BETHLEHEM, Pa. -- Randy Moss made his high-flying moves in
sneakers and bright yellow instead of cleats and Vikings purple.
|  | | Randy Moss scored seven points in his ValleyDawgs debut. |
The All-Pro receiver, wearing his familiar No. 84, scored seven
points on 3-for-8 shooting Thursday night in his debut for the U.S.
Basketball League's Pennsylvania ValleyDawgs.
Moss also had four rebounds, two assists and a blocked shot in
21 minutes as the ValleyDawgs beat the Long Island Surf 113-112.
He signed a handful of autographs for children, but did not talk
to reporters before leaving on a private plane 30 minutes after the
game. The crowd of 5,000 was nearly double the ValleyDawgs' usual
attendance at the Lehigh University arena.
"He told me not to throw his uniform away, that he'd be back,"
said Darryl Dawkins, the former NBA player who coaches the Dawgs.
The 6-foot-4 Moss was at his best under the basket. His first
points came off a dazzling layup in the second quarter as he leaped
across the lane and switched the ball to his left hand. He was
fouled, but missed the free throw.
"You can see the guy has some talent," Dawkins said. "He's
got a nice shot. You know he can run and jump."
In the third quarter, Moss caught a full-court pass with one
hand and hit a fallaway jumper from the baseline.
Moss -- who chewed gum the entire game -- had four turnovers in
the first half as he struggled to fit into the offense after
joining the team only hours before the game.
He stepped out of bounds twice, and had another turnover on a
botched dribble under the basket.
Dawkins said the turnovers might have been because of all the
hype, "and because this is not his favorite sport."
Dawkins was cautious with the football star.
"I didn't want to put him in a position where he had to go
catch lobs and possibly fall over someone and end his career,"
Dawkins said. "The guy's a professional, he knows he doesn't want
to end his career here."
It's unclear how long Moss plans to dabble in basketball. The
ValleyDawgs said he committed to Thursday's game, then planned to
decide future appearances on a game-by-game basis. The team has
only six games before Vikings' mini-camp June 4-7 -- and none are
home games, which could be a deciding factor, according to
ValleyDawgs officials. The USBL season ends June 23.
Moss, who will make $3.5 million for the Vikings this season,
was a two-time high school player of the year in basketball in West
Virginia, where he was a teammate of flashy Sacramento Kings guard
Jason Williams.
Moss played three games last year in the NBA-sponsored Summer
Pro League, but declined to play the rest of the three-week season.
However, in 1999 the Minnesota Timberwolves said they had been
contacted by Moss' representatives about moonlighting in the NBA.
Moss is one of the best wideouts in the NFL because of his speed
and ability to shake double- and triple-teams. He has 226 catches
for 4,263 yards and 43 touchdowns in three seasons, making the Pro
Bowl each year.
He is in the final year of a four-year contract he signed as a
rookie in 1998. His agent said Moss is seeking a multiyear contract
worth more than $100 million to make him the highest paid athlete
in the NFL -- topping even the league's star quarterbacks.
A number of pro athletes have excelled in two sports, notably
Deion Sanders and Bo Jackson in recent years. Danny Ainge played
for the Toronto Blue Jays and in the NBA. Michael Jordan tried his
hand at minor league baseball. Charlie Ward won the 1993 Heisman
Trophy at Florida State and plays for the New York Knicks.
Moss is the second big-name athlete from another sport to play
in the USBL. Light heavyweight champion Roy Jones Jr. plays for the
Lakeland Blue Ducks.
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