Moose Jaw's Best BBall Courts - North Side Edition
Second in a three part series
By Nick Murray
I have a dream.
In the dream, each outdoor basketball court in the city has a group of kids that spend their free time there; running drills, drinking Faygo, shooting free throws, playing bump and 3v3. The basketball courts essentially become what the skate park has become; only the kids hanging out there actually play basketball once in a while, they don’t curse in front of small children, don’t pick fights with strangers and don’t vape. Plus, they clean up after themselves. My dream is a healthier alternative.
Every so often, kids from one of the ball courts would travel to another court and challenge the kids there to a game. An endless campaign of visitors challenging home teams would thrive. The Lil Lionz from Lindale mixing it up with Sunningdale’s Grizz Squad. The St Mary Mashers riding their bikes to challenge the Smith Park Savages. It’s a nice dream. The heated rivalry between the King George Kobe’s and the St. Michael Jordans.
Who knows, maybe if Moose Jaw had a really great Basketball culture, where my dream was closer to reality, this little city could start turning out college talent and maybe even a future pro. The sky is the limit.
But, at this stage, my dream is a long way from reality. Some of these courts do see some weekend action but we are a long way off from any sort of regular impromptu basketball club showdowns.
If you’re looking start some basketball pickup of your own, I’ve done the legwork for you, had a workout at each outdoor court in the city and ranked in accordance with their functionality.
If you’d like to check out my take on South Hill’s courts click here.
Now let’s delve into the North Side.
The Best - Lindale School
Oh man, Lindale has a nice set-up. The kids that go to that school must really appreciate it.
Lindale School’s basketball courts are top notch on North Hill - photo by Nick Murray
Eight nets, organized so you could potentially run four full court games at once. That is if you can get over not having a three-point line as the courts are short and narrow. At my age; short, narrow and no three-point line is a blessing because getting back on defence gets tough and most guys I know have no business shooting from behind the arc anyways.
Each hoop is adorned by pearly white mesh, which means that some upkeep has been maintained.
A great draw with playing at Lindale is that the courts are in a neat little cage so you feel like you’re playing in a big city court like you see in the movies. Like He Got Game meets White Men Can’t Jump. Plus cages rein in a lot of funky shots so you don’t spend half your time walking down balls.
However, like many of the other courts in town, it could use a little attention from a broom.
Also The Best - St. Michael School
St Michael’s basketball courts are top notch on North Hill - photo by Nick Murray
I realize I’ve placed Lindale higher than St. Mike’s on this list but I’d like it to be known that it’s actually a tie. St. Mike’s setup is every bit as good as Lindale’s is. Where Lindale comes up short (being too slim for a three-point game, in need of a sweep) St. Mike’s excels and in places where St. Mikes struggles (no cage; only two courts) Lindale picks up the slack. The two courts are completely different but they’re also the best two in the North End, hands down.
It’s got a levelled, clean and well maintained court. Somebody ought to give the Janitor there a raise; the place looks fantastic. Two decently sized “full courts”. Four nets, each with sparkly new mesh and a freshly painted wood backboard. Add to that the double-rims seem the slightest bit wider than normal so it makes a guy think he’s a real sharp shooter. St. Mike’s is definitely a shooters court.
There is also a sitting area for breaks between games and a wonderful little playground nearby so you can drop your kids off while you work out and they won’t wander too far.
Middle of the Pack
King George School
Home of the Cougars.
King George School is a majestic piece of architecture. Playing basketball in front of this building is just one of many things every Moose Javian should experience. It’s woven into the fabric of what it means to live here. What with the flag rustling in the breeze and the trees and the adorable little fence that corrals the rebounds you missed and prevents them from rolling into traffic. That concrete block overlooking the walkway dividing the two courts like Moses splitting the Red Sea.
Just look at it. It’s beautiful.
King George School’s basketball courts are where the cool kids hang out - photo by Nick Murray
The nets might not have any mesh, the rims might be too tight, the backboards might be too unforgiving and the ground may be incredibly slanted but it feels good to play there and when cars drive by you can bet your bottom dollar the people inside them wish they were as cool as the kids on the courts are.
Sunningdale Elementary School.
Welcome to Grizzly Town.
Sunningdale has two basketball playing areas. The court on the south end of the school has two nets, decent for half court but I can dunk both of them so I’m pretty sure they’re designed for small kids to horse around on. You can’t get a full court game on the south end and the ground is in bad shape but if you want to improve your vertical you might as well go where you can reach the rim; it forces you to jump more.
If you’re in search a court in which games can be played at then you’ll have to venture around back, to the schools north end. Back there you’ll find yourself shielded by the Football fields and the teacher’s parking lot and surrounded by seven different basketball hoops arranged so that three games can be played at once. The nets are a bit weather-worn but entirely serviceable. Some of them have chain mesh and some don’t. Some seem to have had chain meshing at one point but what’s left looks more like just chain strings dangling from rims.
The asphalt is relatively tidy and there is sitting area nearby.
It’s not Madison Square Garden but I see no reason why the neighbourhood kids couldn’t use it for games and have a lot of fun doing so.
Parker Squires, posing for a pic, after working on his layup - photo by Nick Murray
Palliser Heights
Palliser Heights has this really great seating area right next to the courts. It’s a handsome gazebo with a bunch of picnic tables beneath it. This is a real winning touch for the school. It seems some of the neighbourhood kids have caught on to this too because on the day I went to do my workout there there was a group of old kids and young teenagers hanging around, some of them were shooting a ball around while others were drinking Big Gulps and just having a good time on the sidelines. That’s what I want to see at every court.
There are eight nets at Palliser Heights of various age, height and quality. Most of them are getting a little long in the tooth but they’re dependable enough. Some had mesh, others didn’t. The ground was in decent condition.
You might have one problem running full court games here though. The baskets on the north end of the court are precariously close to windows.
But if I’m to be frank here, aside from the great sitting area, nothing about the courts at Palliser Heights holds a candle to what they’ve got just down the street at St. Mike’s.
A young fellow taking a breather between shoot-arounds at Palliser Heights - photo by Nick Murray
St. Agnes School
This Catholic school on Oxford Street has two full length courts. Actually they may even be longer than full-length courts. They’re really long. They’re also narrow, So you can only really utilize a perimeter game on one side of the net. That goes for both courts.
The northern-most court is in better condition as the southern-most court is plagued by twisted and tilted backboards. But even if that weren’t the case you’d be silly to start a game on the southern-most court because the ground slopes downhill and over embankments once you step off the court. That means you’ll be chasing a lot of balls a lot further than you want to if you play there.
If you want courts that are lengthy check out St Agnes School - photo by Nick Murray
As an aside, they’ve got a pair of smaller nets; perfect for locating that inner Antetokounmpo. They’re mostly designed for smaller kids but adults wanna dunk, don’t kid yourself. Dunk-sized nets are a selling feature and these ones are in pretty decent condition too.
Both courts are a bit messy with stones and pebbles and dirt but the yard at St. Agnes has three separate playgrounds, all three of which are built into stone pits, so I can imagine keeping stones off the court would be a never-ending battle.
The Worst - William Grayson
William Grayson has to come in last here for the simple fact that the basketball courts were built on a hill that kids use for tobogganing. Who wants to climb a large hill every time a ball goes out of bounds?
Add to that the backboards and nets (six of them) are in rough shape and the concrete is severely sloped and you’ve got yourself a fatally bad recipe for Basketball success.
But hey, they can’t all be great.
Stay tuned. I’ll be covering the courts in the East End next.
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