The SF Pro-Am Summer Basketball League began its 34th year last night with the SF City defeating South Bay 118-95. Tonight's game at 8PM at the Kezar Pavilion in San Francisco will likely have Cal players Justin Cobbs and Jabari Bird in action, as the Bay Raiders will take on the Bay City team.

The Bay Raiders, in addition to Bird and Cobbs, also have Langston Walker of OSU, and De'End Parker.

Some other players of interest in the league:

Aaron Gordon (AZ) and Robbie Lemons and Andrew Zimmerman(both Stanford) on the Bay Pride.

Desmond Simmons (UW), Dominic Artis (Oregon), John Bryant, John Tofi, Ike Ikoye are on the SF City team.

Josh Heustis and John Gage (both Stanford) on the Oakland Believers.

Tyreke Evans, and last year's MVP, Kiwi Gardner, are on the Dream Team.

Full rosters and complete schedule are available on the league website:

http://www.sanfranciscoproam.com/

While the rosters show any and all potential players for each team, quite often some of the players won't show up for games, due to other commitments. Last year, the Cal players Thurman, Cobbs, Kreklow, and Solomon did show up to play in nearly all their games, however.

Parking is not a big problem. There is plenty of parking along Kezar Drive, inside Golden Gate Park, alongside Kezar Stadium and further west. It will leave you with a walk of 1-2 blocks to the Kezar Pavilion. Playoff games start in August, and in that case, there is more attendance, so you can still park on Kezar Drive or next to the Children's Playground, with a slightly longer walk to the Pavilion.

:cheer

wow sucks that I'm not in the bay area right now. I hope someone records it

These rosters are pretty fluid early, as well. For example, Heustis doesn't seem to be listed on the Believers anymore, but Thurman and Powers are listed. Actually, there is a 7'0" Robert Truman, ex-Cal listed, but I think that is probably Thurman.

Good dates to see some matchups of interest (all games start at 8pm):

Wed, 6/19, Oakland Believers vs Dream Team
Tues, 6/25, Oakland Believers vs SF City
Fri, 7/5, Bay Raiders vs Dream Team
Mon, 7/8, Bay Raiders vs Bay Pride
Mon, 7/15, Bay Raiders vs SF City
Mon, 7/22, Oakland Believers vs Bay Pride
Wed, 7/31, Bay Raiders vs Oakland Believers

Did anyone go to the game tonight? Did Cobbs and/or Bird play?

Did the Bay Raiders win 121-91?

icecream12345;842131900 said:

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Did the Bay Raiders win 121-91?

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Yes per The Comical. They beat the Bay City. For the Bay Raider, Rob Jones scored 27pts and Jabari Bird scored 18pt.

LOUMFSG2;842131877 said:

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Did anyone go to the game tonight? Did Cobbs and/or Bird play?

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Yes, I did go to the game. Cobbs was reportedly in LA visiting family, and did not play, but Bird did play.

I had Bird with 22 points on 10 for 15 from the floor, 1-2 on threes, 1-1 on free throws, 3 rebounds, 2 assists, no turnovers, no steals, no blocks. In terms of minutes, he played about half the game, coming off the bench in each of the 4 quarters.

He had a slow first half with only 7 points, no assists, and only one rebound, uncontested, falling out of bounds. Bay City was down 22 points at halftime, and Bird did most of his damage in the second half as the game was out of reach. For the whole game, I had Bird with 5 dunks, all uncontested, either on fast breaks, or stuffed rebounds. He made one on a teammate’s airball, where he grabbed the missed shot in midair, and stuffed it. He missed one dunk badly on a rebound. He made 3 out of 5 jump shots inside the arc, and two nice floaters or one-handed jumpers in the lane. I’ll start another thread with some more detailed observations on Jabari Bird.

De’End Parker started the game, and played well, getting 8-10 points, about 5 assists, grabbed some rebounds, and played some very tough defense. If he had stuck with his commitment to Cal, he’d have a very good shot at starting for us, if he can play like that in division 1 competition. Disappointing for Cal. Ryan Wessels of SF State, played very well too, and has improved a lot from when I saw him play last year.

Kezar is in great shape. They have a new floor, which is beautiful. The lanes are painted in Cal’s Blue and Gold, with “Kezar” in big letters, and a big basketball painted in the center-jump circle. The Blue and Gold paint job is a real slap in the face to the Furd. Maybe that is why Dwight Powell and Chasson Randle are not on rosters this year, and the rumor is that Heustis may not play either. I hate to say this, but the Kezar design looks a lot better, and a lot more like a Cal facility, than the photos I’ve seen on the BI of the new floor design at Haas.

Kezar has also replaced a lot of the weak or broken lights, so the arena is well lit now, unlike last year which was like playing basketball in a dimly lit cave.

Only about 100-150 fans showed up, which is pretty pathetic. Let’s get out and support the Cal players and the League! This is not the greatest basketball, it’s playground style, but these kids play really hard, and they love to play. Every rebound, every chance to play defense, every chance to take it to the hoop, they do it with passion. It is like playing against your best friend, and wanting to beat his butt. The refs go along with this, and let the kids play. Fun to watch.

:gobears:

:bravo

Thanks, SFCB - great recap. I always make a point to get out to see at least a game or two, and this year, I am going to try to bring some family and friends with me.

SFCityBear;842131931 said:

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Kezar is in great shape. They have a new floor, which is beautiful. The lanes are painted in Cal’s Blue and Gold, with “Kezar” in big letters, and a big basketball painted in the center-jump circle. The Blue and Gold paint job is a real slap in the face to the Furd. Maybe that is why Dwight Powell and Chasson Randle are not on rosters this year, and the rumor is that Heustis may not play either.

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I suspect its World University games commitments that are keeping the Stanford guys from playing.

Huestis and Randle are going to be in Colorado next week for training camp for the US. squad.

Powell just got back from a 9-game exhibition tour of China with the Canadian team and is pretty much a lock to make the final roster for the University Games.


And Aaron Gordon made the US team or the world U19s. The tourney starts next week in the Czech Republic with camp on now. So, unless he bails (like Wiggins did for Canada), I don't think Gordon will be playing in the SF Pro-Am.

Mr. Frumble;842131968 said:

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I suspect its World University games commitments that are keeping the Stanford guys from playing.

Huestis and Randle are going to be in Colorado next week for training camp for the US. squad.

Powell just got back from a 9-game exhibition tour of China with the Canadian team and is pretty much a lock to make the final roster for the University Games.


And Aaron Gordon made the US team or the world U19s. The tourney starts next week in the Czech Republic with camp on now. So, unless he bails (like Wiggins did for Canada), I don't think Gordon will be playing in the SF Pro-Am.

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Thanks for the correction, and best of luck to the Stanford players and Aaron Gordon this summer.

Huestis didn't make the U.S. team, so maybe he joins the Believers now?


Anyone see the Believers game on Tuesday? Any observations?

Recently, some posters who have not attended games this summer have made the usual negative comments about the quality of competition in the SF Pro Am. It might be good to read some of the quotes from a few of the past Pro AM participants:

http://www.sanfranciscoproam.com/quotes.htm



While the league rosters this season do not sport the names of as many NBA players as they once did, a look through the rosters shows that every team includes players from pro leagues and division 1 programs, and there are very few players from division 2 and hardly any from high school. The overall level of competition is still pretty good. The players nearly all play very hard on both ends, in an effort to improve, and increase their chances of becoming the kind of player they dream of. There are several Cal players participating, and they would appreciate your support by coming to a game. Seeing is believing, so come on out and have a look. It is great summer entertainment for the family and fans.

:bravo

:gobears:

SFCityBear;842135802 said:

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Recently, some posters who have not attended games this summer have made the usual negative comments about the quality of competition in the SF Pro Am. It might be good to read some of the quotes from a few of the past Pro AM participants:

http://www.sanfranciscoproam.com/quotes.htm

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I'm confused, are you rebutting complaints about the current level of play with ten-year-old quotes from participants? :P

I wish I still lived close to Kezar, I used to be able to walk to games. Walked past JK once and was surprised how big a guy he was. When he was in the house it was packed to the rafters, fun times.

BearyWhite;842136609 said:

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I'm confused, are you rebutting complaints about the current level of play with ten-year-old quotes from participants? :P

I wish I still lived close to Kezar, I used to be able to walk to games. Walked past JK once and was surprised how big a guy he was. When he was in the house it was packed to the rafters, fun times.

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Sorry for the confusion. The complaints I have read were not about the current level of play, they were about the play in general over the years. I didn't read any posts that complained or were critical about the current level of play, except the one of mine which you responded to. Recent posts have complained of the quality of play even when Jason Kidd played in the League, which would have been in 1992 or so. Last year, when I wrote about some league games, was the same story posters responded by criticizing the play in the league in past years, without attending any games last year. They may not have liked the quality of play in the league even in the league's heyday when Kezar was packed. This is no recreation league. It never was, and isn't now.

Living close to Kezar must have been a good experience, no matter when. I grew up three blocks away, saw Bill Russell and KC Jones play there, and played my high school ball at Kezar. Over the years, the gym had deteriorated into a dimly lit place and the floor had deteriorated. Now there is a brand new modern floor, with the Cal colors on it, and there is new or repaired lighting. So it is a much better place to play and watch a game now. But we are only getting about 300 or 400 fans. It would be a great time for the rest of the fans to return.


:beer:

SFCityBear;842136703 said:

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Sorry for the confusion. The complaints I have read were not about the current level of play, they were about the play in general over the years. I didn’t read any posts that complained or were critical about the current level of play, except the one of mine which you responded to. Recent posts have complained of the quality of play even when Jason Kidd played in the League, which would have been in 1992 or so. Last year, when I wrote about some league games, was the same story – posters responded by criticizing the play in the league in past years, without attending any games last year. They may not have liked the quality of play in the league even in the league’s heyday when Kezar was packed. This is no recreation league. It never was, and isn’t now.

Living close to Kezar must have been a good experience, no matter when. I grew up three blocks away, saw Bill Russell and KC Jones play there, and played my high school ball at Kezar. Over the years, the gym had deteriorated into a dimly lit place and the floor had deteriorated. Now there is a brand new modern floor, with the Cal colors on it, and there is new or repaired lighting. So it is a much better place to play and watch a game now. But we are only getting about 300 or 400 fans. It would be a great time for the rest of the fans to return.


:beer:

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SF, I agree with all you said, and ever better the price is right... Sure, some years/periods, the games are more entertaining... I went when Jason Richardson just after his rookie season and winner of the NBA slam dunk contest... Also went to see Hook Mitchell play after his release from prison as he tried to play again.

With Bird now playing, may try to get to a few games ... and good to see J Lin is back playing there... (last summer, he was rehabing his knee injury)..

SFCityBear;842136703 said:

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This is no recreation league. It never was, and isn't now.

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I don't think anyone has questioned the level of competition. The quality level of the players is obviously greater than any recreation league. It is the competitiveness of the players that is in question.

I went to plenty of the sf pro-am games when I worked in the area, and I would say the players in most rec leagues have more of a desire to win (sans championship games maybe). At least in rec leagues you know who will be showing up for most games and you'll likely not play if you insist on launching 25-footers at every opportunity.

Yeah, due to the overall talent the level of play is multi-times superior to any rec league, but it isn't like it is at the level of D-1 basketball either.

According to Justin Cobbs' twitter, he played in the SF Pro Am game on the 15th?
Was anyone able to catch him in action?

An unintended feature of the SF Pro Am is that before each game, at halftime, and during all timeouts, 10-15 youngsters aged 10-12 years old hit the floor, most of them with their own basketballs, to shoot around or play some one-on-one with each other, until the referees shoo them off the court. Several of them look pretty good, and some of them are wearing Cal tee shirts or sweat shirts. Along with the couple dozen fans in the stands wearing Cal colors or Cal gear, it looks like Cal fan attendance at the Pro Am is improving.

Many young athletes decide when they are children where they would like to go to college, like Jabari Bird did, for example. It can only help Cal to attract young Bay Area athletes, when Cal athletes are visible in the Bay Area community during the summer, such as here at the SF Pro Am, representing Cal well, for the young players to see. When they see how players like Bird and Cobbs carry themselves, how they perform, how hard they play, and how they handle winning and losing, this can only have a positive effect on a young player.

:gobears: