With Yao Ming knocked kneed to the ground and with dunk after dunk in almost every match, 5'7” Nate Robbinson was a rising star back in 2013. Without a doubt he is an animal when it comes to his athletic abilities. On entering Madison Square Garden, he started off on the bench cheering for his team till the day came when he made 34 points against Brooklyn in the playoffs of 2013. And what an awesome performance it was!
And then there is Damon Stoudamire whose impact on the whole NBA world left everyone in wonder. This rookie of the year ’96 was only 5’10” and had already won hearts with his lightning speed and high range in jump while earning the title “Mighty Mouse.”
To name a few more, there was Muggsy Bogues, who was the shortest and the fastest player in the NBA with a height of 5’3”; Slater Martin, a player in Minneapolis Lakers team, won four NBA championships between 1950 and 1954. But let’s not forget Calvin Murphy who is well known for taking down the 6’9” giant Sidney Wicks and making him bleed through the nose during a confrontation.
In our country, a 5’7” player dunking on the court is a miracle! The average height of an NBA player in today's league is 6'7". But the bar is much lower in our country. Most players below six feet cannot event touch the ring.
“Basketball is a game of height, which mainly involves one to reach up as far as possible and throw the ball through the hoop. Height is obviously an advantage for any player in this game. In my numerous years of experience as the coach for the national basketball team, I have seen the Afghan basketball team, the Indian basketball team and even the Chinese basketball team. They all have tall point guards and post guards; a fact which always created a bit of a challenge for my team. Teams with the tallest players in the court always get the rebounds. So a tall player has always been considered an asset in this sport,” states Md. Wasif Ali, National Team Coach.
“Height is an important factor but short players have time and again proven themselves to be quite dangerous in the court as well. I have seen them streaking in between giants making their way towards the ring effortlessly. But those players were experienced and well trained. Being a six footer myself I think it’s much easier for a tall player to get a score as all they have to do is take a jump shot. But short players can’t do that. Without an effective fade away shot or a fake they get blocked or miss the shot,” laughingly remarks Tarek Aziz, post guard of Bangladesh National Basketball team.
It’s apparent that players who are taller and have a larger built have an advantage in strength and in almost every other attribute of this sport. But in most cases, they lack in speed and agility. Some even lack the skills of dribbling the ball properly. They have a harder time moving swiftly across the court with the ball still in their hands. But is that all that matters in the game of basketball? Other dynamics such as ball handling, agility and speed are also taken into account.
On the other hand, shorter players complain about how the ring is too far above them to reach and how hard it is to dribble past a tall player. But the fact of the matter is, it all comes down to skills: if you’ve got ‘em, you can get ‘em!
“I have been playing since 2006 and I always had difficulty facing players who are taller than I am. For example when we played against India, they had two seven footers guarding the post and I almost always had to take an outside shot because getting in was virtually impossible. So to overcome that, I have been practicing for a long time, mostly doing weight trainings to increase my range of jump and build my core energy,” says Soyab Khan, National Team basketball player and the only six footer to be able to perform a dunk.
So, there you have it! Height does matter and it’s a gift to cherish if you are a dedicated basketball player. But to those who do not posses this advantage and find themselves amidst oblivion, you can always make up for it with determination, focus and passion.