Don’t tell 7-foot-tall twins Jacob and John Nonemacher that they are too little or too late. Four years after graduating from Flathead High School in Kalispell, Mont., John put some action to his dream of playing college basketball. He sent out 30 e-mails to college basketball coaches across the nation. Only five coaches responded. What were the other 25 thinking? (They all apparently had met their quota of twin 7-foot centers. After all, twin 7-foot centers are easy to come by. Why would they respond to yet another set of them?) Four years ago, the Nonemachers graduated from high school without any organized team experience. They were cut from the high school team as juniors. They were both only 6-8. Who needs 6-8 players in high school• It’s either 7 feet or you’re cut! Both boys continued to play in recreational leagues and would walk around their high school gym until they could find a door that was unlocked. They would play one-on-one for hours. Coach Eddie Andrist from the University of Wisconsin-Stout in Menomonie, Wis., expressed the most interest. John and Jacob went to visit the school and Andrist. Although they hadn’t had much organized coaching, Andrist liked what he saw. Andrist was pleasantly surprised at their skill level. They had good athletic ability and showed good basic fundamentals and body mechanics. That was two years ago. Last year the Blue Devils were ranked 18th in the nation for Division III basketball. This year they are hoping to be as good. John has some injuries that have slowed him some. Jacob is a preseason All-America candidate. They have even grabbed the attention of some overseas teams as well as an NBA scout or two. This is another perfect example of why kids need to continue to chase their dreams and work hard to achieve their goals. Youth coaches need to continue to encourage kids and be committed to helping them improve their skill level. Don’t write someone off too early because they haven’t reached full physical maturity. Remember that developmental maturity comes at different ages for everyone. Youth coaches need to give hope and provide opportunities for success. “Believe in yourself,” John Nonemacher said. “Coaches can make wrong decisions. They don’t know everything about you. If you want something, you need to do the work yourself. It takes hard work.” The Nonemachers want to relay that encouragement to kids. “Don’t be closed-minded,” Jacob said. “Don’t think you have to play at a Division I school. There is great competition at the Division III level.”

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