The Panhandle - San Francisco

[Photo Gallery: The Panhandle 9 photo's of 3 on 3 pickup games (San Francisco - April 2006)]

I am told the best streetball in San Francisco is in Oakland.

Unfortunately I am not allowed to go to Oakland because they will kill me.

Apparently there is a turf war going on between rival gangs (African Americans versus Hispanics) and any non-gang members are routinely killed on sight.

That's real dissapointing, however I was directed to the Panhandle as a substitue location where I was promptly elbowed solidly in the eye by a big hack (probably an Ostertag fan). Seriously, the talent here was terrible when I arrived at around 6pm on a Sunday: no full court runs, no understanding of the 'travelling' footwork and a foul first, show how bad your offense is later game philosophy.

Maybe I got unlucky (I am told it gets really good here and I turned up at the wrong time), but seriously, I got better pickup on the way to San Fran on a court in the middle of nowhere in Truckee near Lake Tahoe.

If you want to get to the Panhandle, catch the 5 bus from Market st to Masonic Ave & walk two blocks down.

The Panhandle Streetball Information:
Court Location: "The Panhandle" - 1702 Oak St, San Francisco, California 94117
Courts: 1 full, 2 half
Runs: 3 on 3 half-court
Best Time for Runs: Weekends, 4:30pm onwards