Swish is the most satisfying sound in basketball. When the ball goes through the net and and make a pleasant sound. That is why 10 men run for 2 hours, jump and push each other. That is why millions of boys and girls are fell in love with basketball. CSKA guard Dallas Moore is not an exception. He was really impressed with the swish, which he learnt how to make it in youth.
The story began in Largo, small town in Florida state, when 4-year old Dallas got a small basketball rim as a Christmas gift from parents. He was so obsessed with basketball in the room that he went to sleep with scandal. He liked to play in the living room a lot. By the way, Moore shot his left hand in high rim at 180 centimetres. Dallas could do it for hours. And when he grown-up, he got different shooting skills.
For example, when he came back from kindergarten and then from school, he never entered the flat till made a shot at the basketball court located near his home. Dexter Moore, the father of Dallas, noted that his son a maniac desire to shoot the ball every time. At that time, when it became obvious that we would not be a tall guy, the father insisted on improving other basketball skills. Especially at the point guard position.
Initially, the shooter DNA was quite difficult to learn. And even as a freshman at the University of North Florida, Dallas Moore had a hard time getting rid of his bad habits of pure shooter. Moreover, the team’s coach Matthew Driscoll believed that Dallas still needs to learn a lot to become a good point guard. But the man was both a talented and a hard-working player. And also smart enough. He perfectly understood that being an undersized guard, playing as shooting guard and shooting catch-and-shoot three-pointers is unlikelable. Especially on pro level.
But with a bright head and a love of training almost like Kobe Bryant, Dallas gradually pumped his playing skills into the combo guard position. Over time, the ability to correctly reveal pick-and-rolls came and to play for partners much more than to look for your shot. And also to see the whole area with such vision. It got to the point that by the end of his college career, Driscoll compared Moore to such a mighty player as Isaiah Thomas, a sample of his best seasons in the Celtics.
In 4 years, Dallas Moore has become the absolute best player in the University of North Florida history. He set the points best and became almost the perfect combo guard. However, still quite short. What is important, his pumped-up pass game made him even more dangerous offensively. Because now the opponent had to respect his skills as a packer as well. Moreover, by the end of his college career, Dallas Moore had replenished his offensive arsenal with another important tool of basketball production. His floater as a balloon flight brought North Florida more than 1 win at the end of games. Especially recommended to check out his decisive floater, which helped to beat Kennesaw State University.
And in this way Dallas Moore could score not only from paint. Moore could shoot out a floater absolutely unexpectedly, Harlem-Globetrotters dribbling and could consistently score from 4-5 meters. His head coach Matthew Driscoll was initially a big opponent of this shooting method. He even came up with a special term lumper, which he called Moore’s floater. That is, a lumper is like something ugly – a cross between a layup and a mid-range jumper. But even Driscoll soon accepted such shot when Moore brought 1 more important win to the team with his floaters. And the same floater against Kennesaw State still call the greatest shot in the history of the University of North Florida.
The most interesting thing is that all these playing skills typical for guards were very useful to Moore in his further pro career. Yes, he didn’t make it to the NBA. But playing in Europe in different teams, Dallas Moore is valued precisely as a versatile and multifunctional back court player. Including this season as part of CSKA. When necessary, Moore plays like a classic playmaker: he correctly plays pick-and-rolls and finds partners with good assists. And when Alexey Shved set some combinations, Dallas gladly switches to the role of a pure shooter and waits for the pass to shoot. After all, doing swish is his first love.
