Coach: Pickup basketball - recreational hoops at its best

They are dotted everywhere in our two communities and seen from all locations, both indoors and outdoors. The pounding of a basketball can be heard at places like the Northbrook YMCA, Our Lady of Perpetual Help in Glenview, the Park Center, the Prairie View Activity Center in Northbrook, Glenview Community Church, and outdoor courts such as Flick Park, Johns Park and Northbrook's Wood Oaks School.

And these are but a sampling of the multitude of games regularly being played; surely there are dozens more we are not even aware of.

It is almost a sport-cultish kind of thing with its own unwritten rules. (More on that in a few paragraphs.)

There have even been regular morning games featuring staff at both Glenbrook South and Glenbrook North, and probably Loyola Academy and New Trier as well.

The games can run at all hours: Mornings, evenings, lunchtime, weekdays, weekends, and include almost all ages, from junior high all the way to the still-playing seniors at 50, 60 and - dare I say - 70?

What we speak of here is best known as pickup basketball - recreational hoops at its most grounded level. Pickup basketball - the term we will use here to describe the games where groups of players get together (sometimes a regular group of friends, sometimes a random group of whoever shows up) then choose sides and just play some basketball.

No referees, no whistles blowing, no crowd watching, no coaches yelling at you, no standing around for free throws. None of that. Instead it's the free flowing up-and-down-the-court game of basketball where, I could argue, with the right group of players, in the right setting, you get an all-body physical workout better than any other sport.

Total exhaustion when done. The sweat worked up after a good game of nonstop pickup ball is sweat earned and sweat appreciated.

I almost get a kick out of top-level NBA players who need to rest during games and find it hard to play two back-to-back games in a row. Watch the pro game; the stoppages and "rest periods" during these two-hour games are constant. Commercial breaks, painfully long timeouts, referee replays, standing during free throws - these guys have more time for rest than early afternoons at a senior assisted living facility.

And they get tired? These finely conditioned athletes? Your average guy in a good game of pickup basketball gets a harder workout, I might argue. Think about it: Average Joe with the headband is running around the court for two hours, with exactly none of the aforementioned rest periods, and basically playing the entire time except for a brief water break between games.

I often tell young players who are disappointed when their high school careers come to an end that the most fun they will ever have playing basketball is still to come. There's nothing like when you get in the gym with a good group of friends and just let it fly, playing without all the distractions of fans in the stands and coaches yelling at you.

So with the above as my ode to pickup basketball, I make a few observations here about "the beautiful game." (Nope, sorry, not referring to soccer in this particular discussion.) I will break these observations down into two categories. One, is "be that guy," and two being "don't be that guy."

'Be that guy' (or gal)

"Be that guy" in pickup basketball games who shows up on time and ready to play. Be the guy who warms up a little bit before going full blast in game mode. Be the guy who is willing to play on any team when sides are chosen. Be the guy who sets screens for teammates, and willingly passes the ball to teammates - even ones just met through an introductory handshake about one minute before the game starts.

"Be the guy" who doesn't sweat the small stuff. A near travel, a close out of bounds, a little contact for a foul - let that stuff go and keep the game free flowing. Be the guy who plays hard but realizes the ultimate creed of pickup basketball is "we all have to go to work tomorrow." In other words, don't play so reckless that you can injure yourself or others.

"Be the guy" who understands it is just a game of basketball, and while competing hard understands the overall insignificance of the game in the world order of things. And be the guy who, at game's end, before leaving the gym, shakes hands and gives a quick "good game" to fellow compatriots.

Not surprisingly, the "don't be that guy" list may be longer.

'Don't be that guy' (or gal)

Don't be the guy in pickup basketball who shows up right at the start, no warmups and then immediately starts playing at full speed - often soon complaining of a pulled hamstring or strained calf.

"Don't be the guy" who has to play only with certain friends, and doesn't like the way the teams were made. Or, worse yet, helps make the teams and stacks his team with all the best players. Don't be the guy who stays on the perimeter, plays no defense whatsoever and just waits for the ball to come to them. And when they get it? They almost always shoot. Definitely don't be that guy.

"Don't be the guy" who calls "foul" on just about every contact, or sees an opponent's foot barely touching a line and instantly, and with pseudo authority, proudly calls "out." Easy on that stuff Nostradamus, and likewise for that same person who might call traveling on what would be the slightest of violations.

"Don't be the guy" who plays with such vengeance and such competitiveness as to risk injury to others. Again, "we all have to be at work tomorrow" holds true and no one needs the overexuberant rec player who throws elbows, pushes, shoves and charges into others all while playing with an unneeded, reckless abandon.

Finally, don't be the guy who just walks out of the gym not acknowledging anyone as they leave. You have been part of the community of pickup basketball players - who hopefully have bonded over the hour or two you have been playing. You almost have to have been in these games to know of the unique "inner flow" and bonding that subtly, or not-so-subtly, takes place.

So, savor those moments.

• Jon Cohn of Glenview is a coach, retired PE teacher, sports official and prep sports fan. To contact him with comments or story ideas, email jcsportsandtees@aol.com.