Re: Results of athletic testing at Chicago camp

[Kestutis.Kveraga@xxxxxxxxxxxxx (Kestutis Kveraga)]

--- You wrote:
The test revealed that St. Bonaventure point guard J.R. Bremer, who can
reportedly bench press 350 pounds despite being just 6-foot-2, was ranked by
the NBA as the top athlete tested. 
--- end of quote ---

Thanks for posting it, Mark. I just had a couple of comments about this: 

First, the notion that taller guys can bench more (other things being equal)
than short guys, encapsulated in the phrase "despite being just 6-foot-2", is
bogus. It's just the opposite, because the taller you are, (usually) the longer
your arms are, and the longer your arms are, the harder it is to bench for
biomechanical reasons with which I won't bore you. In any case, the great bench
pressers are almost invariably shorter guys with short arms. So, I'd take the
BP results for taller guys with a grain of salt. 

Second, I don't think BP is a very useful test of upper body stength for
basketball players. Horizontal pushing movements of heavy objects (i.e.
players) aren't legal or very common in basketball, unless you play for Pat
Riley. It's much more useful in football and hockey. A vertical pushing test,
such as the military (standing) press, or even something like a power clean
would be closer to what's needed in basketball. 

Kestas