Challenge Kay Felder at Your Peril

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“I hate getting posted up. I take that personally. I always take it as a challenge when someone tries to post me up, to try to stop them. I don’t need help down there. I’m strong enough to hold my own.”

It’s November 21st. With 4:30 left in a tight game against the Windy City Bulls, 5’8, 175 pound Kay Felder accepts the challenge. He’s switched onto the 6’8, 225 pound Kaiser Gates, who demands the ball down low. Gates pounds a couple dribbles with his back to the basket, the immovable rock that is Felder absorbing every bump. The Paramount Fine Foods Centre crowd waits for help to arrive, but there’s none coming. Gates barely makes any headway on Felder, then gives up the ball. A couple passes later, Jon Octeous knocks down a three to put Windy City up 6.

Growing up in Detroit, Felder has met every challenge he’s faced head on. It’s how he was raised. Whether it was on the court, in school, or at home as a brother.

“It’s always challenges in life, and me being 5’9 (he’s listed at 5’8) I gotta fight every day,” Felder says. “I always gotta walk around with a chip on my shoulder and show what I’m capable of every day.”

With the parent Raptors needing both of its two-ways (Chris Boucher and Jordan Loyd) due to injury, 905 Head Coach Jama Mahlalela says the baby Raps are Felder’s team. But there’s been some push and pull between Mahlalela’s edict of continuous ball movement, and Felder’s score-first mentality. Felder averaged 24.1 points in his last year of college.

“That’s part of what’s taken him a while to really start to show what he can do,” Mahlalela says before the team’s previous game. Felder is putting up over 13 shots a game while shooting 38% from the field in 6 games with the 905 to this point. He’s also averaging almost 7 assists and two turnovers.

“He’s starting to feel that balance. I think that when the ball moves early in the game it’s gonna open up for him later in the game, and that’s the message, and I think he understands that,” Mahlalela says. “He’s a really smart basketball player, so having these discussions and him sort of being the coach on the floor for me, is starting to build a good relationship, and him feeling comfortable with what he can do, which is everything. Score, pass and finish.”

With 9 minutes left in the second quarter, Felder is 1-for-10 from the field. He’s forcing his game, taking contested shots you wouldn’t assume are part of his coach’s offence. But with the two-ways up in the NBA, Felder is the only 905er who can legitimately create his own shot, so he doesn’t really have a choice.

“I would definitely like to start off the game distributing, setting my teammates up, just being aggressive,” Felder says. “(But) at some point in the games where we have down moments, and we need a bucket, I feel like I’m the type of player where I could make that happen for us.”

Down 20 midway through the second, Felder gets going. He hits a tough step-back, finishes a layup through contact, then directs a two-armed flex towards his opponent.

He’s feeling it.

In the final two minutes Felder adds a floater from just inside the free throw line, then with a bounce in his step, tries a floater from just outside the charity stripe, adding about two feet of arc. Swish. Felder is now skipping like a school-kid on his way back on defence. He hits 6 of 7 shots to close the half. What was once a 29 point deficit is now 4.

But Felder’s duties go beyond scoring. Before the start of the third, with his teammates warming up, Felder gets an earnest speech from Assistant Coach AJ Diggs while staring out into the stands from the bench. Diggs’ message?

“‘Be the leader of the team, try to will us to this win in any way, shape or form’,” Felder recalls. “‘Whether it’s defence, offence, getting a loose ball. Just be that leader that I am.'”

With 3:30 left in the 4th and the 905 down 3, Felder is challenged by Gates again.

It’s another lengthy post-up. What seems like 10 dribbles go by with Gates getting nowhere. The Bulls forward finally turns to the hoop, and Roger Moute a Bidias is there to block his shot. Once again Felder’s will (and ridiculous core strength) has triumphed.

The comeback ends up falling short, while Felder scores 33 points three off the regular season franchise record.

“Overall Kay had a really good game,” Mahlalela says. “He found a way to play with a lot of poise, and a lot of excellence, and show the talented basketball player that he is.”

With the 905’s two ways potentially spending a lot more time with the big club, Felder will have to shoulder the scoring load and lead a roster lacking in professional experience.

“Kay is someone who, as a point guard, takes on that responsibility, even when Jordan and Chris are here,” Mahlalela says. “He’s a player who takes control of the game. I think it’s about his identity in putting a stamp on this game, first on the defensive side, and then secondarily what he does on offence. His ability to guard and get our players doing what they’re supposed to do will determine our success.”

The onus to lead, score, and initiate an offence predicated on ball movement is unfamiliar territory for the 23-year old. But if Felder’s past is any indication, he’s up for the challenge.