Ryan C Heffernan is a man of many passions, a baller surfing chef from California. By day he runs his own catering business making delicious, healthy, California-inspired specialty dishes for his clients all across the state. Heffernan believes deeply in what he does, and personally guarantees that every plate that leaves his kitchen will be mouth-watering, every time. Outside of work, however, Ryan is able to throw himself into his other passions. He loves sports of all kinds, but reserves a special obsession for surfing and basketball. Every weekend will find him grabbing his board and heading for those California waves, and he’ll be kicking back on his couch with his dog, Riptide, for every single game.
Since the very first day he can remember, Ryan C Heffernan has loved basketball. As a child he used to sit on his father’s lap to watch the game, and his mother likes to say he could dribble before he could walk. As he grew up, he set up a family betting pool, and it became a family-wide event to watch the game and earn bragging rights for your predictions. Heffernan never missed a game throughout his teenage and young adult years, and he still tries to live up to that ideal.
Heffernan still makes sure to get out on the court as often as possible. He loves pick-up games with his buddies, and has made countless new friends on the local court. To repay them, he likes to think he throws the best NBA viewing parties in the state. He considers himself very lucky to have grown up in San Diego where the sun is always shining, which means he is always able to head out for a game of pick-up basketball outside or inside. San Diego has a healthy basketball community, and has produced such greats as Bill Walton and Jared Dudley. The real beauty of the basketball scene in San Diego, however, is that you can almost always find a game at any level. Nothing brings people together like basketball.
The game isn’t going anywhere, and Ryan C Heffernan vows to be here, writing about basketball, posting basketball pictures and videos and articles all over the web.
Favorite Basketball Courts
UCSD – The University of California in San Diego has some of the nicest facilities in Southern California. If you can get into the RIMAC arena, it’s definitely worth the price of admission, but they also have some beautiful outdoor courts on N. Torrey Pines Blvd that attract people at all times of night.
La Jolla Rec – This might not attract the best talent but it is chock-full of characters that will make your time on the sidelines worth the wait. There are two courts that will often fill up during summer months starting at four.
San Diego State Gym – A huge gymnasium with all the equipment you’ll ever need. Four basketball courts ensure you can almost always get a game in. You can even find games at 1am. It’s only $39 a month if you are not a student.
Municipal Gym – Muni, as it is called, is crowded by over 40 people when it opens at 2pm. The skill level at this gym is very high so don’t expect to get into many games unless you’re very good or very tall. To get on a game you write your name on a list so it is somewhat egalitarian. However, somehow the best players wind up on a team together.
PB Rec – In San Diego’s biggest bar scene lies a pick-up basketball gem. During the day the indoor gym has only one court and it is highly competitive and highly political. But the outdoor courts start to fill up at 5:30 with a wide range of skill levels.
