Height Makes Right

Dear Coach,

I wanted to consult you on what height to list for college recruitment purposes. I am currently an outside and would hope to be able to play for a mid-level division 1 school. In my shoes I measure just shy of 5'9 1/4" (so about 5'9.2"). Could you please tell me if I should list myself myself as 5'9 or 5'10? I get the height in shoes thing, but I was looking for advice on how to round my height in shoes. I don't want to fudge numbers, but at the same time I don't want to put myself at a disadvantage. 

Also, my standing reach is 7'4" and my approach is really really good at almost 9'7. 

Thank You So Much!

J.W.

List yourself at 5'9" - Sure, 5'10" sounds better but that is a generous round-up in shoes (or get taller shoes?).

Touching 9'7" is solid but not great for Division I (just being honest) - You don't say what year in school you are are, so maybe you still have time to get that approach jump up a bit - Generally speaking, each year players tend to add 1 to 2 inches to their jump just by getting older and stronger.

More important than height or approach jump, as an outside hitter is your passing ability and your attacking ability.  Being a very good passer is an obvious statement, but being a good hitter is more than hitting hard; as an outside, it is hitting smart.

Average sized players, no matter what category or level of play, need to have complete, higher level, well rounded skill sets.  You need to be able to do everything good; not great but also not average.  Being average sized and having average skill sets, is going to leave you with average opportunities in college.