The off-season is a time for reflection and healing for an athlete’s mind and body. Municipalities use the time to repair their facilities. This is not the case for San Quentin Rehabilitation Center’s basketball court.

The court, home of the SQ Warriors, is located on the Lower Yard and remains in disrepair during its off-season.

Media, visitors, and outside sports teams, including the Golden State Warriors, come to play basketball and bring hope to the residents.

Yet, as the SQ Kings and SQ Warriors plan try-outs and engage in pre-season practices, the question remains: how much longer will the basketball court remain playable?

The year 2026 may be the year that the SQ sporting community considers. For the safety of all players on the court, residents in the sports community discussed asking the GS Warriors to stay away due in part because of the substantial upgrade needed. During light sprinkles, a person can see puddles, dips, and holes in the court.

“It’s not really playable because of the cracks and divots, and the surface closest to The Last Mile building is very slippery,” said SQ Warrior Charles “Pookie” Sylvester.

The court was used infrequently for over a year, following an application of a coat of light gray substrate. Incarcerated workers tried to improve the surface by laying a level application of Quik-Crete before topping the court off with blue epoxy paint two seasons ago.

“It was supposed to be great but now it’s horrible,” said SQ Warrior leader Keyshawn “Steez” Strickland.

San Quentin basketball players and volunteers practice and compete against supporters who travel hundreds of miles each year to sustain the legacy of the prison basketball league.

Some outside teams play in San Quentin’s dimly lit gym, but that venue cannot come close to holding the fans that attend the prison’s outdoor Golden State Warrior events.

On the Lower Yard, the Field of Dreams is the oldest baseball field in the nation, even older than Rickwood Field in Birmingham, Alabama.

Incarcerated athletes from the SQ Giants, The Hard Timers, the All-In Flag Football League and SQ’s soccer team, all brave the dried-out, uneven playing field. The field is bordered by a dirt track embedded with rock and granite, the remains of past construction projects.

“The 49ers, Giants, and Warriors, who we are blessed to have an association with, can hopefully contribute to make our facility safer,” said Warrior coach Jeremiah “JB” Brown. 

The Warriors and Giants organizations allow their office staff, as well as players trying to make the team and their coaches, to play on the San Quentin facilities.

SQ Warrior Alonzo Craft asked rhetorically, “Why don’t they make the basketball court grippy like the tennis court?”

With a quarter-billion dollars invested in re-imagining San Quentin, Brown said that the state can develop a private-public venture with supportive area sports teams that witness the value of the friendly competition among residents, volunteers, and inside staff.