Gano Park

When Providence finally reaches 55 degrees, it comes to life. Lights, double rims, rough pavement, and music. The long winter is ceasing, and outdoor pick-up basketball is returning to Providence's Gano Park. The windy courts located right by the water provide a perfect hooping sanctuary for those not wanting to drop $30 a month to play at the few shitty indoor courts around the city. The court's veterans are the first to return, running 2’s, 3’s, and the occasional lucky 4’s. The basketball runs heat up with the weather, and July 4th weekend showcases a perfect microcosm of the park's culture: Basketball and Music. As soon as the sun goes down, masses of hoopers pull up accompanied by a Bose speaker the size of a mini fridge and one brave soul ready to man the aux with everything from old-school Al Green to modern rap hits by Lil baby. The music acts as almost a soundtrack to the 5-on-5 pick-up games that run from 7 pm through midnight..on an average day. It even fuels the competition level, copious foul arguments, and rare fist fights that accompany any good pick-up game. I’ve seen damn near everything at that court, from fathers coaching their sons all the way to a real-life machete being pulled on me when I called a “pussy ass white boy” foul. The interesting part is the music is as essential as the basketball. I’ve seen guys manning aux get quite literally booed off by 40 people until they shamefully relinquish their duties. Needless to say, the stakes are high. So many people show up that the group you decide to run with better be good enough to win at least one game, because if not, you’re done for the night (unless you want to wait an hour and fight with at least four groups that just arrived but claim they’ve “hAd nExt" for 45 minutes). Despite its faults, Gano park is one of the best (and only) places to play high-intensity basketball while listening to deep-cut rap music from every era. Most importantly, Gano provides a view into the unique culture of Providence and brings community members from every corner onto the same playing field to bump, argue, roast, and most importantly… hoop.