http://www.calbears.com/SportSelect.dbml?DB_OEM_ID=30100&SPID=126529&SPSID=749499&DB_OEM_ID=30100

Opinions, please. I posted this by mistake on Bear Insider, yesterday. GO BEARS!

What i think is that height is different for many people. Myself, i have a long body but short legs. So if i sit down at a theatre, i appear to be taller than I am. Long waisted is the term.As we can see, Courtney has her length in her legs and Davidson in her trunk.

Good point, wvitbear. I was going to speculate that Davidson appears to be 6-4 like Anigwe. Chen Yue appears to be 6-6. KC Waters & Mikayla Cowling look as if they're 6-1. Gabby Green and Courtney Range appear to be the same height: 6-3?

More and more, basketball people are looking at wingspan as almost as much as height to determine effectiveness. And of course the ability to jump high doesn't hurt.

IMHO our players are tall enough, and an inch one way or the other will have less effect than differences in skill and athletic ability. Ashley Walker was a force inside even though she might not be quite 6 feet, and Gennifer Brandon at a lean 6'1" or 6'2" was the best rebounder I've ever seen at Cal.

Good rebounding reflects attitude and determination. Ashley had both in spades; Gennifer, perhaps, not quite enough.

They shouldn't measure height rather reach. Let them see how high their reach is. Why the height of someone head is used as a criteria is a mystery. You seldom see anyone shoot baskets or block shots with the top of their head.

puget sound cal fan;842587762 said:

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Good rebounding reflects attitude and determination. Ashley had both in spades; Gennifer, perhaps, not quite enough.

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Wait -- what??

what does this even mean?...

puget sound cal fan;842587762 said:

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Good rebounding reflects attitude and determination. Ashley had both in spades; Gennifer, perhaps, not quite enough.

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Really, what is your point here? Are you saying that Walker was a better rebounder than Brandon? And that it was because Brandon's attitude and determination were somehow lacking?

Please clarify - cause this doesn't make much sense to me....

I thought Ashley Walker was one of the best rebounders I have seen. If she had been 6-4 (or even 6-2) instead of 6-0, she would be playing in the WNBA right now.

Rebounding is a lot about attitude and determination and physicality, but it's also about having that feel for the ball in the air. Some of the best rebounders I've had are small players, even though they may not get as many rebounds as taller players who just stick their hands up. (On my Bentley team this year, probably the player with the best knack and feel for rebounding is Julia Jung, my point guard who says she's five feet tall. She won't lead us in rebounding, but she'll get rebounds you never expect her to get ... and that's my definition of a good rebounder.)

The classic "beast on the boards" is a great role for winning basketball... creates more opportunities especially when accompanied by effective outlet passing. But like team defense, it lacks the glamour most young men and women seek. Kids fantasize taking the last shot at the buzzer, not a box-out. 6' 0" Danielle Mauldin cleaning the boards for Saint Marys a few years ago comes to mind. ironically, I though guard Chris Mullin was an unappreciated rebounder on Warrior's teams.

ClayK;842588086 said:

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I thought Ashley Walker was one of the best rebounders I have seen. If she had been 6-4 (or even 6-2) instead of 6-0, she would be playing in the WNBA right now.

Rebounding is a lot about attitude and determination and physicality, but it's also about having that feel for the ball in the air. Some of the best rebounders I've had are small players, even though they may not get as many rebounds as taller players who just stick their hands up. (On my Bentley team this year, probably the player with the best knack and feel for rebounding is Julia Jung, my point guard who says she's five feet tall. She won't lead us in rebounding, but she'll get rebounds you never expect her to get ... and that's my definition of a good rebounder.)

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Clay,

I didn't get to see very much of Ashley and I wouldn't disagree with your assessment (--and Puget Sound has chosen to remain silent, so I guess we won't really know what his post was intended to mean), but I would also be curious then how you would rate Genn among the top rebounders?...

Obviously, she had great leaping ability - though it's often the quickness of the jumping and not the height that makes a great rebounder, and I would argue that that requires its own kind of focus and determination (especially when getting off the floor multiple times to corral one board), which Brandon had in spades.

I also thought her knack and anticipation was excellent too. She has a couple inches on Walker but is not especially tall, and is still lighter than Ashley so could get pushed around a little and had to work around that. In limited time though, I think she showed she could rebound at an elite pro level (and is currently leading her Bulgarian league by a large margin - but I have no idea of the quality of competition); and if Genn had some more of Ashley's scoring skills, she would probably still be playing in the W as well.

I might also add to your definition of great rebounder that sometimes it's when everyone does expect her to get the rebound -- and the other team can't stop her anyway. It used to be fun to see opposing coaches throw up their hands or shake their heads in disbelief when Brandon would do that.

Boyd is also a good example of a great rebounding pg. I thought she was Cal's best rebounder last year, and she's still been able to do it at the WNBA level too.

I thought Gennifer Brandon was an excellent rebounder, and her size made her special. That's why she was in the WNBA this year, but her complete inability to put the ball in the basket no matter how close she was to the rim was a killer. If she could ever learn to even make follow shots, she'd have a long WNBA career.

Brittany Boyd was also a good rebounding guard, but guards' rebounding depends on the system. Some teams emphasize offensive rebounding and are willing to give up the occasional transition basket; others (like the San Antonio Spurs) are more focused on controlling transition and won't allow their guards to crash the boards.

Hmmm, sorry but you can't teach height, so all things being equal the taller/longer players are going to end up playing as the level of basketball gets more difficult.

califan;842588875 said:

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Hmmm, sorry but you can't teach height, so all things being equal the taller/longer players are going to end up playing as the level of basketball gets more difficult.

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Very true. Basketball is a game that rewards the tall ...

I am going to make what could be construed a sexist statement, and if I offend anyone I apologize in advance.

One very competitive fellow I attend games with always tells people he is 5' 11". He's barely 5'10". I don't argue, are you kidding? :-)

I think in our female objectification culture, there is a tendency for women to underestimate their size publically.

Wingspan is probably more relevant anyway - remember long Louella Tomlinson from Australia?? On the other hand, tall with extremely long limbs can be a sign of Marfan's Disease which is a serious sometimes fatal condition.

Length, the late great Manute Bol comes to mind, is mostly an advantage on defense vs. the opponents inside and fast break game (the long player needs to get back, sacrificing the offensive side.) It doesn't help unless the player will do the unglamorous hustle and footwork.