This is related to plays that you made yourself. It can be at any level of competition or level of play.
My basketball plays are the following..
#1 This guy named Frankie Curry came to the gym I was a member of. He was 6'4" and very althetic. Earlier in the night he caught an ally oop for a two handed dunk. Mind you this as a half court basketball court. So that was not remotely easy to do. Well in a game later he beat his defender off the dribble and came into the middle of the lane. I had about 4 running steps and jumped up with him. He was trying to dunk the ball. Didn't make it. I stuff blocked him a little over a foot above the rim and shoved him and the ball back to the ground. Let's just say I questioned his mental status. I called him crazy with added adjectives and phrases for added emphasis so to speak. I didn't like this guy at all. I had good reason not too. In 8th grade he was running full speed and has he came around the corner of the class he met me there and shoved extremely hard into the cinder block wall. I was just about knocked out when my head hit the wall. This guy acted like a real jerk about it. Also in the same year we were playing football and he shoved off while I was covering him and he got a perfectly thrown ball and caught it and scored a touchdown. So, this stuff block was payback bigtime. There won't no way that guy was going to dunk on me. I am a 6'2" white guy but I could jump really quite high at that time in my senior year of high school. Candidly I am surprised he even tried it. Earlier in the night he was guarding me and went for a steal of the inbounds pass. He missed it. I went from the 3 point let me to the basket. I windmilled and smacked the backboard way above the basketball rim and made the payment up. I just about broke my hand and arm and the backboard that's how hard I swung at it when I did it. After the game the starting point guard from the year before asked, " man why didn't you just dunk that?". I was like, ahh I just didn't think about it. He said, "well you should have". So, I don't know what possessed him to try to dunk on me but I am glad he was dumb enough to try. Got my revenge on that play.
#2 This play was also one of the best blocked shots I've seen at the gym I played at. What happened in this play was my friend Reggie Jr beat his guy from near the 3 point line and went into the middle of the lane and did a fingeroll shot about 6 feet away from the basket. I had about 3-4 running steps and I blocked his shot a little over a foot above the rim and threw the ball on a zip line flight path 25 feet out of bounds into the net that protected the aerobics floor. Mind you Reggie Jr was 6'5" and about 260 pounds. One of the rare times this 6'2" 155 pound guy actually got the better of him on a play near the basket. It was pretty doggone cool. He was a good sport about it.
#3 I had a running start from the 3 point line and went and jumped about has high has I ever have jumped to get a rebound off the rim/backboard. I ripped the ball with my left hand and slammed it into my right hand. I had the ball in my hands before anyone else had even started or tried to jump yet. On guy nearby Jimmie Spencer (more about him later) who was a very, very good athlete hadn't even started to jump yet. I heard him say, "good God". My feet were well over his waist. Jimmie stood about 6'3-4". I was probably 44 inches off the ground when I grabbed that rebound. It was an awesome feeling. I had done this before this occasion. This time was better because Jimmie was there. I come down and dribble out to the 3 point line and knock down a 3 pointer. I was ampped up needless to say.
#4 Game winning tip in. A recreational league game. My team is losing 53-52. I forget who shot the ball.. but I came running in and I got a great jump. Ball comes off the rim in the middle of the lane near the rim. I get a great jump, as I reach for and get the ball well above the rim and I see my oppents arm trying to get to the ball.. that person was Durand Jackson. A 6'5" fella who was unquestionably our best basketball player. I guide the ball into the rim fir the game winning basket. I would have dunked it... But it would of have been a technical foul. This was a no dunking allowed league. I had the presence of mind not to do that. Though I REALLY wanted to do just that. We win 54-53.
#5 I pinned/blocked Bryan Fields shot against the backboard. This play was where I about 3 running steps and Bryan had beat his defender of the dribble along the baseline. I got a great jump and pinned his shot against the backboard about 2/3 of the way up on the square of the backboard. The ball hadn't touched the backboard yet so it was a good block. I pull the ball down and when I land I go right back up and put it in for a basket. This being a half court game if a shot doesn't hit the rim you can go right back up with it. Which this worked out this way.
Plays that went totally against me...
#1 Well here comes Jimmie Spencer again.. He was a tremendous player. 6'4" 225 pounds, could jump bigtime, shot the lights out. Well, in the summer between my junior and senior year he came up to the gym. By now, I knew I could jump with just about anyone. So, when Jimmie beat his defender off the dribble on the baseline and I had about 4-5 running steps I thought I had him dead to rights... I got a great jump.. go up and I am swinging down on the ball as Jimmie is going up. At this point I think I got him for sure. I thought I was going to pin his shot against the glass backboard. WRONG. I smash the ball as hard as I can. He keeps the ball in his hands, keep elevating, pushes through me, let's the ball go and slaps the backboard 3/4 of the way up on the square on the backboard with both hands and puts in the layup. I come down. I am laughing. All the other guys out there are dumbfounded. I was laughing and tell all of them, " man that's all I got". He was just a bad mamma jamma. 95% of people that's a blocked shot. Not against Jimmie Spencer. Jimmie was and is a great guy. I couldn't even be mad about it. He was just that great a player and athlete.
#2 Another Jimmie Spencer play. This time I am in 10th grade. I run in and one hand cuff a rebound. Thinking that I'm cool for doing this... Well next thing I know I am laying on the floor. Back of my head hurts pretty bad. Then I see the basketball go through the basket from behind me. I'm like, "what the Sam you know what has just happened"? So, I ask my teammate. They tell me that Jimmie just grabbed the ball and pulled you and the ball backwards in the air and then dribbled back and shot a 3 pointer. Jimmie didn't foul me at all. He just reached over top of me and pulled me and the backwards. He had his hand on the ball while he did it. He was just awesome.
#3 I beat my defender on the baseline and this young fella Daniel Carver gets running start and after I let go a fingeroll shot that he grabs a little over a foot above the rim and throws it on a zip line path out of bounds 25 feet behind me. Sound familiar?? Yeah it does. It was the same thing I had done to Reggie Jr a couple of years earlier. Great play against me. I was laughing when I landed. First thought in my head was.... That's what I did to Reggie Jr.
Volleyball plays that I made
#1 I hit the ball exceptionally hard at the net and it hits a lady right on top of her head and rockets off her head 35 feet high and 40 plus feet behind her out of bounds for a point. Thank goodness it hit right on top of her head. If it would've hit her in the face she would've been knocked out stone cold. I was super ampped up right afterwards. My teammates were like dude you just hit that lady over there... I went under the net to check on here. She was like, "Ohh it hit me right on top of my head, I am all right". I was happy with that.
#2 I hit a ball at the net and it hit a guy named Andy right in the side of his face and rockets into the ceiling 30 feet above him and comes straight down and almost hits him a second time. It felt awesome. Andy was fine. I am sure it hurt a fair amount but he was ok and continued to play the rest of the game.
#3 I hit a ball from 24 feet off the net and I obliterate the ball and it hits a lady in the face 40 plus feet away. One of the hardest balls I ever hit. I was mad at the time because of how poorly my team was playing. In fact on this play we messed up on the serve so bad that the lady how was setting had to come way into the back row just to get to the ball. She pops the ball up near me. I just went at it and swung hard as I could. Trying to make something happen. Get our team jump started. I hit that ball a TON. And it hit that lady in the face 40 feet away. In fact their team called a timeout after that play. It ring her bell pretty bad I'm sure. Mind you that this was a couple Ed AA rated play level league. It was the highest level of co Ed volleyball at Tidewater Volleyball Association. There were no sorry players out there. It was intense. And getting hit in the face with the volleyball was a real possibility.
#4 I block 5 straight balls into the floor hit by the other team and my team wins the game 26-24. My team trailing 24-21... We are serving the ball to the other team. All they need to do is put one ball out of play and they win. I block every attempt 5 straight times into the floor for a point for my team. I blocked their left side hitter Carl 2 times. I block their middle hitter John 1 time, I block Chris their right side hitter 2 times. Ballgame. I never in ALL of the games I have ever played in seen anything like that. 2-3 straight blocks in a row is rather unusual in high level volleyball play. 5 straight I have never seen except what I did that night. It was doggone awesome.
#5 This play could be higher... But I don't know. I hit a ball off of a very good defensive player on the other team and the balls goes 40 feet out of bounds into another court and 40 feet into the lights/roof over on that court. My team is receiving serve. I am in my left front hitting position. My buddy Daniel is setting the ball for us to hit. Mind you Daniel played volleyball at Georgia Tech. He was a great setter and teammate. The guy I want to hit at is a guy named Neil. He is quite arrogant and not friendly. So, I make my mind up that I am going to hit him in the head with the ball as hard as I could. We get the serve, the ball is passed perfectly to Daniel, he sets the ball perfectly for me to hit at the net. I go up and swing as hard as I can and hit the ball down the line where I knew Neil was. As I am starting to land I hear the ball hitting the roof/lights 40 feet into the other court. I look over and Neil has both of his arms covering his face. Good thing. Felt good to rip the ball off of him and way out of play for a point. For the record though ... Neil was a great defensive ball handler. He was one of the 5 best defensive volleyball players I have ever played against. He was very, very good. Just not very friendly or knew how to act right.
Volleyball plays that went against me
#1 This crazy young fella Tom hits the like 120 mph off the right side of my face. Tom was still learning how to play and he hit a floater that just crushed the right side of my face. A floater means it had no top spin on the ball. I am sure he miss hit it.. but it didn't matter. That ball hit me a TON. I blacked out, saw stars, and had a got bad headache for the next 20 plus minutes. I felt like I had been punched in the head. It was a great play by him for sure.
#2 I get hit in the face while blocking at the net. My buddy Chris hitting the ball at the net hit the ball between my arms and it hits me in the face, knocks me out, seeing stars. I got a very good jump and went to block him while he was hitting the ball... I am well high enough above the net to get hit in the face with the ball. Which happened.
#3 I get hit on the right side of the face by Randy hitting a ball at me. I am standing down the line and Randy hits the ball very, very hard right at my face. It hits me in the right side of my face and goes to the right out of bounds. He got me quite good on that play.
#4 Young lady at Williamsburg quarterpath hits a ball at me and it ricochets off the top of my head into the ceiling 30 feet above and straight down into the floor. IF I hadn't dropped head it would have hit me right in the face bigtime. That blonde girl was Diesel when hitting the ball. She hit Evey ball she hit that night bigtime hard. Best lady player I ever say at hitting the ball. And I have seen many lady volleyball players who hit the ball really hard. She was bad donkey.
#5 Lady volleyball player at Tidewater Volleyball Association hits a ball off my shoulder into the roof and out of play. That lady hit the ball really well too. I came up too short and she ripped the ball off my shoulder. Surprised me a bit that she hit it that high. But that young lady hit the ball a ton and made quite a play there. I was impressed.
I had a lot of fun in my time playing basketball and volleyball. Volleyball was a challenge after I lost all of the vision in my left eye. I had to learn how to ay with one good eye. It was hard but eventually I worked through it and got to where I was just fine with one damaged eye. No one I played against could really ever have known. I was very, very fortunate to be able to do all that I did. What I miss the most.... Are the people. I met so many really cool/good people by playing these two sports.
So, what are the best sports plays that you were involved in??
My basketball plays are the following..
#1 This guy named Frankie Curry came to the gym I was a member of. He was 6'4" and very althetic. Earlier in the night he caught an ally oop for a two handed dunk. Mind you this as a half court basketball court. So that was not remotely easy to do. Well in a game later he beat his defender off the dribble and came into the middle of the lane. I had about 4 running steps and jumped up with him. He was trying to dunk the ball. Didn't make it. I stuff blocked him a little over a foot above the rim and shoved him and the ball back to the ground. Let's just say I questioned his mental status. I called him crazy with added adjectives and phrases for added emphasis so to speak. I didn't like this guy at all. I had good reason not too. In 8th grade he was running full speed and has he came around the corner of the class he met me there and shoved extremely hard into the cinder block wall. I was just about knocked out when my head hit the wall. This guy acted like a real jerk about it. Also in the same year we were playing football and he shoved off while I was covering him and he got a perfectly thrown ball and caught it and scored a touchdown. So, this stuff block was payback bigtime. There won't no way that guy was going to dunk on me. I am a 6'2" white guy but I could jump really quite high at that time in my senior year of high school. Candidly I am surprised he even tried it. Earlier in the night he was guarding me and went for a steal of the inbounds pass. He missed it. I went from the 3 point let me to the basket. I windmilled and smacked the backboard way above the basketball rim and made the payment up. I just about broke my hand and arm and the backboard that's how hard I swung at it when I did it. After the game the starting point guard from the year before asked, " man why didn't you just dunk that?". I was like, ahh I just didn't think about it. He said, "well you should have". So, I don't know what possessed him to try to dunk on me but I am glad he was dumb enough to try. Got my revenge on that play.
#2 This play was also one of the best blocked shots I've seen at the gym I played at. What happened in this play was my friend Reggie Jr beat his guy from near the 3 point line and went into the middle of the lane and did a fingeroll shot about 6 feet away from the basket. I had about 3-4 running steps and I blocked his shot a little over a foot above the rim and threw the ball on a zip line flight path 25 feet out of bounds into the net that protected the aerobics floor. Mind you Reggie Jr was 6'5" and about 260 pounds. One of the rare times this 6'2" 155 pound guy actually got the better of him on a play near the basket. It was pretty doggone cool. He was a good sport about it.
#3 I had a running start from the 3 point line and went and jumped about has high has I ever have jumped to get a rebound off the rim/backboard. I ripped the ball with my left hand and slammed it into my right hand. I had the ball in my hands before anyone else had even started or tried to jump yet. On guy nearby Jimmie Spencer (more about him later) who was a very, very good athlete hadn't even started to jump yet. I heard him say, "good God". My feet were well over his waist. Jimmie stood about 6'3-4". I was probably 44 inches off the ground when I grabbed that rebound. It was an awesome feeling. I had done this before this occasion. This time was better because Jimmie was there. I come down and dribble out to the 3 point line and knock down a 3 pointer. I was ampped up needless to say.
#4 Game winning tip in. A recreational league game. My team is losing 53-52. I forget who shot the ball.. but I came running in and I got a great jump. Ball comes off the rim in the middle of the lane near the rim. I get a great jump, as I reach for and get the ball well above the rim and I see my oppents arm trying to get to the ball.. that person was Durand Jackson. A 6'5" fella who was unquestionably our best basketball player. I guide the ball into the rim fir the game winning basket. I would have dunked it... But it would of have been a technical foul. This was a no dunking allowed league. I had the presence of mind not to do that. Though I REALLY wanted to do just that. We win 54-53.
#5 I pinned/blocked Bryan Fields shot against the backboard. This play was where I about 3 running steps and Bryan had beat his defender of the dribble along the baseline. I got a great jump and pinned his shot against the backboard about 2/3 of the way up on the square of the backboard. The ball hadn't touched the backboard yet so it was a good block. I pull the ball down and when I land I go right back up and put it in for a basket. This being a half court game if a shot doesn't hit the rim you can go right back up with it. Which this worked out this way.
Plays that went totally against me...
#1 Well here comes Jimmie Spencer again.. He was a tremendous player. 6'4" 225 pounds, could jump bigtime, shot the lights out. Well, in the summer between my junior and senior year he came up to the gym. By now, I knew I could jump with just about anyone. So, when Jimmie beat his defender off the dribble on the baseline and I had about 4-5 running steps I thought I had him dead to rights... I got a great jump.. go up and I am swinging down on the ball as Jimmie is going up. At this point I think I got him for sure. I thought I was going to pin his shot against the glass backboard. WRONG. I smash the ball as hard as I can. He keeps the ball in his hands, keep elevating, pushes through me, let's the ball go and slaps the backboard 3/4 of the way up on the square on the backboard with both hands and puts in the layup. I come down. I am laughing. All the other guys out there are dumbfounded. I was laughing and tell all of them, " man that's all I got". He was just a bad mamma jamma. 95% of people that's a blocked shot. Not against Jimmie Spencer. Jimmie was and is a great guy. I couldn't even be mad about it. He was just that great a player and athlete.
#2 Another Jimmie Spencer play. This time I am in 10th grade. I run in and one hand cuff a rebound. Thinking that I'm cool for doing this... Well next thing I know I am laying on the floor. Back of my head hurts pretty bad. Then I see the basketball go through the basket from behind me. I'm like, "what the Sam you know what has just happened"? So, I ask my teammate. They tell me that Jimmie just grabbed the ball and pulled you and the ball backwards in the air and then dribbled back and shot a 3 pointer. Jimmie didn't foul me at all. He just reached over top of me and pulled me and the backwards. He had his hand on the ball while he did it. He was just awesome.
#3 I beat my defender on the baseline and this young fella Daniel Carver gets running start and after I let go a fingeroll shot that he grabs a little over a foot above the rim and throws it on a zip line path out of bounds 25 feet behind me. Sound familiar?? Yeah it does. It was the same thing I had done to Reggie Jr a couple of years earlier. Great play against me. I was laughing when I landed. First thought in my head was.... That's what I did to Reggie Jr.
Volleyball plays that I made
#1 I hit the ball exceptionally hard at the net and it hits a lady right on top of her head and rockets off her head 35 feet high and 40 plus feet behind her out of bounds for a point. Thank goodness it hit right on top of her head. If it would've hit her in the face she would've been knocked out stone cold. I was super ampped up right afterwards. My teammates were like dude you just hit that lady over there... I went under the net to check on here. She was like, "Ohh it hit me right on top of my head, I am all right". I was happy with that.
#2 I hit a ball at the net and it hit a guy named Andy right in the side of his face and rockets into the ceiling 30 feet above him and comes straight down and almost hits him a second time. It felt awesome. Andy was fine. I am sure it hurt a fair amount but he was ok and continued to play the rest of the game.
#3 I hit a ball from 24 feet off the net and I obliterate the ball and it hits a lady in the face 40 plus feet away. One of the hardest balls I ever hit. I was mad at the time because of how poorly my team was playing. In fact on this play we messed up on the serve so bad that the lady how was setting had to come way into the back row just to get to the ball. She pops the ball up near me. I just went at it and swung hard as I could. Trying to make something happen. Get our team jump started. I hit that ball a TON. And it hit that lady in the face 40 feet away. In fact their team called a timeout after that play. It ring her bell pretty bad I'm sure. Mind you that this was a couple Ed AA rated play level league. It was the highest level of co Ed volleyball at Tidewater Volleyball Association. There were no sorry players out there. It was intense. And getting hit in the face with the volleyball was a real possibility.
#4 I block 5 straight balls into the floor hit by the other team and my team wins the game 26-24. My team trailing 24-21... We are serving the ball to the other team. All they need to do is put one ball out of play and they win. I block every attempt 5 straight times into the floor for a point for my team. I blocked their left side hitter Carl 2 times. I block their middle hitter John 1 time, I block Chris their right side hitter 2 times. Ballgame. I never in ALL of the games I have ever played in seen anything like that. 2-3 straight blocks in a row is rather unusual in high level volleyball play. 5 straight I have never seen except what I did that night. It was doggone awesome.
#5 This play could be higher... But I don't know. I hit a ball off of a very good defensive player on the other team and the balls goes 40 feet out of bounds into another court and 40 feet into the lights/roof over on that court. My team is receiving serve. I am in my left front hitting position. My buddy Daniel is setting the ball for us to hit. Mind you Daniel played volleyball at Georgia Tech. He was a great setter and teammate. The guy I want to hit at is a guy named Neil. He is quite arrogant and not friendly. So, I make my mind up that I am going to hit him in the head with the ball as hard as I could. We get the serve, the ball is passed perfectly to Daniel, he sets the ball perfectly for me to hit at the net. I go up and swing as hard as I can and hit the ball down the line where I knew Neil was. As I am starting to land I hear the ball hitting the roof/lights 40 feet into the other court. I look over and Neil has both of his arms covering his face. Good thing. Felt good to rip the ball off of him and way out of play for a point. For the record though ... Neil was a great defensive ball handler. He was one of the 5 best defensive volleyball players I have ever played against. He was very, very good. Just not very friendly or knew how to act right.
Volleyball plays that went against me
#1 This crazy young fella Tom hits the like 120 mph off the right side of my face. Tom was still learning how to play and he hit a floater that just crushed the right side of my face. A floater means it had no top spin on the ball. I am sure he miss hit it.. but it didn't matter. That ball hit me a TON. I blacked out, saw stars, and had a got bad headache for the next 20 plus minutes. I felt like I had been punched in the head. It was a great play by him for sure.
#2 I get hit in the face while blocking at the net. My buddy Chris hitting the ball at the net hit the ball between my arms and it hits me in the face, knocks me out, seeing stars. I got a very good jump and went to block him while he was hitting the ball... I am well high enough above the net to get hit in the face with the ball. Which happened.
#3 I get hit on the right side of the face by Randy hitting a ball at me. I am standing down the line and Randy hits the ball very, very hard right at my face. It hits me in the right side of my face and goes to the right out of bounds. He got me quite good on that play.
#4 Young lady at Williamsburg quarterpath hits a ball at me and it ricochets off the top of my head into the ceiling 30 feet above and straight down into the floor. IF I hadn't dropped head it would have hit me right in the face bigtime. That blonde girl was Diesel when hitting the ball. She hit Evey ball she hit that night bigtime hard. Best lady player I ever say at hitting the ball. And I have seen many lady volleyball players who hit the ball really hard. She was bad donkey.
#5 Lady volleyball player at Tidewater Volleyball Association hits a ball off my shoulder into the roof and out of play. That lady hit the ball really well too. I came up too short and she ripped the ball off my shoulder. Surprised me a bit that she hit it that high. But that young lady hit the ball a ton and made quite a play there. I was impressed.
I had a lot of fun in my time playing basketball and volleyball. Volleyball was a challenge after I lost all of the vision in my left eye. I had to learn how to ay with one good eye. It was hard but eventually I worked through it and got to where I was just fine with one damaged eye. No one I played against could really ever have known. I was very, very fortunate to be able to do all that I did. What I miss the most.... Are the people. I met so many really cool/good people by playing these two sports.
So, what are the best sports plays that you were involved in??
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