At first glance, Michael Oralls looks like a football player in basketball shorts. And at times, his play on the court does resemble that of a lead fullback.
If you're in his path toward a loose ball, he'll knock you on your keister to gain possession for the Purple Tornado. It's "supreme effort" said Oralls' basketball coach, Tom Collier.
"He plays with so much passion and heart, and nothing he does is an attempt to hurt another player," Collier said of his senior swingman. "He'll knock you over, but he'll also be the first person to help you up. The way he is on the court is the exact opposite off how he is off the court. He's the nicest kid; polite, soft spoken. Off the court, he has great standards and virtues that he lives by."
On the hardwood, Oralls is the second leading scorer on the three-time defending Section IV champion Tornado. While teammate and leading scorer Zan Stewart is slick with flashy skills, Oralls is a blue collar guy whose methods defy convention.
Nicely said, he's a tad unorthodox with his offensive game utilizing an array of floaters, baby hook shots, and putback baskets over bigger men that leave one scratching his head. Some of his shots fly in the face of the physical laws of gravity.
"He took a shot in a game that hit the bottom of the rim, then rolled up and over and into the basket," Collier said. "How does that happen? It's something I've never seen before, but like I've said before, with Michael Oralls, he makes the impossible happen. He just has that knack."
Oralls came into the basketball season slowed by injuries from a grueling football season. He scored way below his expected averaged, but has turned it up in the home stretch. With every game gaining importance, Oralls has found that scoring touch averaging 19.5 points a game over his last four to earn Matthews Ford and Planet Preowned Athlete of the Week honors.
"He's getting healthy, and it's taken a while for him to feel good," Collier said. "If you've ever seen him play football, you know that he plays any sport the way it should be played – all out and to win games."
That Oralls is a scoring threat is no surprise. He's a three-year starter for Norwich, and during that stretch, the Tornado are a combined 51-8 heading into Thursday night’s game against Oneonta. Ask Oralls if he knows his stats, he probably couldn't tell you. Ask him about his teams' won-loss records the past three years, he'll know that for sure.
"If Michael doesn't score and we win by 20, he's fine with that," Collier said. "He doesn't care about his statistics, all he cares about is winning. You don't find a lot of people in this world that are that unselfish. He's such an unselfish athlete, and his off-the-court decisions are just great."
Collier recalled a couple of defining Michael Oralls stories. In the seventh grade, Oralls was one of the star players on his basketball team. In one blowout, a player who had not scored a point all season was brought into the game. Collier, who was the coach on that team, left Oralls in the game. "Michael got every rebound so that he could get that kid (who hadn't scored) the ball," Collier said. "He wanted that kid to score so badly."
Now, as a varsity senior, Norwich often has intrasquad scrimmages pairing the starters against the reserves. Usually, the starters get a big lead, and as is the coaching staff's wont, they attempt to equal the playing field. The first adjustment they make is to move Oralls to the second unit.
"We'd put Michael in with the last four guys on our bench, and that team would be down a few baskets," Collier said. "With Michael on the team, the reserves would come back and win. Michael Oralls is a winner, and he's always been a winner."
Let's hope Oralls' winning approach carries Norwich into another state tournament berth.
"He's such an integral part of our team, and he does the right things on and off the court," Collier said. "I hope he and he teammates go as far as they can go this season. They deserve it."