Martyn Bernard "Moochie" Norris (born July 27, 1973) is an American former professional
basketball
Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular court, compete with the primary objective of shooting a basketball (approximately in diameter) through the defender's h ...
player who played several seasons in the
National Basketball Association
The National Basketball Association (NBA) is a professional basketball league in North America. The league is composed of 30 teams (29 in the United States and 1 in Canada) and is one of the major professional sports leagues in the United St ...
(NBA), as well as other leagues. He is the head coach of the
Houston Push
The Houston Push are a professional basketball team in Houston, Texas, and members of The Basketball League
The Basketball League (TBL), formerly North America Premier Basketball (NAPB), is a minor league basketball organization. The league ...
of
The Basketball League
The Basketball League (TBL), formerly North America Premier Basketball (NAPB), is a minor league basketball organization. The league began operating in North America in 2018 with eight teams, and expanded to over 44 teams as of 2022.
The Bas ...
(TBL).
Professional career
Norris, a journeyman, played
collegiately at
Odessa College
Odessa College is a public junior college in Odessa, Texas. The college serves the people of Ector County and the Permian Basin. It was established in 1946 and enrolle8,024 studentsin Fall 2021 and 7,679 students in Spring 2022 in its universi ...
(
junior college) (1992–1994), at
Auburn University (1994–1995) and at the
University of West Florida
The University of West Florida (West Florida or UWF) is a public university in Pensacola, Florida. Established in 1963 as part of the State University System of Florida, the university sits on the third largest campus in the State University Sys ...
(1995–1996). He was drafted with 33rd overall pick (4th in second round) of the
1996 NBA draft
The 1996 NBA draft was the 50th draft in the National Basketball Association (NBA). It was held on June 26, 1996 at Continental Airlines Arena in East Rutherford, New Jersey. In this draft, NBA teams took turns selecting college basketball playe ...
by the
Milwaukee Bucks
The Milwaukee Bucks are an American professional basketball team based in Milwaukee. The Bucks compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference Central Division. The team was founded in 1968 ...
. He did not play for the Bucks and on November 22, 1996, was waived by them. On December 12, he signed as a free agent with the
Vancouver Grizzlies
The Vancouver Grizzlies were a Canadian professional basketball team based in Vancouver. They were part of the Midwest Division of the Western Conference of the National Basketball Association (NBA). The team was established in 1995, along w ...
for whom he played until December, 30, when he was waived. Norris played the remainder of the season with the
Fort Wayne Fury
The Fort Wayne Fury was a professional basketball team in the Continental Basketball Association (CBA) from 1991 through the cessation of the CBA on February 8, 2001.
History
The team played at the Allen County War Memorial Coliseum in Fort Wayn ...
of the
Continental Basketball Association (CBA) and earned CBA All-Rookie Second Team honors.
He returned to the Fury and was named to the All-CBA Second Team in 1998 and the First Team in 2000.
Norris played in the NBA from 1999 until the 2005–06 season for the
Seattle SuperSonics
The Seattle SuperSonics (commonly known as the Seattle Sonics) were an American professional basketball team based in Seattle. The SuperSonics competed in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member club of the league's Western Confe ...
,
Houston Rockets,
New York Knicks and
New Orleans Hornets
New is an adjective referring to something recently made, discovered, or created.
New or NEW may refer to:
Music
* New, singer of K-pop group The Boyz
Albums and EPs
* ''New'' (album), by Paul McCartney, 2013
* ''New'' (EP), by Regurgitator ...
.
Yamika Sun Kings/ Climamio Bologna (2006–2008)
After the 2006 NBA season, Norris was placed on waivers by the
New Orleans Hornets
New is an adjective referring to something recently made, discovered, or created.
New or NEW may refer to:
Music
* New, singer of K-pop group The Boyz
Albums and EPs
* ''New'' (album), by Paul McCartney, 2013
* ''New'' (EP), by Regurgitator ...
.
He joined the
Yakama Sun Kings
The Yakima SunKings are a basketball team located in Yakima, Washington, covering the central Washington sports market of Yakima, Tri-Cities, and Ellensburg and plays at the Yakima SunDome. The team competed in the Continental Basketball Associ ...
of the
Continental Basketball Association briefly in January 2007, played for Italian club
Climamio Bologna from March to June of that year.
In November returned to the Sun Kings, where he led the league in assists and earned All-CBA First Team honors.
Power/ Ball Hogs (2017–present)
In 2017, Moochie Norris was selected by
Power
Power most often refers to:
* Power (physics), meaning "rate of doing work"
** Engine power, the power put out by an engine
** Electric power
* Power (social and political), the ability to influence people or events
** Abusive power
Power may a ...
with the twentieth overall pick of the
2017 Big3 draft, while later getting traded to the
Ball Hogs
The Ball Hogs are an American men's 3-on-3 basketball team that plays in the BIG3
Big3 (stylized BIG3) is a 3-on-3 basketball league founded by hip hop musician and actor Ice Cube and entertainment executive Jeff Kwatinetz. The league consis ...
.
Coaching career
After his basketball career, Norris started giving back to the game of basketball by training and coaching the youth. He helped the basketball coaching staff at
Victory Prep Academy in Houston, TX. Currently he can still be found in Houston-area training in which he calls his "Moochie" Norris Workouts.
Huston Push (2021–present)
Norris is currently coaching
Houston Push
The Houston Push are a professional basketball team in Houston, Texas, and members of The Basketball League
The Basketball League (TBL), formerly North America Premier Basketball (NAPB), is a minor league basketball organization. The league ...
of
The Basketball League
The Basketball League (TBL), formerly North America Premier Basketball (NAPB), is a minor league basketball organization. The league began operating in North America in 2018 with eight teams, and expanded to over 44 teams as of 2022.
The Bas ...
(TBL).
Personal life
Norris was given his nickname by his grandfather, who loved the
Cab Calloway song "
Minnie the Moocher
"Minnie the Moocher" is a jazz- scat song first recorded in 1931 by Cab Calloway and His Orchestra, selling over a million copies. "Minnie the Moocher" is most famous for its nonsensical ad libbed (" scat") lyrics (for example, "Hi De Hi De Hi ...
".
Early on in his career, Norris dealt with
insomnia
Insomnia, also known as sleeplessness, is a sleep disorder in which people have trouble sleeping. They may have difficulty falling asleep, or staying asleep as long as desired. Insomnia is typically followed by daytime sleepiness, low energy, ...
, which he has suffered from for many years. He was also noticeable for his large
afro
The afro is a hair type created by natural growth of kinky hair, or specifically styled with chemical curling products by individuals with naturally curly or straight hair.Garland, Phyl"Is The Afro On Its Way Out?" ''Ebony'', February 1973. ...
: Norris became one of the lesser-known NBA players to have his own
bobblehead
A bobblehead, also known by common silly nicknames such as nodder, wobbler, or wacky wobbler, is a type of small collectible action figure. Its head is often oversized compared to its body. Instead of a solid connection, its head is connected t ...
figurine (sporting a synthetic afro) made of him while he was with the
Houston Rockets in 2002.
ESPN.com – Page2 – Moochie Norris
/ref>
References
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Norris, Moochie
1973 births
Living people
African-American basketball players
American expatriate basketball people in Canada
American expatriate basketball people in France
American expatriate basketball people in Italy
American men's basketball players
Auburn Tigers men's basketball players
Basketball players from Washington, D.C.
Big3 players
Élan Béarnais players
Florida Beachdogs players
Fortitudo Pallacanestro Bologna players
Fort Wayne Fury players
Houston Rockets players
Odessa Wranglers men's basketball players
Milwaukee Bucks draft picks
New Orleans Hornets players
New York Knicks players
Point guards
Seattle SuperSonics players
United States Basketball League players
Vancouver Grizzlies players
West Florida Argonauts men's basketball players
Yakama Sun Kings players
21st-century African-American sportspeople
20th-century African-American sportspeople
American men's 3x3 basketball players