In the Sandfield Community, not far from the intersection of 23rd Street and Fifth Avenue South, there is an abandoned slab of concrete about 30 feet square. On the east and west edges of the square are light poles with “Keep Out” signs on them. Years ago there were basketball goals, and the place was crowded with neighborhood kids.
Two of those kids, Darren Jordan and Tony Phinisey, have grown, become parents (Phinisey is a grandparent) and gone on to successful careers. Jordan is the director of the Greater Columbus Learning Center and Phinisey is a UPS driver and a certified personal trainer.
One thing hasn’t changed, though: They are still trying to outdo one another on the basketball court.
The two are among six to eight men who have a standing pick-up game on Wednesday mornings at Pohl Gym on the Mississippi University for Women campus. They’ve been doing it for about 10 years.
The men convene around 7:15, warm up and at 7:30 begin a full-speed contest that on a recent Wednesday went for 45 minutes. Perhaps a nostalgic nod to their boyhood rivalry, Phinisey and Jordan always make it a point to be on opposite teams.
“This is a fun way to get some cardio without having to jog,” said Phinisey, a soft-spoken 52-year-old, who moves like a 20-something. Phinisey, who works out five days a week, and competes in Spartan Races, an obstacle event that includes jumping over flames, climbing walls and a barbed-wire crawl.
Head of wellness for his UPS center, Phinisey long ago reached true-believer status on the relationship between exercise and overall health.
“This is what’s gonna keep us young,” he said. “It is a state of wellness of spirit, mind and body.”
Derrick Nash, 47, a retired city inspector, who works for the Columbus school district, may lack Phinisey’s zeal for physical conditioning, but is no less competitive on the court.
“I only come every now and then,” said Nash, not long out of bed. “It’s good exercise, gets my heart rate up.”
Nash, who grew up playing in the Charles Brown Gym on Southside is still very much on his game.
Same for Chris Cobb, who works in maintenance at MUW. Cobb, 38, happed to be cleaning in recreation facility where some of the players work out. Someone invited him and he’s been playing ever since.
Randy Vibrock, 34, a MUW security officer and part-timer with the Columbus Police Department, also signed on after a chance encounter.
“I was working out (at the Stark Recreation Center) and messed up by asking Tony what I could do to get in better shape,” said Vibrock.
“(This) makes me feel more productive, have more energy and be more effective in my job,” he said.
Tony Henry, a UPS driver, a deadly 3-point shooter and Caledonia native, concurs.
“I feel a lot better when I do this,” Henry said.
And so, at 7:30 the contest begins. Three-on-three, the men play half court. All of them move with unexpected quickness and hit three-pointers with surprising consistency. They seem to know where their teammates are going to be; the interplay between the players is as skilled as the shooting. The guys indulge in good-natured trash talking, at least in the beginning.
Sitting there watching, you could see one thing that brings these men back here week after week — why we play games to begin with. As they dribbled, passed and shot, the cares of the world — jobs, family, finance — were far away. For 45 minutes, nothing else existed, only a ball, a hoop and each other.
When it was over some of the players hurried off to work. Others stuck around to talk for a minute. Among those lingering was Nash, a natural comedian.
“Put this in there,” Nash says, refering to himself, “He’s only there every now and then, but he’s good for 25 when he shows up.”
And then to a departing Tony Phinisey: “Remember this when you’re doing your route: ‘I will be back.'”
“Fellowship with these guys makes your day a whole lot better,” says Darren Jordan, looking at a now empty gym. “Your mindset is a whole lot different.”
Birney Imes III is the immediate past publisher of The Dispatch.
You can help your community
Quality, in-depth journalism is essential to a healthy community. The Dispatch brings you the most complete reporting and insightful commentary in the Golden Triangle, but we need your help to continue our efforts. In the past week, our reporters have posted 46 articles to cdispatch.com. Please consider subscribing to our website for only $2.30 per week to help support local journalism and our community.