Philip Alexander Goss (born April 7, 1983) is an American former basketball player. At a height of 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) tall, he was able to play at both the point guard and shooting guard positions.
High school career
Goss played for his local Oxon Hill High School, with which he won the Class 4A Maryland State Championship in 2000. He was named All-Met Second Team by The Washington Post, in 2001.
College career
Goss committed to play college basketball at Drexel College, of the Colonial Athletic Association (CAA), and the NCAA Division I, prior to the signing of head coach Bruiser Flint, in April 2001. He started 27 of 28 games he played as a freshman, and averaged 11.4 points, 2.9 assists and 1.7 steals per game, in nearly 30 minutes played per game. He was named to the 2002 CAA All-Rookie team.
In the 2002–03 season, his school record 90 made three-pointers - later beaten by teammate Dominick Mejia - combined with an 11.5 scoring average, helped Drexel reach the 2003 CAA tournament final, that they would lose 62–70 to UNC Wilmington. They again lost to UNCW in 2003–04, that time in the quarterfinals. Goss' 13.6 points, 2.4 assists and 2.1 steals, in around 32 minutes per game, earned him a place in the 2004 All-CAA First-team.
Goss led the Dragons in scoring, with an average of 14.4 points per game, in 2004–05. However, his 18 points scored in the CAA Tournament quarterfinal, against Hofstra, could not stop Drexel from losing. Thus, a disappointed Goss never played in the NCAA tournament. He was selected to the All-CAA Second Team. Drexel's opening round loss in the 2005 National Invitation Tournament - which marked their third consecutive appearance in the NIT - was his last collegiate game. As of 2014–15, he was 12th on the Drexel all-time career scoring list (1,473 points), second for career 3-pt made field goals (306), and fourth for career steals (166).
Professional career
After not being selected in the 2005 NBA draft, Goss moved to the Netherlands, signing with the Polynorm Giants of the Dutch Basketball League, which was the first offer he received. In the 2005–06 season, he averaged 9.4 points, 3.4 assists and 3.1 steals, in more than 35 minutes per game. He also played in the league's All-Star Game.
The next season, he signed with Beykozspor, of the more competitive Turkish Basketball Super League. Playing for the lower table team, he managed to average 13.9 points, 4 assists (10th best in the league), and 4 rebounds per game, in the 2006–07 season.
Goss next moved to the Israeli Basketball Premier League, signing with Eldan Ashkelon. After breaking his nose in the first regular-season game, he found it hard to fit into the team, and disagreements with the club's management led to him leaving the team in February 2008. He finished the season in the Polish Basketball League, with AZS Koszalin. With the Polish club, played in 16 out of 18 games as a starter, and contributed 12 points per game, as the team made the league's playoffs.
In 2008, the American shooting guard moved to the Italian second division side Coopsette Rimini Crabs. Playing in what he described as, "the best league he'd played in", Goss flourished, becoming one of the league's best players. He finished the season with averages of 17.6 points, 3.4 rebounds, 2.9 assists, and 3.8 steals per game. He was the fourteenth best in the league in scoring, and first in steals during the regular season.
In August 2009, Goss moved to another Italian second division side, Bialetti Scafati. He had a good season there, contributing a league second-best 21.2 points per game (hitting 44.9% on three-point shots), adding 4.9 rebounds and 2.8 assists, in nearly 36 minutes per game, over the regular season. He posted slightly lower but still good figures in the league's playoffs, although Scafati lost at the quarterfinal stage.
Goss next moved up to the Italian first division LBA, signing with Cimberio Varese for the 2010–11 season. He finished his first Italian top division season with averages of 14.8 points, 3 rebounds and 3.8 assists per game, in 33 games.
The next summer, in August 2011, he moved to the French Pro A, joining ASVEL. Despite a good start, including scoring 25 points in the EuroLeague qualifier against Gravelines, Goss soon came into conflict with the club's head coach Pierre Vincent, who pulled him out of a game after 3 minutes, citing a lack of collective discipline. After averaging 9.1 points and 2.5 assists, in 23 minutes per game in the French league, with averages of 8.9 points and 2.3 assists in the same amount of playing time in the European second-tier level EuroCup, Goss parted ways with ASVEL in March 2012, and rejoined Varese.