Dave Taube is a full-blown addict. Unable to kick the habit, he moves from one coast to the other, seeking new places to enjoy it. His life revolves around fulfilling his constant craving that his body and mind demand.

            “I started shooting around over 40 years ago and haven’t been able to stop,” remembers Taube of his long term relationship with his drug of choice, basketball. “You get a high when playing, when making a good play. It’s fun to watch others make good plays, to see the chemistry involved and just being with the guys.”

            Throughout the twists and turns of the 52-year-old’s life, playing ball is the one common thread. Although having never played professionally, or even in high school, Taube knows exactly what he is doing on the court and has been doing it for much of his life. Basketball is his life. He no longer works, and hasn’t for quite some time because of his decision to be a stay-at-home father. So he plays basketball.

            Gliding easily down the floor, his lanky arms and legs thrust impressively like only a well-oiled 52-year-old machine could wish. Often-times Taube brings the ball up the court, commanding the attention of his teammates who so desperately want the ball. However, he won’t submit to the massive egos that run the court with him; he would rather pass to the person in the best position to score.

            This day is different though. Today, Dave Taube is shooting the lights out. He makes a couple of lay-ups, then a couple of jump shots and gets a couple of baskets here and there, all with a huge grin on his face. He makes all but two shots on this day. During the last game, Taube spots up on three consecutive possessions from the three-point line, and with his unorthodox shooting technique pushes the ball from his hands to the basket. Swish. Three times in a row.

            The oldest man on the court does extremely well against his much younger counter parts. Using his long limbs and high basketball IQ to his advantage, as well as that little bit of glare that radiates off of his shiny, sweaty bald head, he is able to hold his own on the court.

            “I was on fire out there!” Taube half-jokingly brags to his many comrades as he comes off the court after the day’s final game. The large number of friends that he has amassed through basketball is amazing as well. He knows most of the guys with whom he plays on a first-name basis and constantly chats with them, whether it’s on or off the court. “The camaraderie with people is also important; I can’t talk with the wife and kids like I can with my friends on the court,” says Dave.

            Taube’s deep love for basketball is contagious with those around him. His high energy level and ability to keep his teammates in good spirits inspires everyone. He never demands the ball or lets his ego get the best of him, but does carry a confidence that is noticed by all. “I like to win,” Taube simply states of his on-court determination.

            His fondness for victory gave him the strength and dedication to defeat the toughest opponent of his life. Dave was diagnosed with cancer in September of 2006. He looked to basketball as an escape from the harsh reality that hit him.

            “I looked forward to playing basketball three times a week. It was important to have something to look forward to when I was undergoing therapy. Without basketball, it would have been hard.”

            Throughout the four-week onslaught of daily radiation therapy, he never lost his desire to play the game he loves. He also never lost his sense of humor. Dave would sarcastically complain to the doctors about the length of his therapy sessions. “It took me longer to undress and put on the hospital gown than to actually take the therapy!” exclaims Taube.

            No matter how long the therapy took, it is impressive how Taube kept his determination through such a difficult time. By double-teaming his illness, with radiation and basketball, Taube has been cancer-free ever since.

            Dave’s love for playing ball began early in his childhood. 1968, to be exact, was when his life would change for good. As a 12-year-old boy in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, there was no way to foresee how fateful his decision to pick up a basketball would be. “Across the street there were kids that had put up a hoop up on a tree. So I would go over there and we would play on the street.” The mean streets of Pittsburgh had just successfully claimed yet another victim.

            While in high school, Taube struggled to fulfill his desires of playing on the basketball team. The cards were simply stacked against him. “I couldn’t play with the guys in high school. There were big guys, 19-and 20-year-olds, playing at my school,” recalls Taube. Not only was he competing with much larger and older athletes; he was also restrained by the limits of his own body. “I was a scraggly, skinny little kid. I was 15 years-old my junior year, so I graduated early.”

            He went on to earn a degree in psychology from the University of Rochester. He then threw his degree and all his other belongings into a U-Haul, and began plowing his very own Oregon Trail.

            His first stop: Bel-Air, California. Taube landed a job at UCLA performing brain research on lab mice, and also became Henry Fonda’s neighbor. While in Los Angeles, Taube would continue to feed his craving for basketball. At this time, L.A. was brimming with basketball talent and he had a first-hand view of it all. “I would watch guys like Magic Johnson, Reggie Miller, Reggie Theus and James Worthy play against each other at UCLA. I was in awe. It was cool, cool to see that guys that good could miss shots.”

            Hena, Hawaii, was the next stop for Taube. Here, he and his wife settled after a six-month globetrotting marathon. Continuing his habit, he played in local recreational leagues and on public courts. Not only did he find himself playing with locals, but he also found himself playing with the famous.

            “Some guy walked up to the court wearing lumberjack clothing and jeans and says his name is Keanu…Reeves!” tells Taube.

            On another occasion he played with Jeff Ament, the bassist for the band Pearl Jam. “We played three games of one-on-one. He won two of the three games, but it was cool. You never know who you are going to meet when playing basketball,” says Taube.

            After their stint in Hawaii, Taube and his wife moved on and eventually found themselves in Eugene with two children. He now calls the University of Oregon Rec Center his basketball home. He can be found there at least three times a week, if not more. Dave roams the courts in an attempt to get that same feeling he got the first time he played. “If I can swat a guy who is 20 years younger then me, that’s a great feeling.”

            Why he still plays is no mystery. He seeks to prove wrong those who haven’t, or don’t, believe in him. “The guys in high school give me incentive. They were always bigger and better and now they have pot-bellies and I am in better shape.”
            Dave Taube also learns from his experiences on and off the court and applies those lessons to his life. “A lot can be learned. You can be a kid who isn’t that good at some aspect of basketball but you’ve got to do your role,” he says. “That’s what life is too, you’ve got to work together. The key is to not stop.”

            While Taube knows he is the elder statesman on the court, he doesn’t let that get in the way of him getting his fix. The habit that he so dearly loves will be a tough one to kick. “I will only stop playing when others start rolling their eyes.” By the looks of it, that will be a day in the distant future.