David Meisel (born, 1986) is an eccentric athlete known in Birmingham, England for his exploits on the basketball court. He stands at 6'3", wears number 13 and plays small forward.

High school career

A golf and tennis fanatic coming up as a kid, David would pick up the game of ball when he enrolled at King Edward's School, Birmingham (K.E.S.) as an 11-year-old. Putting his superior height and athletic ability to good use, Meisel started playing pick-up games with inspirational friend David Brown for endless hours in the school gym following each day's lessons.

He is seen here emulating idol Vince Carter in elevating for a monstrous, rip-roaring, rim-rocking slam dunk during a casual practice session:





In 2001, at 15 years of age and in possession of a flexible 6'3" frame and ever-improving leaping ability, "Myze" made his long-anticipated debut in organized competition. As a key contributor off the bench for the K.E.S. Under-16 Basketball team, he averaged something in the region of 9 points and 5 rebounds per game. The team won the Under-16 West Midlands championship, in no small part due to the addition of Meisel.

The impressive intangibles that David brought to the table naturally cannot be expressed in statistical form. His entrance on the scene is said by many to have taken team chemistry to an all-time high. Although inexperienced at this level, he became an instant team leader. When on the court, his defense proved to intimidate opponents, while his "baby hook shot" on the offensive end was a beautiful sight to behold.

As a testament to his greatness, Meisel was selected by coach Stuart Birch to suit up for the Under-19 squad the following year. And, as the historical run continued, the young phenom helped lead his school to the promised land again, as K.E.S. won the Under-19 West Midlands championship for 2002.

The following summer, however, his aforementioned friend, David Brown, was ousted from the institution for various undisclosed reasons. This put an end to what had been a budding dominant "Double D" duo which had been accountable for much success in a short time span. The remainder of Meisel's K.E.S. high school basketball career was uneventful, but by this time he had already begun focussing on making a name for himself in streetball.

Streetball career

David Meisel's long-standing urban influences and colorful creativity logically predicated his career as a streetball player.

Taking his skills primarily to the Selly Oak caged outdoor court during summertime, he introduced locals to an unseen brand of basketball. Playing at a frenetic pace and implementing various showboating moves, he tends to embarrass all-comers at "The Cage".

Included in his arsenal is the "killer crossover" dribble, a maneuver involving a quick directional change with the basketball, switching control from one hand to the other in a fluid motion. David is known for flooring opponents at will with this play, however in recent years he has refused to use it with great frequency.

In fact, most of Meisel's memorable moves now come above the rim. Going back to his early school days, he was always partial to attempting a showtime slam dunk, as evidenced by this spinning attack:





The 360-degree jam is one of his favorite plays, along with his trademark between-the-legs dunk -- both well-suited to drawing oohs and aahs from those watching in awe from the Selly Oak sidelines. Despite much encouragement from Cage regulars and high school teammates, he is yet to uleash a combination of the two dunks, which would be a 360-degree, through-the-legs throw-down. One day, perhaps, he will break it out.

There are many memories of sensational plays and dynamic performances by David at Selly Oak and in other parts of the West Midlands. No single story will suffice to illustrate his brilliance, but one particular summer evening in the summer of 2002 has gained widespread attention. This is when, after a hard day's work, David waltzed down to Selly Oak and stepped on to the court in his school shoes. This was an unexpected move, as he has traditionally been associated with Adidas sneakers such as these:





To make a long story short, David dominated in his school shoes. These were expensive black designer dress shoes, sleek in shape and complete with supple leather uppers and steel toe-caps. They made a crisp "clip-clop" horseshoe sound on the harsh pavement whenever he ran or jumped, and those in attendance quickly ribbed him for it, but the joke was to be on them.

Footwear doesn't matter to David Meisel. He refuses to pay big bucks for authentic Nike Shox sneakers, and who can blame him? He won exactly ALL of the games he played that night in his school shoes. By scoring points in an array of unique ways and generally showing no regard for human life, his performance prompted one on-looker to exclaim, "sure, this is David Meisel... but he's wearing his school shoes. This kid's unbelievable."

One particular play is etched on the mind of everyone who was present at that event. Facing extreme defensive pressure, David dribbled between his legs twice, slipping and nearly falling, before launching an off-balance patented fade-away jumpshot from all of thirty feet, which found the bottom of the net. "Nothin' but nylon, baby," he hollered as the ball went in. "Game, school shoes."

Nicknames

David Meisel has accumulated many different nicknames during his much-celebrated basketball career. These are some examples:

"Da Frog" -- for his jumping ability and highlight reel dunks.

"FedEx" -- because he always delivers.

"Magic Meisel" -- for possessing similar skills to Laker great, Magic Johnson.

"Myze" -- a simple abbreviation of his surname.

"School Shoes" -- for the ridiculous show he put on in his school shoes, as mentioned in the above section.

"The Germanator" -- due to the German heritage he is presumed to possess.

"Thirteen" -- it is unclear whether this refers to his jersey number or his vertical leap measurement in inches.

Other names include "Dirk Diggler", "Edgbaston's Finest" and "Rim Raper."

The future

It is unclear what the future holds for David Meisel's basketball career. At one point he was rumored to be considering attending university in the USA, to fulfill his sporting potential -- perhaps at Boston College or UMass, but he is said to have enrolled at Manchester University to focus on his studies.

Here he is shown flourishing away from the basketball court, in Business class:





Widespread hope remains that he will continue to excel as a basketball player, and perhaps one day look to ply his trade in the National Basketball Association or British Basketball League.

Now a 19-year-old seemingly a long way from reaching his athletic prime, the sky may still be the limit for this young baller.