12/21/24
December 22, 2009
New Jersey High School Girl Nearly Seven Feet Tall: Marvadene Anderson is just 16 years old, but the Jamaican is the world's tallest teenage girl at 6-foot-11. She's moved to the U.S. on a scholarship at Rutgers Prep, a private school in Somerset, N.J., and is learning how to play basketball for the first time. "Everyone has come up to me and asked if I play college basketball. I told them I'm only a sophomore in high school," Anderson said.
posted by rcade to basketball at 10:28 AM - 8 comments
Size alone won't cut it in basketball, though that much size is a huge advantage...but Margo Dydek wouldn't have made it if she hadn't learned to do something besides stand underneath the basket.
posted by lil_brown_bat at 02:06 PM on December 22, 2009
Kids that big at that age tend to go through knee and hip problems. It's so hard on the body to put that much strain on adjusting joints. I hope she navigates those issues smoothly and can really put that amazing frame to use.
posted by dfleming at 03:36 PM on December 22, 2009
How big was Shaq at 16? Michael Oher?
The body is an amazing thing ... if treated properly, she'll be able to handle the growth and demands of the sport. At least I'm hoping so ...
posted by Spitztengle at 04:58 PM on December 22, 2009
Ouch. I bet her joints hurt at night.
posted by aacheson at 09:22 PM on December 22, 2009
The body is an amazing thing ... if treated properly, she'll be able to handle the growth and demands of the sport. At least I'm hoping so ...
Hopefully she has stopped growing. The taller she gets, the harder it'll be for her to handle that.
posted by Ying Yang Mafia at 11:59 PM on December 22, 2009
I'm an adminsitrator of a Junior High School. One of my female students is 6'4" as a 7th grader. She plays both volleyball and basketball for us; and she is a darn good athlete at this level. She has none of the akwardness one associates with a long, lanky frame at this age. I agree with Spitz, the human body is an amazing thing.
posted by FonGu at 10:42 AM on December 23, 2009
The thing that I'd be scared about is Marfan Syndrome :-( RIP Flo Hyman -- 27 years old when she died.
posted by lil_brown_bat at 12:25 PM on December 23, 2009
Good for her. I do hope that at 16 years old, she'll be able to live a full and healthy life given her height and the fact that she'll most likely keep growing.