Long or short does it really matter?

Of course it matters in a sport like Basketball, but I beleive we often get stuck in some stupid inch decider on whom can play or cant play. Its not 2,5cm which will decide that, but when many coaches have to choose they go for the centimeters. Same coaches that would say Boykins, Nate Robinson, Mugsy Bouges, Spud Webb, Allen Iverson are to short or skinny to play on the high levels.


Its been proven so many times by the shorter players that it can be done, BUT the competition for thoose spots in the rosters are so much more harder than for the player who is 205cm or compered to the player that is 220cm nearly non excisting.

The shorter player has to be sharp as hell on certain skills to make it and I think one of the biggest obsticals is their surrounding family, friends and coaches that say they cant make it because of their size.

What is making it?
If making it is just to play in the NBA or Euroleague well maybe those people are close to truth, but to me being th ebest you can be is the goal and that means playing pro ball in some country is making it, not just NBA or Euroleague. College basketball is full of shorter skilled players and just like Allen Iverson that was told he was to short and skinny to play in NBA, you can also prove them wrong.

We are to fixed on height and height really is not the biggest factor at all, since reach (hands over head straight up) is much more important and wingspan (arms out to the sides) is 100 times more important in basketball.

What do I mean, well you can be 210cm in height but only have a reach, wingspann like a player with 190cm in height, that means that the player 210cm and the player 190cm have the same actual presence on the floor.

Some years ago this has become a much bigger factor in looking for talent and looking at top level you will not find many with - in wingspann or in reach, but you will find shorter players with enormous wingspann and reach. The supertall with T-rex arms is not there anymore,, because where to head is in the air is not important compaired to where the arms are.

Example from NBA in Kevind Durrant, he is 6,9, but has a wingspan of 7,5 player that is huge in what makes him the player he is. Thats is somewhere around +18cm, if he had -18cm he wouldn`t be in NBA.

He is and old article of turkey development and how the started looking at i some years ago.
http://mirror.www.fiba.com/asp_includes/download.asp?file_id=480

Where i come from Sweden and in Denmark where I`m active right now I do believe most clubcoaches (in sweden usausally nationalteams coaches know) and player dont know their wingspann or reach, so how do the coaches know which players are most suitable for the higher levels?

Being short or shorter than most is not the end, but it maybe makes the possiblities less and instead of playing for the Los Angeles Lakers or Partizan Belgrad you might play for some other team.

Prove them wrong, dont give up, you can always become the best you can be and thats always good enough.