Higgins Coaches From The Bench And On The Floor
January 17, 2006 - American Basketball Association (ABA)
Inglewood Cobras News Release
Tijuana, Mexico. While an excited crowd gathered in Tijuana for sensational basketball between the Tijuana Dragons and the Inglewood Cobras, the Cobras were short on players crossing the international borders due to passport concerns. The good thing about having a former NCAA Champion, ABA and NBA professional basketball player as your coach is that he still has the skills and can implement basketball as your coach, and yes, PLAYER too.
Coach Sean Higgins suited up and hit the first two three pointers of the game and manipulated the Dragons defense with smart basketball. While Coach Higgins was the key to providing another big man with fouls to give in the absence of their other players, he astoundingly scored 24 points and hit the turnaround jumper in the final seconds to win the game for the Cobras 119-116. Higgins affirms, "This was a total team effort and my players could play basketball the right way to set the tone for a victory once they were able to 'think' basketball with and without the ball in their hands. They experienced live what I have been coaching all along during the season."
Guards Kevin Bradley and Kenny "Action" Jackson gave the Cobras the boost down the stretch with their exciting shots and maneuvers. Bradley finished with 26 points and dished out 11 assists. The "Beast" (Tarron Williams) dominated the Dragons big men down low. Although the Cobras were undersized, Williams manhandled their big guys, scoring 23 points and grabbing 11 rebounds.
With the Bradley and Higgins duo raining three pointers down the stretch back and forth and Higgins taking advantage of his size for the final shot, the Dragons did not have a chance. A play originally designed by Coach Higgins for Kevin Bradley to come off a high pick and roll was suddenly changed by Coach/Player Higgins once the ball was inbounded. Higgins took advantage of his height and the Dragon guarding him and shot the short turnaround jumper that sealed the game for the Cobras.
When asked if he would continue to play for the team, Higgins indicated that the whole team "brought it tonight. The wain was very encouraging. While it sparked my competitive juices and my love of the game, I will play only when necessary." Dragons head coach Andrew ditto wa snot so sure as he commented that Higgins "looked like a seasoned pro tonight. He did not look like he was 37 years of age playing against 25 year olds. It looked the other way around."
The Cobras are definitely a team to be reckoned with in the Spencer Haywood Division, especially if they are ever short players and have to add a coach to the roster. Upcoming Cobra games can be found on www.inglewoodcobras.com or by visiting www.abalive.com.
Note: OurSports Central no longer actively covers the American Basketball Association (ABA) as a professional league due in part to its inability to publish and play a schedule and the transitory nature of many of its teams. For information on professional minor leagues, please see OSC's basketball section.
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American Basketball Association Stories from January 17, 2006
- Xplosion loses to Indiana, 122-116 - Pittsburgh Xplosion
- Vision wins sixth in a row - Atlanta Vision
- Legends defeat Olympians - Southern California Legends
- Tycoons All-Star to play in Finland - Texas Tycoons
- Stingers back and ready to complete season - Mississippi Miracles
- ABA East All-Star assistant coaches named - ABA
- Sound Adds "Cookie" To Line-Up - Strong Island Sound
- Strong Island Sound Proud Of Their Police - Strong Island Sound
- Higgins Coaches From The Bench And On The Floor - Inglewood Cobras
- Xplosion Extend Streak With Win Over Colonels - Pittsburgh Xplosion
- Colonels Cooled By Ice For Third Time - Toledo Royal Knights
- Hardaway, Pit Bulls Halt Alley Cats' Win Streak - Miami Majesty
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