How important should a player's size (or lack thereof) be in determining whether or not he will play? Mountain State's 7' 8" junior Paul Sturgess (shown) is the country's tallest collegiate basketball player, and he seldom comes off the bench for the NAIA school from West Virginia. He's also been diagnosed with hypertriglyceridemia, or high levels of fat in your blood, which may require surgery to correct.
Sturgess' story is remarkable because it was never really considered possible for someone his height to make it in college basketball. But here he is, playing major college ball in the mountains of West Virginia.
He's one of only two players over 7' 0" currently enrolled in Division I programs (the other is Cameron Oliver of New Mexico), and he's having a great season so far. The Mountain States Conference has announced that they are changing their tournament format this year so that the top four teams qualify instead of just the first two. This should help give Sturgess and others like him more opportunities to prove themselves.
Here's how he got here: The Mid-Atlantic Athletic Conference (which sponsors football as well as basketball) had no problem letting in a 7' 8" player, so when Sturgess showed up at West Virginia University back in 2003 after spending one season at Lincoln Memorial University, they gave him a scholarship right away. He's since added five more years to his college career.
Center Pau Gasol is the greatest and brightest. Center: Usually the tallest player on the team, the center should be able to post up offensively, meaning he should be able to receive the ball with his back to the basket and use pivot movements to shoot a variety of short jumpers, hook shots, and dunks. Defensively, the center can block shots and rebound away from opponents.
Pau Gasol is a three-time NBA All-Star player who has won two NBA championships with the Los Angeles Lakers. He also played for the Chicago Bulls and Toronto Raptors. Before turning professional, Gasol played four years at University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA).
Here are some other famous centers: Hakeem Olajuwon, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Moses Malone, Bill Russell, Shaquille O'Neal, David Robinson, Robert Parish, Dikembe Mutombo, Manute Bol, Darryl Dawkins.
The average height of a collegiate basketball player in NCAA Division 1 men's basketball was slightly under 6'5", with 6'7" being the most frequent height mentioned. Technical abilities and skills required to play basketball at the college level involve more than just shooting the ball, so overall size is also important.
In college basketball, height is highly correlated with maximum vertical leap (MVLE). The correlation is such that if we know one, we can estimate the other: MVLE = 18 + 7 * Height in inches. So, the average college basketball player is about 70 inches tall, or 1.83 meters.
The next table shows the median height for men's college basketball players over time:
Year Men's College Basketball Median Height in inches
1954-55 6'0"
1955-56 5'11"
1956-57 6'1"
1957-58 6'3"
1958-59 6'4"
1959-60 6'5"
1960-61 6'6"
Power Forward, Point Guard Small Forward, Shooting Guard More Assistance With Athletic Scholarships Exceptional (High D1) Guard for Shooting Physical Metrics: Stats: 15+ PTS/game Height: 6'4 "to 6'6" Congratulations on your accomplishment! Coach Keys: At this level, these college basketball prospects will be nationally rated and will be listed in the ESPN Top 150, Rivals, Scout, and other such publications. They will be looking for schools that can help them develop their games and become better players.
There are several different positions that can be played by a shooting guard. You should know that most colleges play two shooting guards on the floor at a time. One player can be a ball handler who can also shoot from outside, while the other one handles the defensive duties and helps out on the boards. There are many more shooting guard options available than there are small forward or power forward positions. The best way to determine what kind of player you would make as a shooting guard is to think about what kinds of people those playing the position at the college level need to be. For example, some shooting guards like to get their own shot off and create their own opportunity, while others wait for the offense to come to them and let it fly from deep.
In terms of size, shooting guards tend to be shorter than other positions but can still handle themselves on the court. They need to have good ball handling skills and an ability to make plays for themselves and others. Many shooting guards play above the rim because they want to be involved in the action offensively.
An NBA player's average height is 6'7" "That is reserved for the NBA. As a result, 6'2 "is a decent basketball height for you. Furthermore, your position is an important consideration; if you are tall, you are more likely to be a rebounder, and if you are short, you might be a guard. In general, men who play defense or have quick hands and feet tend to be taller than those who don't.
In fact, most top players are over six feet in height. If you're not, you might want to give basketball a try; it's pretty popular among men of all ages and sizes. And since most men can grow taller by wearing shoes with heels, we recommend you look into buying some size 13s (A standard shoe size, available in stores including Wal-Mart, K-Mart, and Costco).
Also worth mentioning is that women's basketball players are usually shorter than men's basketball players; the average height is about 5'10".
Finally, college basketball players are on average one inch shorter than their pro league counterparts.
The average height of an NBA player is about 6'7", with most playing between 60% and 70% of the season. A height limit is put in place by the National Basketball Association (NBA) because longer players take longer to shoot baskets and move around the court; they also tend to weigh more, which puts extra stress on their legs and backs.
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