Connor Vanover is listed at 6-10 in the 2014 AAU boys basketball media information packet, but don't believe it.
"Without shoes, I'm 7-foot and 1/4 [inches]," said Vanover, a 14-year-old who will enter Arkansas Baptist High School as a freshman this fall. "With shoes, I'm about 7-1."
Vanover will be one of the tallest players competing in the boys AAU 15-and-under national tournament, which began Thursday and continues through Monday at different sites throughout Pulaski County.
Vanover stands head and shoulders above most of his teammates and opponents, but his AAU coach said height isn't Vanover's lone strength.
"You can't coach 7-feet, and that's the awe a lot of people see," Wings 15U Elite Coach Leighton McCrary said. "On the floor, it's even better because I can tell you what he can do, and that's shoot it. And I'm not being funny. He can shoot the three, and he's very good at shooting from the high post.
"He does some fundamental things well that many kids don't."
Vanover said he is used to getting the same reaction from people who have never seen him. He gets asked how tall he is, and some even want to have their pictures taking with him.
"It's like he's already a celebrity," McCrary said.
Vanover is taking it all in stride. He said he plans to keep working on his game while getting stronger.
"I've been working with the trainers on my speed, balance and stuff like that," Vanover said. "I've been trying to gain weight, but it's hard."
"His metabolism keeps him from gaining a lot of weight, but we're trying to keep him in the habit of lifting weights," McCrary said. "It may not appear that it's helping him right now, but hopefully if he keeps working out that eventually his metabolism will slow down and he'll get stronger."
Vanover isn't the tallest player McCrary has coached. While on staff at Arkansas State, McCrary had a first-hand look at Alan Bannister, a 7-4, 300-pound center from Great Britain who eventually had a brief stint in the NBA with the Utah Jazz.
"At this point, they really don't compare," McCrary said. "Al was thicker, but he was in college and had a few more years on him. ... I would bet Connor is a better shooter. Al was just an OK shooter. [Vanover] can stroke it.
"When I first saw [Vanover], I was more in awe of his shooting. He's not just a pump it up there from the chest, he's got very good form and a very good touch. ... He can pass the ball. He can see over people and pass the ball. There's a difference between seeing the person and hitting him at the right time. ... You can't coach that. ... Instincts and height are things you can't coach."
Vanover and his Wings Elite teammates were scheduled to play in Thursday's semifinals of the AAU Super Showcase, but heavy rain fell Thursday afternoon and a leak in the Philander Smith College ceiling forced officials to postpone that game until 8 a.m. today.
The Showcase finals will be played afterward.
Sports on 07/11/2014