still recall one night at Kapalono park when I was fortunate to be on a team that took out everyone. We finally got off the court because we were tired of playing so many games in a row.
Interesting comment about zone defenses in Hawaii. So true. I went to school in Cali, and you always played man.
June 19th, 2008 at 4:42 pm
Streetball,
Sorry, nothing offensive or scary. I must have inadvertently skipped over yours and another comment when I was going through them yesterday. They’re up now.
As for the topic, many of the people I see playing at the parks — then and now — look to be high school age.
It’s unofficial offseason training, one of the great things about the sport.
Also, when you say “pay up,” do you mean money? I’ve never played for money, which probably is a good thing, and I don’t think it’s common here. Never did on the Mainland (L.A., Bay Area, South Florida), either.
Mahalo for reading.
June 20th, 2008 at 5:08 am
Matt is right about lower courts at Punahou. Before they tore out those courts, the games were great. Of course, there were a lot of Punahou players there, but it was an open run. The rims were a few inches low, which made things interesting on an asphalt court.
As for playing for money…where did they do that? Never heard of that in Hawaii. I never played for anything other than the right to hold the court.
I remember sometime in the 90s when a Sports Illustrated columnist wrote about playing pickup while on vacation in Waikiki…he went over to that little park next to the fire station behind he zoo (don’t remember the name and don’t think there’s ever been a quality or reliable game there) and couldn’t get in a game, presumably because he wasn’t local. Because of this experience, he indicted Hawaii as not having any pickup hoops culture. It’s good to see that, after all those years, that columnist was wrong.
June 20th, 2008 at 8:40 am
Aloha Wes,
Kamehameha on Sundays is apparently the place to be. Wilson Park during the summers. When the college boys come home.
June 20th, 2008 at 9:02 am
Ahh, yeah, ‘at’s right, Paki Park. Heh — I have situated b-ball celebs gaming across from Mr. Ojisan and Leonard’s, yikes.
Yeah, I’ve seen the same things Streetball has seen in this hea island courts. What is WITH some of the attitudes? It’s a GAME for Pete’s sake. Cool head.
June 20th, 2008 at 10:00 am
No prob, Wes. Thanks
June 20th, 2008 at 12:00 pm
Baggy,
You are right, Kamehameha has the elite games, but I believe it is “by invitation only.”
They probably could even charge admission for fans with the level of play there.
Wilson? Wow, didn’t know that. Might have to check it out sometime.
Mahalo for reading.
June 23rd, 2008 at 9:46 am
There are nightly runs at Wilson, but during the summers, I have seen the likes of Derrick Low, Kyle Pape, Ryan Hirata, Brand and Cord Anderson, Waika Spencer, Nalu Perkins, Jack Miller Jr, Desmond Hanohano, Cameron Bayne. Many of the current high school ballers show up as well.
June 26th, 2008 at 7:53 am
I know Kailua Rec. was a hot spot during the 90’s. Sat., Sun., Mon., and Wed. You
had to go there before the 1pm opening, the games ran right through closing 5pm.
(weekends) and 5pm through 9pm.(week days). you had your your “NBA” side
(known players) and your “CBA” side(younger players) you could run with familiar
names like Kawika Hallums, Alika Smith, Josh Smith, Tim Shepherd, Keith
Spencer, Jeff Hiro, Steve Pratt, Julian Sensley, Ikaika Alama-Francis, Roger
Huggins, Andy Gardiner, Mike DuPonte, George Gilmore, George Puou, Scotty
Nobriga, Gordon Santos, Kui & Dominic Ostsrowski, Dean & Dino Viena just to name
a few. They just played no s*%t talking. I’m not really sure if they still run. But
those were some good games.
June 27th, 2008 at 1:54 am
I remember when during the offseason the whole Moanalua basketball team pretty much ran games at Salt Lake Rec, this was during the days of coach Maruyama. All I can say is it was definitely a treat to watch Ramsey Williams shoot lights out every day. When the gym closed, the outside courts were the hot spots.
June 27th, 2008 at 12:53 pm
Baggy,
Your latest comment would be fine except for the “marines” reference and “The Man’s” nickname.
I’m not allowed to edit just parts of comments anymore — has to be all or nothing — so if you re-submit an edited version, I’ll post it.
Mahalo for reading.
June 28th, 2008 at 8:08 pm
Wes,
I remember when Kapolei (rec) opened. 10 teams waiting, EVERYNIGHT bro. It was crazy. Players from all over the place. 1994 ish. I just came home for vacation from minor league baseball and heard it was the spot. Stephen Lorenzo from Waianae, dunking in games from outside the free throw line, Kawika Smith catching crazy oops, Kimo Pitts beasting everyone in the post, Noga braddas showing why they were some of the most athletic guys to come out of Hawaii. But just the regular guys like me, the Makakilo and the EWA Beach boys, the Nanakuli boys, getting together playing ball, then hanging out after. This is the Park that Coach Wagner at BYUH saw me play and offered me a scholarship. You never know who’s out there!!! Of course, I’ve played at many different parks in Hawaii, but Laie park has to be another very competitive place to play. It’s not for the weak. Don’t talk trash either. I’ve seen many a newcomer get literally knocked out for talking crap.
Paki park, scrappin with justice suing, what a beast. so many great memories. just wish I could have played against my dad so I could of caught his ball off the backboard. He talks so much about how his 1971 Kamehameha team would have beaten my 1994 Kamehameha team. Negative. He wouldn’t dare challenge my 1992 Kamehameha team though. Anyway, thanks for bringing back some good memories.
kahi
June 30th, 2008 at 12:00 am
This comment somehow ended up under another topic, so I moved it here where it belongs:
chris93:
June 29th, 2008 at 9:46 pm
Hey nobody mentioned 24 hour fitness courts the one by ala moana. The courts are a little small but the gym is air con and a lot of good ballers play there. Ive played agaisnt jack miller and kyle pape there and it gets pretty intense. Also there is this one guy named jourdan that plays there almost everyday and will shoot from behind the half court line and drain it everytime and will never lose there.
June 30th, 2008 at 12:09 am
Chris,
I was going to mention 24-Hour Fitness Kapi‘olani, but kind of like Kamehameha, it’s “members only” and not open to the general public.
Besides, I never liked it there. Yes, some good players would show up, but the court is WAY too small. A halfcourt shot should not be part of any offense, but there it is well within range for some shooters.
Ball hits the wall and it’s still in play? It almost feels like playing bumper pool: not quite the real thing.
The floor always seemed to be dusty/slippery, there would be long waits for games even at 1 or 2 in the morning, guys waiting for next game have legs sticking out on the court and get in the way.
Obviously it’s a popular spot, but just not my cup of tea.
Mahalo for reading.
June 30th, 2008 at 9:17 am
U2B Baller,
I rememer Kailua Gym when I was a teenager in the mid 80’s. They had some mean games back then too! At that time, when you walked in, the makai court was for the teenagers. The mauka court was for the men. I remember Steve Pratt, and George Puou, and Bennett Cruz being there. Lyno Samana, the Satele’s. But the “man” was Dwayne Bradley. He was a heck of a player. Class of ‘85 from Kalaheo. He could ball like D-Low. He was awesome. Lost track of him after high school. Maybe someone has scoops on him!
July 3rd, 2008 at 6:13 pm
I would have to go with Kapolei. The days have changed as to when they hoop but the one day that stays the same is Sundays. We always had great games there and if Kahi reads this, Ka email me or call me man (I remeber you used to always read the paper on line). It’s the guy you gave your PBA game shorts to when I first got to the PI. Anyways, Kapolei would probably have to have the best games with Kamehameha having the best NCAA summer league mimic around. The reason I say that is because the games are open run but they are very organized. Playing with the Nakanishi’s and Kavan Scanlan, who are very cerebral. The Andersons who are pure brute strength. All of Iolani’s finest alums go there, with the exception of Derrick of course. If you want just good, pure NAIA level ball, Kamehameha’s on sundays are where its at. As for the NCAA Summer league, it’s started already. The games are on tuesdays and Sundays at Manoa rec. It’s absolutley free and I don’t know if you’ll find better hoop to watch on the island. And on one last note… Hoop Jam is back! Can’t wait to see everybody there….
July 11th, 2008 at 9:34 pm
laie park everyday espeacially during the summer when all the athletes from college comes home for the summer break from 5-pm to 8-pm. .
July 12th, 2008 at 10:06 am
Very nice article on coach Ginoza and I wish him well. You mentioned several coaches (Yonamine, Velasco. Yoshida, Kane/Kahahawai) that were instrumental for their football program. I have to say that Coach Hal Silva should always be mentioned with these coaches for his ability in starting the football dynasty at Kahuku. Coach Silva (50’s, 60’s, 70’s) believed in Kahuku and in 1956, gave up his coaching position at Iolani. In the spring of 1956, he traveled to Kahuku from Honolulu for spring training. In 1955, Kahuku placed last in ROIA football. He had a vision and believed that Kahuku had the material and potential to be a powerhouse. He with asst coach Harry Kahuanui won the football title in 1956. Ever since, Kahuku have had the tradition to be known as a contender in football and other sports. Giving up a coaching position at Iolani and accepting a position at a small country school was unbelievable. Coach Silva should always be recognized for what he started at Kahuku. For the next 20 years, Kahuku will always have the talent and material for football. Coach Silva is deserving to one the winningest coach in the OIA.