The court is there; the people aren't
Public courts are empty half the afternoon and packed the other half, and you never know which one you'll get. Turning up with a ball and waiting to see who comes down is the traditional method, and it works about as well as it sounds.
How a pick-up game comes together
- 3x3 and 5x5 are not the same plan
- One needs six people and the other needs ten, and the game changes entirely. It's said up front because it decides how many have to be gathered.
- Half an hour's notice isn't enough
- Gathering six or ten takes warning. A game posted a day ahead fills; the same game at six for seven does not.