Pro basketball executive Kirk Lacob showed his skills on the San Quentin court, helping Christian Ministry to victories over the S.Q. Warriors and Kings. The Green Team defeated the Warriors, 86-82, and the Kings, 63-56.
Lacob is Golden State’s assistant general manager and son of the team’s owner. He returned to San Quentin to play in a Christian Sports Ministries doubleheader June 21.
It was Lacob’s first time in with the Green Team this year. “It’s good to be back,” said Lacob, who loves playing basketball in San Quentin. Last year he came the day before Father’s Day with his brothers and their father, Joe Lacob. They won the game for their dad.
“Ben Draa brought me in, and I’ve kept coming back. It’s fun playing basketball with family and guys who love basketball. I can’t think of anything better to do,” said Lacob.
In the Kings game, the Green Team overcame a 16-9 deficit in the first quarter to take the lead in the second and never looked back.
Ross Pusey’s hot shooting and Lacob’s gritty play led them to victory. Pusey got hot from three-point land, making six of eight. He finished with 24 points, six steals, four rebounds and two assists. Pusey played for San Jose City College under Speed City coach Percy Carr.
Lacob played tough, getting up from the ground seven times in both games. “I dived on some of those. Yo, it hurt; the ground is hard,” joked Lacob. He was his team’s second leading scorer with 14 points, four steals, three assists and one rebound.
“That’s just a regular prison foul. Clotheslines are legal in prison,” joked S.Q. play-by-play announcer Aaron Taylor as Lacob was fouled going for a layup.
“It was my coaching strategy that won the game; don’t put me in,” clowned Green Team coach/player Draa, who limited his own minutes. They beat the Kings without the Claremont-McKenna Connection: Chris Blees, an All-American in his college days; Patrick Lacey; and Matt Richardson. They only played in the Warriors game.
In the game against the S.Q. Warriors, the Green Team came back from being down 51-31 at the half that ended with a buzzer-beater from three-point land hit by Warrior Harry “ATL” Smith. The Warriors came out with great energy and got off to an early jump. The 5-foot-11 S.Q. Warrior DuPriest Brown ignited the crowd and his team by grabbing a rebound from above the rim then jamming it down.
“He posterized ‘Low Post’ Lacey,” said Taylor.
Then the Green Team changed its defensive scheme. “Pack in the zone. They have no shooters,” said Pusey in a huddle.
Blees led the Green Team’s comeback. He finished with 30 points and 10 rebounds, an assist and two steals. Lacob added seven points.
However, it was Richardson who stole the game from the Warriors. With the Green Team up 83-82 on a reverse layup hit by Ben Ilegbodu, the Warriors were inbounding the ball when Richardson stole it with 1:31 left on the clock.
With the score stuck on 83-82, the Green Team with the ball and 24 seconds left, the Warriors intentionally fouled Ilegbodu. He missed both free throws.
Brown missed a layup at the rim with seven seconds left, and Blees snatched the rebound. Blees was fouled intentionally to stop the clock and hit one of two attempts, making the score 84-82.
Warrior Allan McIntosh made a lazy inbound pass that Richardson stole and immediately passed to Antoine “Mad Max” Maddox, who slam-dunked the ball. That torpedoed the Warriors’ chances of coming back. Richardson finished with 11 points, three rebounds, five assists and five steals. Maddox added 15 points, five rebounds, an assist, a steal and a block.
“I look at the eyes. Then I give them enough space to think they have something. Then I pounce,” said Richardson about his ability to make timely steals.
“We lost the game on turnovers and no defense. We’re going to have to learn to play defense both halves,” said Warriors coach Daniel Wright.
“It was a coaching victory. I let them coach themselves the first half. Second half, I coached,” joked Epling.
Despite losing, three Warriors had double-doubles. Smith scored 26 with 13 boards, McIntosh added 17 and 10 and Ammons had 13 and 10.
A couple of San Quentin residents heckled Lacob during his return to San Quentin about firing Mark Jackson.
“You messed up and fired Mark Jackson. Now all Golden State fans across the world are going to be sad because of you,” heckled inmate Ceasar “C-Money” McDowell, who is a huge S.Q. Warriors fan.
Kirk Lacob handled the comment well. “You guys told me to fire him,” he joked, referring to when Lacob brought Jackson into San Quentin, among others, to play basketball and give encouraging words. The S.Q. Warriors fans teased Jackson then. The G.S. Warriors organization defeated the S.Q. Warriors 134-119 in the Sept. 20 game.
Pusey gave his testimony during halftime in both games. He spoke of growing up poor and finally giving God a chance.
“I’d rather play here than get wins for some coach. This is the game that matters — sowing seeds for God’s kingdom and showing brotherly love,” said Pusey after the game.
