From 74 feet to NBA-size, high school basketball courts come in all sizes (slideshow, graphics)

Written out, the letters take up very little space. The numbers, even less. But the size of a 94- by 50-foot basketball court is anything but small.

A few high school courts in Northeast Ohio measure 94 by 50. Most measure 84 by 50. One measures a mere 74 by 42, the smallest regulation size for a high school court.

So is it the size of the court that wins for a basketball team? Or the size of the basketball team that wins on a court? Does court size really even matter?

From game plans to referees, it sure does. Every single foot of it.

Zavorek softly counted aloud, “Five, 6, 7 …” as his right pointer finger counted each tile as he stepped on it. Each square of VCT of VASJ’s cafeteria-like flooring was one foot by one foot.

That floor, though, holds a lot of memories for former Vikings point guard and current coach Babe Kwasniak, who watched his dad coach VASJ for years.

“That’s a dichotomy for me because it’s historical in Cleveland,” Kwasniak said. “My dad doesn’t want to change it. I think it’d be good for us.”

Zavorek continued to count aloud, then finally looked up: “84 by 50.”

Ten feet. That’s the difference between the basketball court at Villa Angela-St. Joseph and most high schools compared to the 94×50, normally referred to as a college floor or pro-size court.

Those 10 feet divide the court of old from the court of new and, for most schools, the future.

Do you think there should be a regulated size? Share your thoughts here in our High School Sports Question of the Day.

Do you think there should be a regulated size? Share your thoughts here in our High School Sports Question of the Day.

St. Edward basketball coach Eric Flannery said he sees a pro-size court as the one to prepare for down the road.

This is a 74 by 42 court.

This is an 84 by 50 court.

This is the 94 by 50 court.

Here is a 74 by 42 court surrounded by the gym walls or bleachers at Max Hayes.

This is an 84 by 50 court with the smallest and largest margins we found.

This is an 94 by 50 court with the smallest and largest margins we found.

“With athletes becoming bigger, I think the game needs to have a bigger floor just for that purpose alone,” Flannery said.

Flannery’s Eagles play on an 84×50 court, but play a lot of their away games on a pro-size court.

“Quite frankly, I think we play better on bigger floors because of the tightness of the high school floor and being used to that,” Flannery said.

Brush boys basketball coach Jayson Macauda said his 84×50 court is in a gym that’s “old. Real old.” Macauda said he sees the extra 10 feet at away games being a difference for his younger players and post players.

“It’s just those extra steps,” he said. “If they get in the open court with the ball and now all of a sudden instead of going maybe two or three dribbles, they’re going four or five.”

Macauda, who likes to press, doesn’t like an expansive court because there’s more space and teams can swing the ball farther, leaving players tired after just a short time pressing. The same goes for Cleveland Heights boys coach Andy Suttell, whose team also plays on a high school size, and won’t press on a pro-size court so the opponent can’t attack.

Neither one would be in favor of expanding their court if given the chance. They’ll stick with the press for as long as they can. As far as court renovations go, though, they’re in the minority. Most coaches said, given the opportunity and the money, they would expand their court to 94×50.

Mentor already had that opportunity. Cardinals boys basketball coach Bob Krizancic created a mantra to go with his NCAA-regulation court: “We wear teams down.”

“Big guys can get from one end to the other a little quicker on a 84×50,” he said. “(Those big guys) tire especially going 40, 50, 60 times a game (on a 94×50). A 94×50 is a major benefit to the way we play.”

Mentor girls basketball coach Steve Thompson says it’s the same for his team.

“All things being equal, every time we run them down the floor they’re running 10 more feet,” Thompson said. “Come fourth quarter, it seems to me though, our team is in better condition.”

The Ohio High School Athletic Association follows the guidelines of the National Federation of State High School Associations, which states the “optimum length” is 84 feet by 50 feet, but can be as small as 74-feet long.

In the playoffs, however, all games must be played on the NFHS’s optimum tournament length — between 84 and 94 feet. A rundown of previous boys and girls regional tournament games across the state shows most courts were on the larger end, including the state title games at Ohio State’s 94×50.

Jerry Snodgrass, an OHSAA assistant commissioner and the head of basketball rules and regulations, said he foresees issues presenting themselves locally with the Northeast Ohio Board adopting blended districts. Beginning this season in Division I, boys and girls coaches had the choice between two district sites during tournament seeding meetings.

“When you’re talking about coaches that will split hairs to win a ball game, those are some of the hairs they look at splitting,” said Snodgrass, a former coach at Findlay.

It turns out, though, often what’s harder than that 10-foot difference between courts is what surrounds those boundary lines.

According to NFHS rules, at least three feet of unobstructed space is required from sidelines to bleachers, and baselines to walls or stages. The preferred amount of space, though, is 10 feet. Many area schools have four feet, while others boast space of 25 feet or more.

What can schools do about the size of their court and the space surrounding it? Not much without money.

LeBron James donated $1 million to St. Vincent-St. Mary to renovate his former high school gym over the off-season.

“One of the things that I made sure of was that LeBron was going to work out on the size court that he plays on every day,” Irish boys basketball coach Dru Joyce said. “At first they were going to make it an 84×50 and I was like, ‘Wait a second. This isn’t what he wants, nor what’s good for the program.’”

Does the size of the court matter or have an effect on the development of a player? Ohio State men’s coach Thad Matta said no.

“It’s probably a mixture of both,” Matta said. “But I don’t know if there’s an advantage to it either way.”

The players aren’t the only ones running the extra or fewer 10 feet, though. There are also the referees. Two referees coordinators who assign games said the size of the court doesn’t make any difference. Said Keith Walker, the Suburban League coordinator, “I hope if (the referees) can run on an 84, they can run on the 94. That’s not something that goes into consideration.”

There is one court, though, on which few players or referees need to worry about the length they run.

“Welcome to the smallest court,” Joseph Redd said as he laughed, then leaned against the railing and looked down on a group of girls basketball players dribbling to halfcourt.

“You take almost any kid in the area, and he can get to halfcourt in two dribbles,” he said. “I know. I’ve counted.”

Redd is the boys basketball coach at Max Hayes, home to what is likely the smallest court in Cleveland. Official measurements? 74 feet by 42 feet.

Multiple ceiling lights are blown, one practice basket is permanently stuck in a semi-lowered position and there’s a water-damaged spot along the sideline where Max Hayes places its bench. A coach’s box? Forget about it. There’s barely any room for Redd and his players to put their feet when sitting on the chairs.

Forty miles south of Max Hayes sits a new cathedral, complete with a timeline of the man who gave all the money for the gem – er – gym to be built.

No food or drink is allowed inside the LeBron James Arena. The lighting is a photographer’s dream. Postgame, no one is allowed to walk on the court. The team bench is complete with cup holders.

Regardless, a court is a court. No matter the size or the look or the atmosphere.

Some are big. Some are small. Most have wood floors, but one still looks like a cafeteria floor.

Some have stages beyond the basket. Others are on stages. Others, on many cold winter nights, are “the stage.”

The ball still dribbles. The sneakers still squeak. The game is still won or lost.

But Hickory coach Norman Dale in “Hoosiers” was right. As his team looked around the court at the state championship game in Hinkle Fieldhouse, he made his player hold a tape measure to measure the court.

It’s still 15 feet from the board to the free throw line, 10 feet from the rim to the floor. Those exact measurements can be found in gyms across America. Even if some do make you whisper as you walk off the court, “It is big.”

Contact high school sports reporter Stephanie Kuzydym by email ([email protected]) or on Twitter (@stephkuzy). Or log in and leave a message in the comments section below.