Lot’s changed in the last two months. I went to the Philippines for my brothers wedding and the move to Sydney. People from Melbourne are now wondering why I would move to Sydney. Well I got a great job here at Glue Store (a fashion brand) as the Head of Digital.
If you have been a long time follow of this blog you’d know that I travel quite a lot and when I get to a new city that the first thing I do is find out where the basketball games are. Best way of meeting people and playing the game that I love.
First taste of pickup basketball in Sydney
Luckily for me it wasn’t much effort to find a place to ball in Sydney. Turns out that 5 minutes walk away from my office is the King George V (KGV) recreation center. I stumbled upon this on a Friday night when I was exploring the surrounding area and saw a group of American’s playing ball.
Since first seeing the pickup basketball game in at KGV those months ago I have since made a load of basketball friends and even been asked to join a few teams. As of the Thursday past have officially joined a team in the KGV basketball league.
Facilities and talent and the pickup games
KGV is council run and have multiple recreations centers around Sydney CBD. The one I regularly go to is at The Rocks. It’s got two full length basketball court with a small amount of seating capacity. Basketball competitions are run every night.
Best part about the recreation center is the fact that it’s available early in the morning for casual shoot arounds. There are days in the morning that full court pickup games take place too. I have been attending these on the regular; however I struggle to make the 6am kick off. I usually walk in at around 715am.
First organised basketball game in Sydney
This Thursday past was the first time I played an organised basketball game in Sydney. It was domestic but it was still good to get up and down in a game. I was asked to come play by a guy that I teamed up with on the weekend for a pickup game. We got talking and eventually we traded phone numbers under the premise that I will be contacted if needed to fill in for a few games.
My first game was pretty embarrassing! I could not hit a shot and I probably took around 10 to 15 shots. I did score 2 points though from the free throw line. Shocking! However I was getting good looks, I just had a shocking night. Even though I sucked so bad I was asked by the guys to join the team on a permanent basis. I jumped at the idea! Really looking forward to playing a season of basketball.
Quality of the pickup basketball in Sydney
It’s hard for me to tell you exactly what the quality is like here but if I base it on the quality I have seen at KGV The Rocks I can say that it’s not bad. Friday nights is definitely better than Pakenham on the weekends. Speaking to Bruce Bolden a few weeks ago (NBL legend) he likened the competition to the old Albert Park runs. Now I am old enough to remember them but I believe the talent those days was a lot better than what I am seeing here at the Friday pickup basketball games.
By far Friday night has the best talent but the only problem is that everyone is a ball hog. Too much one shot offences and I found myself hardly touching the ball. I have since stop going and only going in the mornings and weekends. The talent isn’t as good but the team aspect of basketball is there to be enjoyed.
Why I love the game of basketball
On an unrelated note, I need to step back a bit and appreciate what basketball has given me. I move to a city where I only know 3 people but I am able to grow that within months due to basketball. Just by playing pick up.
Now that I am ticking over to my third month in Sydney I intend to explore the sites a little bit more. Getting into a groove at work will help that. There are a few more places in Sydney where I will have to get some pickup basketball in. Like Prince Alfred Park outdoor basketball courts, University of NSW and the local Ultimo KGV recreation centre rooftop basketball courts.
Sydney has proven to be a great place to settle down, even more so now that I have made friends through basketball. As I have said this many times in previous articles. I do love this game of basketball, it has opened opportunities for me all around the world.
See you on the court!
Anthony
