What a thrill! Ten fourth grade girls–Pleasanton’s CCOP CYO team #4013–had a once-in-a-lifetime chance to shoot hoops on the very court used by the Golden State Warriors. Their assistant coach, Bob Zollars, had an inside track for securing the unique experience. His son, Danny Zollars is the Warriors’ Game Operations Manager.
Just before the Warriors took on the Dallas mavericks Jan. 25, 10 excited girls walked out on the court and split up into teams of five. At 6 p.m., they’d arrived at the Coliseum and were escorted to the floor entrance. There, they waited for the Mavericks and Warriors to finish initial pre-game shooting warm-ups.
As the Mavericks exited the floor, each passed through the tunnel where the girls were waiting. Mavericks’ forward, Jerry Stackhouse, stopped for a few seconds to wish the girls good luck. Finally, the last player left the court and the game was on.
The 10 girls ran out to center court with wide smiles for a 5-on-5 intra-team 12-minute scrimmage. Danny Zollars arranged to have the Warriors’ announcer introduce the players and broadcast the game over the loudspeaker. A few thousand early-arriving fans cheered loudly as the girls made good plays and scored baskets. All 10 team members managed to get at least one shot off during the game and six girls scored at least one basket.
The girls also displayed a tough one-on-one defense during the scrimmage. One of the Warriors officials watching the game commented that he “wished the Warriors played as well defensively.”
Toward the end of the game, the girls became aware of their pictures on the big screen and started waving to the cameras.
Afterward, they returned to their seats to watch the Warriors vs. Mavericks game. CCOP Coach Bob raffled off his court-side seats to the team members. Four girls accompanied by a parent or grandparent won the opportunity to watch a quarter from courtside. Each girl also had her photo taken with Warriors mascot, Thunder, and the Warriors provided a DVD of the girls’ complete game to each team member–although it’s likely, even without the DVD, the 10 will remember their experience on the Warriors’ court forever.
–Carol Bogart
