When I first moved to Bakersfield, about four years ago, I noticed the lack of indoor basketball courts around town. Yes, there are a bunch of parks with full courts, but playing in a gym is much different.

Back home in Chicago, there were gyms everywhere. I never had to search for an indoor gym. There were two down the street from my house, with another being built when I moved out here.

I used to play basketball about three-to-four days a week, but when I got here in the summer, I quickly lost the desire to play as much under the blazing-hot California sun.

I’ve gotten back into playing now and I’ve realized Bakersfield is a football town first and doesn’t care about basketball, so I just play outdoors now.

Recently, The Renegade Rip has had some staff basketball games down at a park, and although no one was great, we did have a couple of good games. Out of shape and winded much faster than I used to be, I still managed to hold my own. But then again, we did have to put on a pre-game clinic on how to play defense for some staff members. We also had players who couldn’t tell if they were on offense, or defense, but what the hell, we played on.

Not only was it a good time, it was such a good time that we decided to play on a weekly basis. So now, every Friday, we’re out at the park, shooting, stretching, and getting after it like we actually know what we’re doing.

I’ve come to realize that it isn’t just about playing basketball that we all love so much, but rather the camaraderie of being out there with your friends, working hard in the physical aspect, learning a new process, and of course winning never hurts.

Working together as a team for a common goal is a normal team concept, but when it’s park ball, you wouldn’t expect it. So far, it has been the exact opposite. But that’s the great part of getting back into it.

As far as the parks go, there are some terrible ones out there. Several double rims and tough backboards are the main problems. Some of the other problems are weather and court surfaces.

To play indoors, you would have to either get a fairly expensive membership to a gym in town or know someone who can get you in somewhere every once in a while. I don’t want to pay membership fees and things like that, and I don’t know too many people who can get me in somewhere, so I’m stuck.

In Chicago, the two places down the street from where I lived, both cost a dollar a day, or some cheap monthly fee. The local YMCAs were five bucks, and then there were a couple other places that had cheap gyms to get into as well.

It seems like Bakersfield really doesn’t want to extend and make a real effort to make basketball a part of the community. The town has built several skate park facilities, but has yet to build an indoor community center with basketball courts.

There is a reason why Chicago is the Mecca of basketball and has had several players go on to play in the NBA. From Dwyane Wade to Isiah Thomas to Robert Swift and Chris Childs.

Maybe if Bakersfield put as much effort into sports like basketball as they do for football, we might have a chance.