223cm Hah Won`t Stop Growing Up

5cm higher than last year.

Hah Seung-jin (18, Samil Vocational High School) now stands at 223cm. He is dreaming of "invading" the NBA for the first time as a Korean basketball player. But the number will change, since he has not grown up completely.

His father Hah Dong-gee (45, 205cm), who also served on the national basketball team as a center, confirmed yesterday, "I have recently checked his height. Now, he stands 223cm." Hah was known 218cm high, which was measured last year. For the last one year, he grew up by 5cm.

The height of 223cm is not easily found even among NBA players. Only two players are taller than Hah: Sean Bradley (229cm, Dallas Mavericks) and Yao Ming (226cm, Houston Rockets). But, NBA players measure their height with sneakers on. Considering the sole is usually 2cm thick, Hah would become 225cm over there. It is a matter of time for Hah to get ahead of Yao Ming.

What is encouraging is his weight. He weighs 140kg. In other words, he is armed with height and power. On the contrary, North Korea`s Lee Myung-hoon, who is 235cm tall, failed to attract the attention of the NBA since Lee, weighing only 120kg, lacks strength.

Recently, staff members of the SFX, a US sports management company, chanced to meet Hah in person. They had known of him just as a tall guy. Once meeting Hah in person, they wished to test Hah on the spot. Then, for the next two days, they carefully checked Hah`s power, speed and skills.

NBA`s tall centers like Sean Bradley weigh usually around 120kg, lacking the stamina to wage a power play under the basket. Thus, Hah is "equipped" with all the requirements expected of a center. Shaquill O`Neal (LA Lakers), the player considered the best center in the NBA, boasts of 216cm height and 150kg weight.

There is ample room for further growth. When Hah got injured in the knee, he had his knee X-rayed. As a result, he got to know that he is like to grow more, at least medically, since his cartilage has not been closed. As long as the cartilage "engages in activities," a person is believed to grow. Ahn Byung-chul, a medical doctor working for Samsung, said, "Usually, the cartilage closes at the end of puberty. If it is constantly stimulated through exercise, it sometimes closes later." Hah said, "In preparation for taller height, I am concentrating on building up muscles." His height reached over 2m when he was in Myungji Middle School. Since that time, he got to dislike people looking at him for his height. Thus, he seldom measures his height in public.

Sang-Ho Kim hyangsan@donga.com