You're Never Too Small...Or Too Big

Many players seem to be obsessed with displaying and improving their leaping prowess. In the sixth and seventh grades, I couldn't jump high enough to touch the backboard. I wasn't concerned, as were my basketball-playing peers, because I was focused on skill development.

I was almost always the smallest player on the court. I was slapped with the label of being too small to excel in a sport dominated by taller, bigger opponents. I wasn't discouraged, in fact, I felt that this gave me a tremendous strategic advantage, I was underestimated by my opponents. They would take one look at me and chuckle to themselves, thinking that they were in for an easy time on the court against me.

I decided that I would mentally approach my size as an advantage. I turned the classic small-player limitations inside-out. My goal was to make my opponents wish, by the end of the game, that they were playing against a larger, taller player. I was quick, I could handle the ball, I could penetrate, I could shoot, I could play defense, and as long as I was "out in space" I had the advantage. I didn't allow other people's opinions limit me. I knew that height doesn't limit ball handling ability, or relative strength, or physical conditioning. Height doesn't determine how well you can shoot the ball. I worked on the areas that I could control and didn't worry about the areas that I couldn't.

The same mentality is true for the taller, larger player. Don't allow your height to limit your ball handling skills, or your shooting skills, or your conditioning. Work on your footwork and body control. Expand your mind. Learn to think the game as a point guard. Don't use your size as an excuse, regardless of how much-or how little-God gave you.