Phoenix / Scottsdale

I found myself in Phoenix, Arizona, and between a quick visit to the Grand Canyon and eating tacos, I just had to find time to play some basketball. Unfortunately, I sadly report to you that I did not get to play basketball in the Grand Canyon as there were no basketball courts in sight. Though, I did see my first sighting of snow while driving there…

Once back in the greater Phoenix Area, I had the luxury to stay at The Phoenician, A LUXURY COLLECTION RESORT, SCOTTSDALE, which boasted a basketball court that is ‘great for a pickup game, or to work on your shot.’ 

Excited that I wouldn’t have to put any effort in my pickup basketball search, I ran straight to the courts mid-day immediately after checking in. Halfway while running to the courts, I almost melted as the sun gave me immediate skin cancer. When I got there, it was just over 100 degrees and I took 1 shot before essentially ‘nopeing’ right back into an air conditioned room.

Disappointed that I now actually had to do some research, I stumbled on a facebook group Phoenix Pickup basketball that was actually somewhat active. There were almost daily posts but the only opportunity for organized pickup basketball seemed to be on Sundays. Unfortunately for me, I never overlapped on a Sunday to try it out. But if you are just starting out in the greater Phoenix area, check out this page and let me know how the Sunday pickup goes!

My week in Phoenix was actually extremely packed and I was getting afraid that I would miss a chance to play pickup basketball. On the last day of my travels, I found a one hour slot between a steak dinner and a party where I hungout* with a Kardashian, I googled the closest basketball court and drove straight there in hopes there would be people playing pickup. 

*stalked

I found myself at Indian School Park (4289 N Hayden Rd, Scottsdale, AZ 85251), which I have to say, was a very nice park with lots of athletic facilities, including a baseball field, tennis courts and of course, basketball courts. Parking may be a bit difficult as there wasn’t really a parking lot near the basketball courts, so be warned that you may need to find street parking. 

When arriving at the basketball courts, you will be greeted with two very large, very long basketball courts. 1 court had a full court game running, while the other court had one half court game and one hoop where people just shot on.

I immediately went to find out who had next in the full court games, and fortuitously, a team that was waiting needed one and I immediately had next for full. I did get a chance to talk to some of the guys playing half and they mentioned that they would never play full court because the courts were just way too long and be warned again, these courts were exceptionally long, so do not play full if your endurance is not the greatest or hate lazy players because ‘there will be cherry pickers’. 

As for the courts, they were very well maintained and had clearly drawn lines for pretty much all the basketball lines. The rims, nets and backboards were a bit clunky as they were double rims, double chain nets and metal backboards. Guess they had to make sure they didn’t break so people could play basketball year-round! There were also lights in the evening time, which is probably the optimal time to play as no one would realistically play in the sizzling heat during the day. 

As for the full court game, games were played to 15 by 1 and 2’s, and I found it peculiar that it was win by 2. Almost all other places I've played at played it straight up. Unfortunately for my team, we lost on a banked 2-pointer after being tied at 14s. I did find it interesting that the players who played full were generally on the ‘younger’ side as they were throwing out gen z terminology like ‘bet’ or ‘1000’ in every sentence they spoke. 

Conclusion

When starting out in Phoenix, I would recommend checking out the facebook group to see if you can join the Sunday group. Outside of that, I only visited this one court, and I think it’s a very good court to start out at and meet people. They had players of all ranges and skill sets so I’m sure you’ll find a good group to meet!