Many thanks to Paul Nash videographer of the Phoenix for making this available.
Durham were coming in on the back of a monster 85-72 win against the Glasgow Rocks in Durham the night before.
The ‘NIX’ on the other hand were coming in with a record of 2 and 7 for their 9 games. The ‘NIX’ have shown some great moments and bad luck with recruitment and then with by injuries has meant that the team has seldom been at full strength.
But this article is not about the Phoenix start to the season or anything else as a team.
Last week after the game against the Lions I got a chance to chat with ‘NIX’ Assistant Coach and British Basketball Legend Mike Burton.
Mike was of course the Assistant Coach at the Manchester Giants back-in-the-day.
We spoke about a couple of things from those days and I suggested to him that Victor Moses of the ‘Nix’ really reminded me of Vince Brookins.
As I said in a previous article here on mikeshaft.com Vince was all round awesome. He could do it all and he must have had a heart as big as a house.
When I first saw Victor Moses play the player that immediately came to mind was Vince Brookins.
But this article is not about Vince Brookins nor is it about the all-round play of Victor Moses.
This article is about one play in particular and it was put together by the one-two punch of Reggie Middleton and Victor Moses.
Now I figure I have been watching Basketball for about 40 years and I have to say I have never seen this play on a British basketball court.
I am not saying it has never been done. What I am saying is that I have never seen it done and I have never heard from any British basketball fan that they had seen it done. Of course it has been done in the NBA but so has pretty much everything else.
The other thing I can say is that I have no idea how that play was designed or who called for it.
The Phoenix were on offence and despite the fact that this was not the final play of the quarter something interesting was happening.
Reggie got the ball over the halfway line then stopped as if waiting for the game/shot clock to run down… but this was nothing of the sort.
At what seemed like a very precise moment Victor Moses moved into the paint right at the front of the basket with his back to the basket.
The defender (I do not remember who it was) had great position, and was well placed to defend the situation if Victor received the ball in any conventional way.
Instead what happened was seriously unconventional.
Reggie lobbed the ball above the rim for Victor to go and get it for a possible alley-oop play. But he was facing the wrong way and would not be allowed to come down and go back up with the ball.
As the ball arrived above the rim Victor went up and got it.
Now what happened next was without doubt worth the entrance fee on its own.
Victor collected the ball in two hands above the rim and on his way back to earth came down on the rim with a monster two-handed reverse dunk that had the whole house on its feet.
Just a few weeks ago a BBL player came up to me and asked me when he was going to get an Oh BABY! I told him the same answer that I always give when asked that question. “A Mike SHAFT Oh BABY! is something you have to earn. I think he understood what I was saying.
Not surprisingly Victor Moses got an Oh BABY! for that play. In fact he may have got an Oh BABY! Oh BABY! Oh BABY!
It was nothing short of AWESOME.
I do not know if the game was filmed or if the play was recorded. I also do not know if any of the photographers in the house managed to capture the play.
I do know that it was one of the finest plays I have ever seen in a British basketball game, and to be honest I cannot remember even Vince Brookins doing anything like that.
I hope that if the film ever makes it to air on Youtube or wherever else, it proves that the play was as spectacular as I remember it. I hope I have done it justice here.
Congratulations to Reggie Middleton and Victor Moses. If we had plays of the year in the UK, I think I know who would win it this season.
Unfortunately, ‘NIX’ Assistant Coach Mike Burton was unable to be at the game.
I am absolutely delighted I was.
Later
Mike S
19/11/13
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