On March 25, the San Quentin Kings donned new “unis” as they opened their season playing SQRC’s archrival team Town Boogie. The jerseys presented to each player on their chair would be the last gift the King’s received all day.
Town Boogie led by Geoffrey “Free” Gary destroyed the San Quentin Warriors during their opener the (day/week) before, beating the SQ Warriors by 20 points.
The Kings’ sneakers squeaked during the traditional warmups that included layups and mid-range shots, as team Town Boogie strutted in the gym fresh off the pounding they gave to the SQ Warriors. The fans loved their impactful, cocky entrance and gave them a warm reception as they have been accepted as a vital part of the athletic community at SQRC; a part that volunteers love and support for the Basketball program.
Town Boogie warmed up for the game as the Kings huddled up, inspiring each other to outdo the Warriors who lost their opener to the same team.
The SQ Warriors sat as a large part of the fan base that was there to cheer on the Kings as electricity filled the air. Excitement was running high in anticipation of ending SQ Basketball’s losing streak.
Head referee Ishmael gathered the players at center court amid a thunderous applause, and to the surprise of all in attendance, the Kings suited up in their retro “unis” of their traditional white, gray, and gold, embossed with a silkscreen crown on the front.
Town Boogie, in black and white “unis” won the tip, moved the ball up the court as they broke down the Kings’ defense and started the scoring as the ball snapped the bottom of the net. On the Kings’ trip down the court, Town Boogie stole the ball and dropped two free throws to set the tone for the first half.
Town Boogie owned the boards and systematically broke down the Kings’ defense throughout the first half, while taking a commanding 44-31 lead at half-time.
During half-time, both teams went to the mid-court and circled up as everyone in the gym joined in clapping in sync to raise the roof.
As the second-half got under way, the Kings picked up a little steam with back-toback three pointers by Bird and Lanzo, who took more control of the court.
Unfortunately, the Kings’ front court failed to box out Town Boogie’s two big men as the visiting team dominated down low. Town Boogie’s second chance points and uncontested layups allowed Town Boogie to pull away for good as the Kings’ took a loss that made the SQ Warriors look like a close game; TTown Boogie won with a final score of 93-64.
As the SQ Kings humbly took their defeat, both of the teams celebrated.
“I’ve played against ‘Free’ when he played for team Bitterman,” said SQ Kings Assistant Coach Jamal ‘Mal’ Harison. “He is an intelligent coach and player and I’ve learned a lot from him over the years.”
Harrison said he expected his team to come out with the jitters, but he thought as soon as they got into the flow of the game everything would be alright.
“This is one of the most powerful Basket Ball experiences I’ve ever had,” said Troy #21 for Town Boogie. This is his fifth time coming in to play and he is looking forward to coming back.
He said it’s different playing in here because no matter what, the guys in here are not going to back down from the challenge, in here size don’t matter.
Fellow Town Boogie stand out #0 Hathman, said it’s the physicality in here that makes it different from playing on the outside and that’s one of the reasons he will keep coming back.
“Scratch whatever ideologies and or beliefs that you have, come in and see for yourselves… Yes, it’s prison, but it’s not what the movies paint it out to be, it’s a complete 180,” Hathman added.
The Kings suited 10 players for the game and all got playing time, but the size and speed of the visitors proved to much to overcome.
“I can see the growth of the Kings this year, in the past whenever they were hit by adversity they would bicker and argue, this year was different they kept playing and showed great sportsmanship,” said Coach “Free” for Town Boogie.
He fully expects the Kings to get better the more they play together, noting a lot of new faces to the team. Town Boogie have been playing together for two years, so the chemistry showed on the court.
“First of all I miss Bryant, he has been the heart and soul of this program for so long. This game wasn’t a fair fight, we brought young guys in.” “Free” said.
