I didn’t say all because I know there are plenty who are on the shorter side but have amazing skill, or perhaps some on the hefty side. I don’t watch too much basketball so I’m basing my question on the few live games I’ve actually seen and just students at the high school gym and such.
Anyways for the most part I notice they’re all incredibly tall and usually on the lankier side of the spectrum. What gives? I always thought it was just that they literally have exercises they do that overtime aid in their height structure and everything, or that basketball requirements really are that strict and you have to meet criteria. But yeah…please.
In: Biology
Being tall is simply a huge advantage in the game. It’s easier to shoot over opponents, and it’s harder for them to shoot over you. Tall players have a better chance of grabbing a rebound after a missed shot.
So tall people tend to gravitate to the game, since they can excel at it. When they are younger, it is simply more likely for an exceptionally tall person to be lanky. Most of their growth has been in making them taller and not overall larger.
It’s also an advantage in basketball to not be fat, since that makes it harder to move quickly and makes it much more likely that you’ll tire out running up and down the court. Basketball is a hard workout. Occasionally you’ll see a college player who is pretty chubby, but they usually don’t excel unless they manage to lose the flab or exchange it for muscle.
A lot of college basketball players work hard to add body mass in the form of muscle. Being tall is a big advantage, and being tall and muscular is an even bigger advantage.
This is particularly true when play takes the ball underneath the basket and players can use their bodies to push others out of the way. In a situation like that, the bigger/stronger player usually wins the battle for position.
If you look at NBA players, you’ll see that they tend to be larger than college players. They usually work out a lot to try to gain and maintain muscle mass. College players do too, but they simply haven’t had enough years of doing it yet.
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