More than 40 incarcerated men of Islam came to San Quentin’s Basketball Gym for a day of camaraderie, spiritual fellowship, competitiveness, fun, frolicking and eating.
Before the game started, they all gathered at center court to hear West Block’s Harun Taylor lead the Opening Prayer as Muslims from around the prison joined in a circle to recite the Islamic Opening Prayer together.
The brothers divided into two teams. Amir Shabazz coached Nur (way of light); Thomas Holmes coached the winning team, Haqq (way of truth). The score: 40-37.
“It wasn’t about winning or losing; it’s about brothers, greeting brothers,” said Rahsaan Thomas of North Block.
However, after the basketball was tossed up to start the game and the adrenaline released into their blood stream, camaraderie temporally ceased to exist and the competitiveness of the game took over.
Askari Johnson from North Block, who was the leading scorer on Haqq with 10 points, 2 rebounds, 1 assist and 1 steal, got off to a fast start. However, he went cold in the second half.
Carl Bibbs from West Block showed a real passion for the game despite the fact that he scored only 7 points. He had four assists, stole the basketball from opposing players once and committed 2 fouls. His free throw was the 40th point, where the game ended.
West Block’s big man David Bennett kept Nur from running fast breaks by dominating the backboards on both ends of the court. Even though he scored only 2 points, Bennett was the leading rebounder on Haqq with 7. He had 1 steal, 1 blocked shot and committed 3 fouls.
Antoine Brown from West Block played an all-around excellent game. He scored 6 points with 3 rebounds, but his intimidating defense kept Haqq in the lead throughout the first and second half.
Jerry Gearin from West Block came off the bench late in the first half, and his tenacity for the basketball kept Nur from taking over the lead. His 6 points and 2 rebounds set the stage for the victory.
Rafeal ”Nephew” Bankston demonstrated a lot of class when he came off the bench for Haqq with fire and desire to get into the flow of the basketball game. He quickly scored 4 points and grabbed 3 rebounds in the second half.
West Block’s Robbie Robbins demonstrated his patience and knowledge of the game as he maneuvered his Haqq teammates into various shooting positions and gave them the basketball. He had 2 points, 2 assists, 2 rebounds and 3 fouls.
Zaid Nicksolson from West Block was not going to let Nur fall too far behind in the game. He took control of the basketball and led all scorers with 20 points, 12 rebounds. He had 1 steal with 2 fouls.
Nicksolson’s teammate, point guard Taalib Batten from West Block, ran up and down the court with quick reactions to the basketball on both ends of the floor. He finished the game with 2 points, 4 rebounds and 2 steals.
Adnan Khan from North Block kept his eyes on the rim throughout the game. He scored 5 points, had 2 rebounds, 2 assists and 1 steal and committed 2 fouls.
Dawud Irby from North Block played a well-balanced game on both ends of the court. He scored 4 points, and kept the opposing team from fast-breaking several times. Irby grabbed 5 rebounds and had 1 turnover that led to the other team scoring.
North Block’s Thomas’ 2 points were the highlight of the game. After making a 17-footer from the left corner of the court, he leaped six feet off the floor and shouted with such enthusiasm that his losing team thought he won the game.
Cory Woods from North Block played such a quiet basketball game, his teammates never realized he scored 3 points with 4 rebounds and committed 2 fouls.
North Block’s Justus Evans demonstrated his passionate love of basketball. He simply enjoyed being in the game. His good spirit resonated as he ran up and down the floor and grabbed 2 rebounds for Nur.
West Block’s Anthony Smith dominated the backboards on both ends of the court. He forced Haqq to alter several key shots with his intimidating inside play, causing his opponents to miss shots. He grabbed 7 rebounds and scored 2 points for the losing team.
Morceli Abdel, Mustafa Espinosa of Nur and Marcus Henderson from West Block of Haqq, entered the game late in the second half and chased the ball as it bounced and rolled around on the court. They kept up with the fast pace of the game as shot after shot was attempted at both ends.
