Giants Come in All Sizes

By Zig Ziglar

In today’s world the typical college basketball player is so tall they can look a giraffe eyeball-to-eyeball. For that reason, Keith Braswell, standing just four feet, eleven and one-half inches tall, making the Dayton University basketball team is little short of unbelievable. He’s the shortest player in the school’s history by two-and-a-half inches. This Flyers’ player looks up to Muggsy Bogues who is all of five feet three and plays in the NBA for the Charlotte Hornets. He’s considerably shorter than Spud Webb, who was the first truly short player to make the NBA.

Perhaps the most remarkable thing is that he made the team as a walk-on. He was incredibly quick, had a great three-point shot, was an excellent ball handler and was even pretty good at rebounding. Part of his success is summed up in a comment by a competitive coach, Mike Calhoun from Eastern Kentucky who simply says that “Keith has a big heart,” and “his passion and enthusiasm excite the crowd.”

The neat thing about the Keith Braswell story is the fact that he gives both men and women of short stature - and for that matter, people who have perceived disadvantages or disabilities - that all-important ingredient called “hope.” All of this to say that it’s relatively easy to put a person on a pair of scales and tell exactly how much they weigh. You can line or stand them up straight and measure their exact height. But what is impossible to measure are those human qualities that coaches constantly refer to as “heart.” Like the old saying goes, “It’s not just the size of the dog in the fight, it’s the size of the fight in the dog.” In short, when we recognize, use and develop that which is inside of us to the fullest capacity, it’s amazing what we can do with our lives. Keith is a hope-builder, and with enough hope.

Courage - Desire - Choice - Personal Best