that made you at least 6’4 and had a frame that could put on some good athletic muscle, you already separate yourself from 99% of the population that may want to go to college or even one day play pro ball. Then if you put in some decent hard work, you immediately separate yourself and become a D1 prospect.

Looking at football specifically (basketball is similar) think about when you are at field level at a game. Those guys are monsters. Massive frames. Now i know skill separated the best from the best, but it just makes me take a step back and think sometimes that boy oh boy these college athletes won the athletic body lottery.

I’m sure anyone who has played ball, especially football, could list a number of guys they know who could have played college ball if they were just bigger. Think about every recruiter and analyst out there when talking about HS prospects, what is the common theme. Big athletic body that they can grow into, measurable, long, etc. it all boils down to the same thing. They are taller and can put on more muscle for college and pro ball.

I share all this because as I’ve gotten older, I’ve been so amazed to think back at what I knew in HS, in college, and now as one who has growing children. Hard work absolutely goes into getting to play ball at a D1 school. I played college ball, had friends who were D1 all stars, and a few went pro; however, and this is my point - isn’t it crazy that for 99% of the college and pro players in the world, their chances to make it were decided at conception.

Again, not discounting hard work, especially not discounting those who were smaller and made it all the way by being 1 in a million talents even with smaller frames. I just acknowledge random luck and chance more as I get older and try less to attribute all my success to my hard work and instead thank God for all that I’ve been blessed with that was most likely out of my hands.