starting five

When I was a college freshman, the starting center for our excellent division 2 varsity team was 6' 2". A few moments ago the starters for the combatants in tonight's championship game were introduced. The smallest player on the court was
6' 2".

Occasionally when I was a freshman, we would practice against the varsity. I had played against some very good players, but some of the guys on our varsity just did not miss. The drills were stunning. If you left a player alone for a jump shot, the ball would go in many more times than not. The best player on that team is now the Athletic Director at one of the NCAA Division I teams. I saw him a few years ago at a reunion. He looks like he could still suit up. He would lose 15-0 in a game of one on one against the worst player on the bench for either of the teams tonight.

Darwin had it right. We evolve. I am a shrimp now at 5' 10". Our best player in college would have played intramurals had he somehow found himself in 2012 competing to play on a competitive team. It is difficult to fathom, even for those who have played, how good the players are in tonight's championship game.