A mural outside the Janet Pomeroy Center depicts two basketball players: one wears a green uniform with “Wildcats” emblazoned across the front, and the other is in a wheelchair. They are front and center on the huge painting.

Basketball is king here.

When SF State’s men’s basketball team came to scrimmage here on Sept. 27, it was hard to tell who was more excited: the Gators, who arrived knowing nothing about the game they were about to play, or their opponents—around 60 developmentally disabled adults and children who make up the center’s "unbeaten" Wildcats team.

“This is great, something else,” junior guard Alex Thomas shouted over cheers and hollers as his beaming—but bewildered—teammates high-fived their way through the crowd. “We thought we were running somewhere off campus. We’ve been doing conditioning all week at 5:30 in the morning and coach told us we’d be doing some again this afternoon.”

Gators coach Bill Treseler learned about the Wildcats from Patrick Sayres, the center’s director of development. After hearing the ‘Cats had gone 400 games unbeaten, including in games against the Mayor’s Office and the Fire Department, Treseler decided to get his Gators involved.

This was the first-ever game between the Wildcats and an SF State team.

“There can only be one champion in the Sunset District...we are undefeated, and we play to defend our title,” Sayres said.

Responded Treseler, "The Wildcats are unbeaten and we’re under strict instructions to keep it that way.”

SF State has a deep relationship with the center, providing up to 30 student volunteers throughout the year. Some professors, especially those from therapeutic recreation programs, use the facility as part of their training curriculum.

Luscious gardens surround the non-profit center, which is nestled between the San Francisco Zoo and Lake Merced. For 55 years, the center has provided therapeutic recreation and vocational rehabilitation to its members and now boasts over 180 care staffers.

Its 600 weekly developmentally disabled visitors—most of whom have mental retardation, cerebral palsy, Down syndrome, autism or brain trauma—enjoy daily use of a gym, swimming pool, theater and playgrounds.

“It’s really nice the Gators offered to [play the Wildcats],” Sayres said. “I think [Treseler] wants to show his team how fortunate they are as great athletes, and we want them to play our great athletes, too. It just so happens ours have developmental disabilities. We’re kind of sharing athletic abilities.”

The Gators gathered for a pre-game talk in a scrum under a hand-painted “Go Gators” banner.

“We keep score, but we know we’re going to win,” Sayres told the Gators. “We score six or eight-point baskets, while you Gators only get two points. There may be five or 10 players on the court at any time, and some will be in wheelchairs, others with canes. There’ll be little kids and older people. Some are partially blind, so feel free to help them out with their shooting direction.”

The Wildcats were all offense, opening the game with eight unanswered baskets. Some Wildcats wore green uniforms, while a few sported soccer jerseys. There were at least three LeBron James shirts and one baseball helmet.

“This is like an All-Star game with all these different color jerseys on the court,” shouted Treseler as an emcee bellowed play-by-plays over James Brown's "I Feel Good."

The game was plenty entertaining. Spontaneous dancing erupted on the court and along the packed sidelines, and trick shots abounded. Gator forward Ryan Wessels slam-dunked a couple, while one Wildcat preferred doing underarm shots. Either way, every basket scored inspired fervent cheering, hugs and applause from all sides.

“We need to pick up our offense, play better defense, and hustle a lot more,” Gator junior Will Logan said. “The crowd here is wild—it’s really getting to me.”

Center employee Darren Macleod, who is in charge of vocational leisure and also a Wildcats coach, has been at the center for three months.

“This is the first game that I’ve witnessed,” he said. “Everyone’s having a fun time out there, which is great because they were nervous getting ready for today’s big event.”

Despite the nerves, the Wildcats were on game, Macleod said.

“If you notice the shooting, they’re pretty damn good,” he said. “That’s the whole point. It’s fun to have the magic and the ceremony, and may that continue, but we’ll basically dominate wherever we go.”

One Wildcat, wearing a red number two uniform, was especially satisfied, having scored a basket against his alma mater.

Former SF State student Tasos Perakis was an economics major until a drunken driver hit him in 1986, months before graduating. He spent two-and-a-half months in a coma, and has been coming to the center ever since.

“It was good,” he said, chuckling. “I got one basket.”

After the Wildcats won 127-126, the athletes assembled for a raucous team photo before diving into chocolate cake and punch. The Gators signed autographs and shook hands with their still-undefeated opponents.

“They got creamed, just got creamed,” said Albert Cesena, a star Wildcats player. “But the Gators played great, I guess.”