There is a certain unknown that has always contributed to the excitement in attending a San Francisco Pro-Am game. As they enter the old pavilion every fan, young and old, shares the same lingering hope when examining the two shuffling groups of physical specimens going through layup lines; they will be greeted by the sight of another star dropping by the storied league to pay it homage. Such a gift has become one of the league’s greatest traditions and a large reason so many flock to the historic gym on Stanyan Street each summer. While such an experience takes place only a few nights each summer, those few nights will always be some of the league’s most celebrated. Of equal significance to the adoration the league has sustained for 35 years are the talented players that, instead of making a solitary cameo, commit to being on hand each and every week. Kezar diehards have come to rely on these consistent players as they maintain the exceptionally high level at which the league has been played for the last three and a half decades. No team had more players embody that cherished dependability than the 2014 San Francisco Pro-Am champs.

From the first week of the season in June until the final game last Friday, the Bay Raiders put out a full rotation of unrelenting competitors. Each week, without exception, Bryan Thomasson would have a full roster of players ready to give everything they had for however long he asked. “We never had any arguments,” Thomasson said, “no locker room problems, no guys yelling for me to put them in or calling me after the game for playing time. There wasn’t one single incident of anything close to that.” With such a strenuous defense fueling a fast paced offense, the Raiders required a dedication from their players that is simply unheard of in summer pro-am leagues. They rode this unmatched commitment all the way to the league finals and it was never so apparent than in Game 2 of the series. When facing elimination and an SF City team of stars, they rallied from an early deficit to force a decisive Game 3. The proud coach recalled one specific example of his guys’ unique dedication, “I stopped the guys right before we went out to the floor and explained what a guy like Caredell[Butler] means to this team. For him to go from last year being the MVP runner-up to Austin Nichols, the captain and leading scorer of a team that went to the league championship, to being the ninth, tenth, eleventh man and still be a positive influence on the bench, never complain and mentor young guys, thats huge. I made sure to give Cardell that shout out.” The rubber match of this series unfortunately featured a depleted SF City lineup, with many of it’s stars having already departed for professional obligations overseas. Once again the Raider players’ unconditional devotion was on display, as a full roster and almost identical to the one that had opened the season, was on hand for the series finale.

In an attempt to jump out to an early lead by capitalizing on the terribly short-handed SF City lineup, the Raiders opened the game with their signature full-court press in overdrive. It wasn’t easy though, as a remarkably gritty SF City team traded leads with them for most of the first half. The only player in SF City’s Friday night lineup with any previous experience as a starter was Eryk Thomas. Thomas was always an important part of the team’s usual full strength roster, but never a featured scorer like he would have to be Friday. Nevertheless, the veteran power forward embraced the challenge and shouldered much of the team’s post offense, while still fulfilling his usual duties as a tenacious rebounder and defender. Building on Thomas’ experience was back-up point guard Sam Allen, who served as defensive specialist and spark off the bench for most of the season. Friday Allen would share the majority of the ball handling duty with Lucas Chavez, the baby-faced 20-year-old son of Pro-Am legend Bucky Chavez. While the younger Chavez had made spot appearances early on in the summer, he hadn’t been on hand for an SF City game since June. Despite the daunting task of taking on such unfamiliar roles in the summer’s biggest game, both Chavez and Allen held their own against league MVP guard Marquel Hoskins.

As much as the entire SF City team rose to the occasion of replacing their missing star teammates, no player picked up the slack quite like the former Colgate guard Kyle Roemer. The former De La Salle High sharpshooter was sparingly used as a deep threat off the bench in the few playoff games he had attended. But with SF City’s high powered guard duo of Chauncey Leslie and Justin Dentmon off on the other side of the globe, it was up to Roemer to pick up the slack on the perimeter. Through an array of deep threes and midrange jumpers he more than adequately filled the void left by the professional stars. More importantly he kept his team’s championship hopes alive. Soon the pavilion echoed with questions about this shaggy-haired dead-eye, as the crowd attempted to figure out the identity of this unlikely star. Behind their man of mystery, SF City rattled off another run late in the third quarter and pulled even with the Bay Raiders at 66 apiece. The team deprived of all it’s stars, had now tied a game that many assumed they would struggle to even keep close.

For the Bay Raiders, this fight to a standstill was not a result of any oversight or underestimation of their own. Rather it was the product of inspired players taking advantage of their rare opportunity to perform on a big stage. As a result, the top seeded Raiders had no adjustments to make to their game plan. They remained under the assumption that the breakneck style of play that wore down so many teams earlier in the summer would eventually do the same to their motivated opponent. Thomasson explained his thinking, “If were able to get 5-7 of our guys to score in double digits, teams won’t be able to keep up, thats always been my philosophy. If we share the ball, we’ll always be fine.” The self-confidence paid off and the game slowly began to swing. After an early fourth quarter three from Eryk Thomas, the Raiders responded with a run of 8 unanswered points and never looked back. The team that had stood atop the league standings all summer long would finish there, as they would end the third and final game of the championship series with a 92-80 victory and a 2014 San Francisco Pro-Am championship.

The team’s final run came largely behind Hoskins’ superb ability to lead his team on both ends of the floor. He began wearing down the outmatched opposing guards, spending much of the final quarter getting into the lane for his signature floaters or dishing out pinpoint passes to get his teammates going. Mac Peterson and Rob Jones were the main beneficiaries of such passes as the two routinely knocked down open looks from the wing. Peterson had his best game of the postseason and served as the team’s second leading scorer behind Hoskins. Jones, the team’s only late addition, contributed a well-balanced performance of timely putbacks, a steady mid-range to deep jump shot and strong drives. On the defensive end, Hoskins’ constant steals and ball pressure was complimented perfectly by the always reliable rim protection from center Chris “Big Dook” Adams.

An argument can be made that a blowout should have taken place given their opponent’s missing players. For a team that fought for everything they earned all season, such an ending would not do the story of their summer justice. This was a team that captivated fans through relentless effort and should forever be remembered as such. Great players and individual performances will always make up the majority of the Pro-Am’s fondest memories. However, the summer of 2014 has altered the league’s great legacy ever so slightly, by adding one group to the storied list of individuals. Ideally, years from now, when discussing the history of this great league, those lucky enough to have witnessed this summer will point out how one selfless group of guys knocked off so many great players on their way to becoming league champs. How fun it was to watch.