You Find a Different Breed of Rat at the Ranch

Down at the ranch, Quinn’s Ranch, they attract a hearty breed of gym rat. These rats don’t mind the absence of hardwood, glass backboards or a roof.

They can adjust to an abnormally narrow court and the wind whistling at their neck. They will run full bore into a garage door in pursuit of a loose ball.

Yep. They do things a little different down at the ranch.

It’s been that way since the early ‘70s, when Ken Quinn asked some of his Troy High School buddies to come over and shoot a few at his parents’ Yorba Linda home.

That grew into a regular game that quickly gained a reputation. More guys started coming over, and games went on for hours.

Ken’s mom, Melba, took pity and started cooking spaghetti for the players. But pretty soon, however, it was a case of Melba’s pasta pan runneth over.

The court’s rep had grown so quickly that players were coming from all over to play.

Bobby Dye, former Cal State Fullerton coach, played. So did the legendary Mark Wulfemeyer.

The court remains one of the most popular in the area, attracting close to 30 players every Wednesday and Saturday.

This June, the Quinns will hold their ninth annual basketball barbecue. An all-day, all-you-can-eat-shoot-and-dribble extravaganza is expected to draw about 150.

“I really can’t explain why the game has grown like it has,” Ken said. “I guess because it’s so competitive, and because it’s so well-balanced. We don’t allow anyone to dominate.”

Players range in age from 16 to 61. Teams are made up according to ability and size. No one is allowed to make up his own all-star squad.

“You don’t get stacked teams there,” said Tom Gregory, Savanna coach, and a long time ranch hand. “I think some of the better players who come down get frustrated because they can’t dominate as they can when they’re allowed to choose their own teams.”

Also, win or lose, teams play two games, that’s all. No one goes on a 47-game winning streak here.

The ranch is a full court, but only half-court basketball is played.

The court is narrow and bordered on one side by a four-car garage. The ranch’s ground rules deem the garage in bounds.

“We’ve drawn quite a bit of blood from guys going after balls into the garage,” Ken said.

Another attraction of the court is Ken’s father, Don.

Don is 61, and still plays with these young’uns.

“He has a 15-foot hook that looks like George Mikan has come back,” Gregory said. “But the thing goes in, and it’s virtually unstoppable.”

Of all the tough hombres who have come to the ranch, Don remains the toughest.

“He used to fix my friends’ cars and then force them to play him for payment,” Ken said.

There are a lot of Don Quinn stories, such as the time he got hit in the head so hard it caused an indentation. The doctors told him not to play again for a year. Two weeks later Don was mixing it up inside the key wearing a boxing helmet.

Then there’s the time Ken shot an elbow in Don’s face and simply thought, “I’d killed him. He was knocked flat and bleeding bad. But he got up, went into the garage, rolled up a couple of rags and stuck them in his nose, and started playing again.”

Yep, they do things a little different at the ranch.

If you think you can handle it, Ken says anyone is welcome. Wednesday games usually start around 6 p.m. and Saturday about 11 a.m.

Don and the four-car garage will be waiting.