Height no deterrent in playing Basketball: Muggsy Bogues

New Delhi: He might have "no idea" about seven-feet tall Satnam Singh in the Indian ranks but the shortest player ever to have featured in the NBA, Muggsy Bogues of USA, believes height is never a deterrent in pursuing Basketball if one`s fundamentals are strong.

"Satnam Singh, I was reading about him on my way, I had no idea about a seven-feet kid playing for India," said the five-feet three-inch tall Bogues. The hoopster, who started his professional career with the Washington Bullets in 1987, said it was the commitment towards sport which makes you the player you are. "You have to start young if you want to be a part of the sport. Kids learn very fast, you have to learn the skills and pursue them. If your basics are sound you are going to make a good player. You don`t need to be seven or eight-feet tall to play the sport," said the former NBA player. Bogues, who turned 47 today, said thinking too much about your height can have a telling effect on your career and insisted that you need to play around your strengths. "I never wanted to be tall. I always knew I will be short heighted, my mom is about four-feet five, my father is five-feet two, my sister is about four-feet eight.” "If you think too much about your height then ... I never feared the taller opponents, if they were good at shooting, I was good at stealing and dribbling around. If I would have feared at any point of time I would not have been here infront of you talking about the game," insisted Bogues. When asked about the contemporaries like Magic Jhonson and Shaquille O`Neal, the hoopster said they had a specific role to play for their teams while I had my own duties to accomplish. "If I had feared my height I might never have been able to play alongside them. They had their own roles to perform while I had my own for my ball club," the veteran said. PTI