How bout them Racers!

Murray State guard hits half-court shot from his knees
By Jeff Eisenberg

Murray State freshman Isaiah Canaan typically spends a few minutes at the end of practice each day hoisting up crazy trick shots better suited for a game of H-O-R-S-E than anything else.

Never has he even attempted one quite like the shot he sank during an actual game on Tuesday night.


With the shot clock running down late in the first half against Southeast Missouri State, Canaan retrieved a loose ball just in front of the mid-court stripe and had no choice but to flick the ball at the basket from his knees. Against all odds, it banked in, giving Murray State a 29-12 lead and making Canaan No. 1 on SportsCenter's top plays on Wednesday morning.

"I've always dreamed of being on SportsCenter, but I never thought it would be like that," Canaan said by phone Wednesday. "We do some crazy shots after practice, but we'll either be behind the goal or somewhere in the stands. We've never been out there on the court on our knees. I still don't know how that went in."

Canaan's shot was the top story on Murray State's official athletic site on Wednesday, ahead of the team extending the nation's longest winning streak to 16 and clinching the Ohio Valley Conference title.

The Biloxi, Miss. native appeared on ESPN's First Take on Wednesday morning, conducted a series of interviews with local reporters in the afternoon and will try to recreate the shot for a Kentucky TV station this evening.

"I'm going to see if I can get 3 out of 10," Canaan said. "I'm going to see if I can live up to that."

How will Canaan top that shot? The only way he can think of is too hit one just like it at the buzzer to win a game.

"I know coach definitely won't draw that play up, but if it happens that way, that would be wonderful," he said.