How Culture Effects the Courts

An in depth look at how regional dynamics are expressed in pick up games

Photo by Tom Briskey on Unsplash

There are no unified rule sets in pickup basketball. No consistent effort thresholds, no widespread offensive sets, no unanimously understood defensive principles. Depending on where you play and who you play against, you may find yourself in the midst of a heated, contentious back-and-forth affair or a casual game that nearly resembles a structured shootaround.

The game is beholden to its setting. The details and nuances are decided by the investment of the players and the material of the court. Thanks to a scheduled road trip, I had the opportunity to explore these differences in two entirely oppositional basketball landscapes: Bend, Oregon, and Vacaville, California.

The Basketball Scene in Bend

We'll begin with my experiences in Bend, Oregon. A bit of background for those unfamiliar, Bend is a medium-sized city that seems to be growing by the second, with an entrenched identity centered around hiking, skiing, floating down the river, and just about any other outdoor activity you can name. Sports are a part of the culture here, but they’re a faint echo in the background of a thriving alpine community.

I was lucky enough to find a five-on-five pickup game at a local gym. After enduring the rite of passage that is waiting on the sideline for the current game to end, I was able to step onto the court and experience my first taste of Bend basketball.

Two things jumped out immediately.

The first was the friendly energy. There was effort, well-intentioned closeouts and even the occasional boxout, but there was no semblance of trash talk. No loud eruptions after a highlight play, no casual jabs after an egregious miss. In fact, quite the opposite. There were congratulatory sentiments after an opponent made a tough shot, cordial high-fives between teams after particularly impressive moves or well-orchestrated possessions.

The second was the passing. There weren’t any playmaking savants doing Nikola Jokić impressions, but the ball was almost always in motion. It didn’t stop for size-ups, isolations, or even pick-and-rolls. Everyone was touching it, and everyone was swinging it almost as soon as they did.

It was clear from the outset that this wasn’t a competitive affair. It wasn’t cutthroat or contentious, in fact, it didn’t seem to be primarily about basketball. The game was secondary; this was, first and foremost, a friendly and collective form of exercise.

"I guess if a team's waiting and the winner stays on, it's important... kind of. Otherwise, not really. It’s just a way to have fun with your friends," said local player Carson Capell when asked about the atmosphere surrounding the games.

The Intensity of the Bay Area

My experience in the Bay couldn’t have been more different.

Once again, I found a five-on-five game at a local gym, but this time, it wouldn’t be as simple as just waiting. Instead, finding a team with an open spot in the unofficial queue proved to be an odyssey in its own right. Thankfully, I eventually settled in with a group, and our turn finally rolled around.

The moment I stepped onto the court, the differences were apparent. Players were down in full defensive stances, fast breaks sparked in an instant, and jostling was routine. It wasn’t Game 7 of the NBA Finals, but something was undeniably at stake. There was a level of pride, a clear battle of reputations. The local regulars understood that these games weren’t isolated, what happened here would carry over to the next night, and the night after that. Every game was a brick in the monument each player was building to their own skills and understanding of the game. It mattered here, even if there was no league, even if there were no standings.

That said, the score wasn’t imperative. It was the little battles, the wing isolations that popped up with regularity, the full-court press attempts that wielded ball pressure as a weapon. The one-on-one wars defined the mood. At the end of the day, the teams changed nightly, but the performances stuck with each player.

"We don't really remember scores here, and the teams change constantly. But we remember the guys that are good, and they make us remember with great plays. So winning is whatever, but a great game for myself is what I’m really after," said Joey Iten, a local regular.

Frankly, it made sense. Basketball isn’t just a game in the Bay Area, it is the game. A social metric, a conversational outlet. While in Bend, people bond over hiking and paddleboarding, in Northern California, they come together over basketball. Here, your skills say something about you.

Two Different Worlds, Same Love for the Game

This piece isn’t meant to be a comparison. Neither experience was better than the other. The real point is that they were distinctly different. One was an ode to the game itself, a love letter to basketball as an outlet and a community builder. The other was a spotlight on friendships, on what a casual Sunday could look like, and how quickly camaraderie can form.

Not everyone takes the same things from the game because not everyone is looking for the same things. But there aren’t many prisms like this, few activities can provide some with the competitive fulfillment they crave and others with the casual, collaborative exercise they seek.

If you aren’t a fan, maybe basketball just isn’t for you. Or maybe you just haven’t found the right group of like-minded individuals to have fun with, just a ball and a hoop.