UC Riverside Men’s Basketball Inspired by Chris Paul to Beat the Sirens against Arizona State

After he hit a 70-foot shot on the whistle to seal a 66-65 victory for UC Riverside in State of Arizona on Thursday night, JP Moorman II sent his friend a text: “This is for you.”

That friend is Chris Paul.

NS Phoenix Suns The All-Star met with UC Riverside — a Big West school that considered scrapping athletics a year ago to save money — for 45 minutes before they were annoyed by the Sun Devil.

Moorman, a native of Greensboro, North Carolina, met Paul while he was playing on his junior roster, the CP3 All-Stars. While Paul has mentored him in the past, he says they are more like friends now. When he landed in Phoenix for Thursday’s game, he asked Paul if he could take some time to talk to the team.

“It happened when I hit him when we landed and asked him what he was doing after his game and he told me he would [STK Steakhouse] and asked me if I wanted to come,” said Moorman. I told him to hit me in the morning and maybe you can come and talk to the team. He said, ‘Okay, just tell me where you are.’ The rest is history. “

Not long before the team’s match, Paul arrived.

He talked to the players about brotherhood, focus, and the tools he’s used during his Hall of Fame career. An energetic siege followed.

“It’s a beautiful 45 minutes for a coach,” said UC-Riverside Mike Magpayo. “I sat down and enjoyed every second of it. He talked about leadership. He talked about the energy you need. … [Moorman] brought in Chris Paul and the eyes of these people lit up. I told these people that I wish these people looked at me the way they looked at Chris Paul when he walked into the room. “

Hours later, Moorman would deliver one of the biggest hits in school history.

Before each game, Moorman wouldn’t return to the locker room until he had hit at least one mid-half strike. His 70s on Thursday, however, required some maneuvering. He had to dodge a defender, twist near the bottom line and land a shot from an awkward angle.

“I felt the defender – he started taking those tough steps to the left – and I felt it,” Moorman said. “I knew I would be able to turn to the right and get a clean look.”

That shot – and that game – seemed unlikely for UC Riverside last year when the school announced it would consider cutting all sports for financial reasons during the pandemic. The athletics department launched a social media campaign and asked famous alumni to express their support through videos. It also creates a plan to save money.

In May, the school announced that it had reserved its athletic programs and would not be removing any sports.

Wesley Mallette, the UC Riverside athletic director who helped come up with a plan to preserve the athletic programs at UC Riverside, was behind the team bench Thursday night when Moorman took the shot.

He and the players celebrated emotionally after the victory.

Additionally, he said Moorman’s shot ended last year unpredictably for UC Riverside.

“When it left [Moorman’s] Mallette said. much clearer in focus. When the shot is at the bottom, finding its way into the basket, that’s we know the strategy we’ve adopted. When it goes through the ring is May 6, 2021, when [athletics] announced it will move forward. That scene is symbolic of so many things that are close and dear to my heart. “

Moorman said when he texted Paul after the game and thanked him, the NBA All-Star sent several emojis with the message, “Yessir!”

Making the win even sweeter, Highlanders was paid $85,000 by the State of Arizona for the “buy”.

Moorman said he wants to use the game to build momentum for UC Riverside, which is coming up for the 14-8 season.

“It was a match, it was a shot, that’s how I see it,” he said. “It’s certainly not a regular hit but at the same time, there’s a lot of things that have to happen in that game to get to that point.”