Former NBA star, first-time coach Ray Allen aims to elevate Gulliver Prep as he did for Heat
Game 6, NBA Finals, June 18, 2013 … 5.2 seconds left, three-ball, corner pocket … swish.
Those are some of the details of one of the most iconic plays in NBA history — the shot by Hall of Famer Ray Allen that forced overtime, staved off elimination and ultimately helped the Miami Heat to what became its third and most recent league title.
On Wednesday night, Allen — now 46 years old but still looking fit — was at Miami Gulliver Prep to meet the media in advance of his first season as a high school boys’ basketball coach.
And, just like virtually every other day, Allen’s shot that doomed the San Antonio Spurs came up in conversation.
“How many times has somebody sent me [video of the shot] or mentioned it to me while I’m walking down the street? Every day,” Allen said with a chuckle. “They mention it to me as if I forgot.
“That’s probably the greatest shot that’s happened to me in my life. I’ve never forgotten it.”
Seemingly, no one else has forgotten that poetic stroke, either. Allen told the story on Wednesday of a USO Tour he took to Afghanistan, where the American soldiers he encountered just happened to be from San Antonio.
They surely did not forget that shot.
“I’ve seen how sports affects the world,” said Allen, a 10-time All-Star and a two-time NBA champion. “I’ve seen how it can affect a community.”
Allen is hoping to affect the lives of his Gulliver players in a positive way. The Raiders’ season doesn’t start until Nov. 16, but Allen has already taken his players on a tour of the Heat’s arena.
The Gulliver boys have also worked out with Heat star Jimmy Butler, who made a random visit to campus.
Allen has four sons, and all of them attend Gulliver. That includes Ray Allen III, who is a junior on the team.
When Gary DeCesare stepped down as Gulliver’s coach following the 2020-21 season, Allen was offered the job.
“Me being in this position is something I never thought I would do,” Allen said. “I’ve been asked to coach at the college and pro levels, but my desire was to spend time around my children, having spent 18 years in the NBA.
“This was serendipitous for me. [DeCesare] had asked me to coach the AAU program over the summer because he knew that, as a dad, I was around. As we got wind that [DeCesare] was moving back to Chicago, now there’s a job opening.”
Allen said he thought about the job all summer long.
“If I didn’t coach, I’d still be dropping [Ray III] off and picking him up and at all his games,” Allen said. “I figured I might as well make the decisions while I’m watching his games.
“My wife said, ‘You’ll never regret spending time with him and his friends while they are in high school and teaching them what I know.
“There’s so much I know about the game, so many experiences I’ve had, so many great players I’ve played with and against … I would be cheating the world if I didn’t teach.”
Allen said one of his goals is to make sure his players all have offers to play college basketball.
“This is not me pushing them,” Allen said. “They have aspirations.”
How long Allen coaches is anyone’s guess. It would seem like he would coach two years, which would have him around when his oldest son graduates.
But then there’s Walker Allen, Ray’s second-oldest son, who is just a freshman.
“When Ray III graduates, Walker is going to be looking at me saying, ‘Dad, what are you going to do?’<TH>” Allen said. “I’ll just try to read the situation.”
Allen’s two youngest sons are Wynn, who is in the sixth grade; and Winston, who’s in the fourth grade.
In other words, this might not be a one- or two-year experiment.
“They are definitely going to be in shape,” Allen said when asked about his coaching style. “We’re going to get up and down the floor. If the [opposition] can’t get back on defense, then we will score as fast as we can.”
And if the driving lanes are closed up, there’s always the three-ball, corner pocket.
Just like Ray Allen.