“Unicorn,” for those who do not come from the basketball world, can mean the legendary one-horned creature, or the name of a song by Noa Kirel. But for basketball people, it refers to a very tall player, usually over 2.08 meters, who has a rare combination of skills once associated only with guards, alongside the natural advantages of a player in the paint. In other words, a player who breaks the traditional molds of basketball positions.
All of that applies to 18-year-old David Moses, who is starring these days for Israel’s national team at the European Youth Championship. A 2.10-meter forward/center — doctors say he could still grow — he can combine ball movement and post-up play with good shooting from beyond the arc. Already, after three games and before the round of 16, he has an impressive statistical line of 24 points and 12.3 rebounds per game, including 19 rebounds in the opening game against Greece.
On Monday, after impressive wins over Greece and France, Israel played at a lower gear and settled for an 84-80 victory over Austria. Moses contributed 21 points and nine rebounds, and Aviv Aronov added 19 points.
Double-double with the senior team
The nickname “unicorn” was floated after another term that preceded it in young Moses’ career: “late bloomer.” The late bloom came at age 15, when he moved from Hapoel Holon to A.S. Ramat Hasharon.
“Until three years ago, he didn’t really play. He barely had any minutes,” said Guy Kantor, his coach at Ramat Hasharon. “When they wanted to bring him to us, I asked to see a previous game of his, something, so we could see what we were talking about. There wasn’t one. His personal coach, Hanoch Mintz, brought him to us, and I went to watch one of his practices. He was 1.98 meters then, not very mobile. Hanoch said then what people see in him today; I still didn’t see it. We started working with him every day, and he became someone who, within three years, has shown an exceptional improvement curve in the technical aspect and in understanding the game. Every parameter of his is improving impressively.”
David Moses was a late bloomer where playing basketball is concerned
(Photo: PIBA website)
This past season at Ramat Hasharon, Moses was promoted to the senior team, which played in the National League promotion playoffs. With averages of 9.5 points and 4.7 rebounds in 16.5 minutes per game, he showed he could hold his own against experienced players as well. He reached his peak during a playoff game against Ironi Nahariya, recording a double-double with 21 points and 13 rebounds.
Moses’ next step will be a move to Florida Atlantic University, after receiving elite athlete status from the Israel Basketball Association and the IDF.
“I trust those who made the decision with him about which college to choose,” Kantor said. “I hope the system will suit his continued development. I was not surprised by what he is showing with the national team. I experienced his abilities both with the youth team and with our senior team. Potential? I don’t set a glass ceiling for anyone, not in a positive sense and not in a negative sense. I so enjoy watching how he keeps developing. I am very optimistic about where he will get, even without committing or predicting.”
It took him time to put it together
Someone who has spent many hours with Moses is veteran Amit Bir-Katz, who is 2.08 meters tall himself and now conducts, among other things, individual training sessions for players. He is gradually becoming an expert in working with big men, something currently lacking in Israel.
“David has a very broad support system. In addition to Mintz, Avi Even is also accompanying him. I guide and accompany him at Ramat Hasharon and work with him personally," says Bir-Katz. "This kid is going to be a basketball star, and credit goes to everyone who touches him. He is a late bloomer. Like every tall kid, it took him time to connect the hands, the legs and the head. He is still in the process. He has a long way to go, but everyone understands that he is supposed to be the next big thing in basketball.”
Israel’s senior national team is desperate for dominant Israeli players in the frontcourt, and the idea of bringing in an Israeli-born player for that position comes up often. Bir-Katz sees Moses as the future bright spot that could address exactly that problem, “if everything is OK, with the right guidance and a lot of work on his part.”
“Over the years, there have been quite a few players with high potential at these ages, and they did not develop. Coordination comes to tall players very late, if at all. There are things that happen on the move: dribbling, passing, catching. When you are 2.10 meters tall at a very young age, it is hard. He has shooting ability both inside and outside, nice work with both hands.
“Credit goes to Kobi Paliba, the fitness coach at Ramat Hasharon, who made a change in David’s physical conduct. He will need to keep strengthening his body and doing what he is doing. He really is a unicorn. He has several weapons, and he needs to know when to use them, not just stay in his comfort zone. It is clear that he lacks mileage in terms of understanding, but he contributed very nicely for us at this age.”
Next stop: Florida
Avi Even, who served as professional director at Maccabi Tel Aviv and also coached the team for several months, worked with Moses over the past year and is not concerned that the player’s breakthrough has come too early.
“He has basketball IQ and athleticism. That is not something you see every day, not in Israel and not in Europe. Mintz asked me to see him when he was in ninth grade, and the road he has made since then is amazing. His work is not something ordinary kids do. It is a demanding framework. He works with us outside team practices three times a week. That is not something to be taken for granted, and it shows his hunger, his desire to succeed.”
דייויד מוזס
(צילום: אתר FIBA)
On the decision to play at Florida Atlantic, Even explained: “We looked for a place that would give him the opportunity to develop and play, and one that would work with him and continue advancing him as a player. We checked many colleges, many. Together with the coach there, we understood that this was the right option for him.
“How far can he go?” the coach concluded. “The potential is endless. It is not for nothing that they are planning to invite him to the senior national team for the upcoming windows. That is a very serious statement.”