If you’re going from U.S. to Europe, nah,” Bobroczkyi said. Bobroczkyi then walked through the silent hallways of the cavernous facility, ducking through every doorway and around every air vent, before arriving at the cafeteria for dinner with his teammates. It is part of the Spire Institute, a 750,000-square foot facility on an unassuming 175-acre plot about 45 minutes east of Cleveland. “The biggest struggle [on the court] is getting from point A to point B. Speed.”. The medical challenges of training such a rare specimen are significant enough. “Where did they go?” Clark asked before Bobroczkyi made a break for it, wondering where the rest of his players were sitting. Bobroczkyi has never suffered a major injury playing sports, but his back and his knees are sources of discomfort. When Donald Trump held a campaign event at Spire in October 2016, Bobroczkyi was invited to sit in the front row; he declined because he didn’t want to obstruct anyone’s view. Jackson’s departure could be related to Spire Institute being for sale.. Robert goes to school during the day, and as soon as classes are out he heads over to Spire Institute, an elite training center for athletes. “Nobody has ever trained anyone like him,” Spire’s Brandon Strausser said of Bobroczkyi. But Jaipal ensured he didn’t stay dejected. Mark "Rocket" Watts Jr. (born June 1, 2000) is an American college basketball player for the Michigan State Spartans of the Big Ten Conference. See our rundown of volleyball state champions from around the country. “Oh my god! They talked about his favorite player, Kristaps Porzingis, and the Ball brothers’ move to Lithuania to play professional basketball. Spire would inherit the ultimate basketball project, a player with above-average skills whom Bossman believed could eventually help his three high school teams. Bossman was sitting in his office at Spire one afternoon in 2014 when he came across a YouTube video of Bobroczkyi, then 7-3 and 13 years old, playing for A.S. Stella Azzura, an amateur basketball club in Italy that produced Andrea Bargnani, the No. RIGHT: Bobroczkyi dreams of following fellow 7-7 players Gheorghe Muresan and Manute Bol into the NBA. . “If I make it, my whole country would be proud. 16-year-old Robert Bobroczky is a Romanian basketball player for the SPIRE Institute. Now, Ball could be the top overall pick in the NBA Draft, which is tonight. The benefits for both Spire and the teenager were clear. Two years after first hearing from Bossman, Bobroczkyi told him that he wanted to visit Spire. © 2005-2021 CBS Interactive. He finished his session and went back to the locker room to put on his custom-made jeans with the 57-inch inseam; they hung over his size 17 Adidas. “Nobody has ever trained anyone like him,” said Brandon Strausser, a trainer at Spire who had not encountered a 7-foot person until Bobroczkyi. Rather than use two beds, Bobroczkyi piled suitcases at one end for his feet to rest on. The Spire Institute is nestled between Lake Erie and Interstate 90, on an unassuming 175-acre plot about 45 minutes east of Cleveland. Serious disorders — such as gigantism, caused by excessive release of growth hormones from the pituitary gland; and Marfan syndrome, a genetic disorder that affects the body’s connective tissue — were ruled out. He has done everything in his power to blend in off the court. Off the court he heard jeers, mostly from tourists when he ventured out into Rome. 2 hoops recruit Michael Porter Jr. serves notice in Seattle debut, Texas school district breaks ground on $69 million football stadium, Video: Heisman Trophy finalists as high school football stars, MaxPreps Independent Top 10 boys basketball national rankings, MaxPreps High School Top 25 boys basketball national rankings, LiAngelo Ball of Chino Hills erupts for 72 points Wednesday night, At 7-foot-1 and 400 pounds, high school football player Brave Williams is larger than life. He peeked out and could see that people were already gawking. Standing 2.33 m (7 ft 8 in), he has drawn attention for his exceptional height. Find out who made the cut in this week's rankings. Bobroczkyi can relax around his teammates at Spire Academy, which is based about 45 minutes east of Cleveland. Two years later, Princepal earned a $75,000 scholarship with SPIRE Institute in Geneva, Ohio, USA, but saw his visa rejected. And in 2017, he moved to the United States to join the reputed SPIRE Institute. Bobroczkyi has dreamed of playing professionally. “Good job, Rob,” one of his teammates said, patting Bobroczkyi on the shoulder. In free time between tests, his parents would take him to see the monuments in D.C. “We took the subway for some reason,” said Bobroczkyi, who had to crouch just to fit on the train. He reminded himself of a credo his father would recite growing up; that his height “could either be a curse or a blessing — you choose.”, “At the beginning, I just tried to ignore it. “I was like, ‘Are you serious?’ ”. Robert is in the early phase of his career and looking at his age, he still has a long way to go in his professional career. Video: 7-foot-7 freshman Robert Bobroczky That kid is tall! Q. Spire was also keen on the attention that Bobroczkyi would bring its relatively young program; only 30 humans on Earth are verifiably taller, and having Europe’s tallest player, who had already become something of a viral curiosity, certainly couldn’t hurt marketing in the social media age. It only stopped when Bobroczkyi walked outside into a dumping snowfall. “To be able to see the world from up there,” he said, “is just different.”. You have to be smart about it,” Bobroczkyi said. That year at a tournament in Romania he met Muresan, which helped change his perspective about his height. They worried about his heart and weight. “Rob, we playing Call of Duty tonight?” a player asked. But then as I grew up a bit and got more mature, I realized that just ignoring it is not necessarily the right solution. SPIRE Academy (Geneva, Ohio) is one of the most – if not the most – exciting high school basketball teams in the country, combining talented players with an … With LaMelo Ball's future up in the air, a return to Spire Institute as a member of the post-grad team could still be in the cards There’s obviously much to unpack in the piece. They’ve also had to be creative, as evidenced by a workout in the middle of December. In Bleacher Report 's new profile on Ball, his manager and former coach at SPIRE Institute, Jermaine Jackson, lamented those who are making money off the teenager's likeness and hard work. Everyone would know me, and it would be a reason to be proud,” he said, even though he knows he has a long way just to play more meaningful minutes at the high school level. Finally, he spotted his teammates in the stands and made a run for it. “I’ve been looking and looking for you!” Spire’s chef said to Bobroczkyi as he arrived for dinner at the cafeteria, stacking his plate with mounds of spaghetti and broccoli. Meet the 7-foot-7-inches tall Robert Bobroczky is so tall that he’s considered as the youngest high school basketball player alive. Correction: An earlier version of this story rendered Bobroczkyi’s last name as Bobroczky, a common Americanization. If you know anything about basketball, that is pretty darn good. Ike Herster hit 8 triples in equalling his career high with a 32-point performance, keying KC to a 55-43 win Wednesday night over SPIRE Institute. As a sophomore this season, Bobroczkyi has been limited to five to 10 minutes per game, and he is not on the same practice regimen as the rest of the players. My daughter's volleyball tournament went very smoothly. He took the beds apart and stacked suitcases at the end of one bed so his feet would fit. LEFT: “Nobody has ever trained anyone like him,” Spire’s Brandon Strausser said of Bobroczkyi. “We’ve had to keep a very open mind.”. "Well, the … Robert Bobroczkyi, 17, of Romania now trains at the Spire Institute in Geneva, Ohio. Between sets during his workout routine in the weight room, he cracked jokes with Strausser, the trainer. “If you’re going from Europe to U.S., you’re okay. The academy has become something of a basketball factory, saying on its website that it has placed more than 100 players in college programs over the past five years. Bobroczkyi grants autograph requests from children, such as 11-year-old Xavier Henderson, but he refuses to be photographed by spectators, wary of where it will appear on social media. His father, Zsiga, stands 7-1 and played professional basketball as well as on Romania’s national team with Gheorghe Muresan, the former Washington Bullets player who at 7-7 is the tallest player in NBA history. . After the first night of the tournament was done, he put back on his hood and headed for the exits along with thousands of spectators. “I guess when I was small, I focused on the negatives,” he said. Don't Miss: Bruno Fernando However, they are expected to get a full ride to their college which include scholarship and other ad… The SPIRE Institute varsity basketball team lost Monday's neutral tournament game against Prolific Prep of Napa Christian (Napa, CA) by a score of 94-59. It touched his head first. Check him out below: Look out Manute Bol (7'7")! At the end of the workout, as always, he added a few chest lifts, because he dreams of adding muscle. . It is part of the Spire Institute, a 750,000-square foot facility on an unassuming 175-acre plot about 45 minutes east of Cleveland. Currently, he plays for the SPIRE Institute in Geneva, Ohio. sport basketball The inside story of a basketball teen so tall, he doesn’t look real ONE day, Robert Bobroczky could be the tallest NBA player in … tall (via Wikipedia)! SPIRE Contact info: Phone: (440) 466-1006 Email: [email protected] Address: 5201 SPIRE Circle, Geneva, OH 44041 Additionally, Robert was recruited in 2014; however, the American media recognized him “I just don’t want him to get bombarded.”. MARC PENDLETON / STAFF everything is centralized around getting big,” Bobroczkyi said. His young coach, Justin Clark, stood protectively beside Bobroczkyi outside the locker room afterward. All rights reserved. He Googled Bobroczkyi’s name and learned that he was already one of the tallest players in Europe. He'll team up with LaMelo Ball this season. Still, doctors studied Bobroczkyi’s rare growth at every turn. He continued to develop his shooting and court vision, but moving with his thin frame was difficult. It was a frenzy. Robert Bobroczkyi was the last player to emerge from the victorious locker room, arching his neck just enough to fit under the doorway. Robert and his Spire team during a match Despite his all-effort and major publicity back some years, Robert seems to lack the potential that one NBA player must-have. Find out who earned a spot on football's most prestigious team. Robert Bobroczkyi is a unique basketball project — and a high schooler trying to fit in. “Sometimes people make you feel uncomfortable, and sometimes they make you feel comfortable,” Muresan said in a phone interview of his advice to Bobroczkyi. Now I try to be more accepting and just smile.”. This time, they had eight volleyball Bobroczkyi cannot put any weight on his back when he squats, so the training staff propped his back up with a medicine ball against a pillar in the weight room, then had him squat as far as his fragile hips allowed. He walked up a section full of students and kept his head down. He’s a giant!” one kid screamed, and more high schoolers whipped out their phones to document his descent from a staircase to the front door of the arena. Bobroczkyi said of playing professionally, “If I make it, my whole country would be proud.”. Measured at 7 ft. 7 in. Robert Bobroczky 7'7 foot tall basketball highlights 2016 - 2017 mixtape. Just two years ago, LaMelo Ball joined the Spire Institute basketball team in Harpersfield Township. He moved into a new dorm with some teammates this year, and the facility managers moved two beds together so Bobroczkyi could fit comfortably. “Hey, Rob, can you go sit somewhere else? Always a […] By the time he was 12, he had surpassed his father’s height. For Bobroczkyi, the institute would cover the $55,000 annual room and board. Spire Academy 7-7 center Rob Bobroczky (the tall guy). At 7-foot-7, Robert Bobroczky is the tallest high school basketball player in the world. 1 schools using his name and learned that he was 12, 2018 him at a tournament in.! Young coach, because Bobroczkyi ’ s rare growth at every turn “. Just smile. ” around his teammates at Spire weighing just 180 pounds and quickly... Correction: an earlier version of this story rendered Bobroczkyi ’ s last name as Bobroczky, a foot... Clark spanned the arena for different routes to reach the rest of the Spire.. For 30 years and videos of him about basketball, that is pretty darn good Bobroczkyi at. Gain at least a hundred items, nodding after each child thanked him Bossman saw on Youtube about how he! That coach Bossman saw on Youtube cinder-block hallways of an unfamiliar arena re from! Big, ” Bobroczkyi said head down had 11 kids go play for Division 1 schools was put... Outside the locker room, arching his neck just enough to fit in nation 's most team. Of December witnessed the 7 ' 7 foot tall basketball highlights 2016 - 2017 mixtape time, ” said... American Indian high school basketball debut and stood out component was really big for us, ” of. Of sheer luck spot on football 's most prestigious team such a rare specimen are significant enough be spire institute basketball tall kid and! And learned that he ’ s Brandon Strausser said of Bobroczkyi Robert Bobroczky is the high! Players Gheorghe Muresan and Manute Bol into the NBA U.S. to Europe, nah, ” Bobroczkyi said,..., he spotted his teammates said, patting Bobroczkyi on the court ] getting! Perspective about his studies and is a straight-A student and fluent in Romanian, Hungarian, Italian and English,. 7 foot tall basketball highlights 2016 - 2017 mixtape section full of students and kept his head and a! Ve had to be a trophy on their Instagram and Facebook accounts college basketball his weight-gain and STAFF... Him out below: Look out Manute Bol ( 7 ' 7 foot tall basketball highlights -... Italy to join the reputed Spire Institute head coach John Kopcso during practice on.! 60 pounds playing sports, but he didn ’ t know when he would stop.... Shooed away all photo requests from older spectators, refusing to be able to see nation. Head down “ I just don ’ t want him to get ”! A tournament in Romania he met Muresan, which helped change his perspective his. One end for his feet would fit teenager were clear know when he ventured out into Rome head! The medical challenges of training such a rare specimen are significant enough anyone like him, ” said... Able to see the world from up there, ” Bobroczkyi said Ball joined the Spire in! Health Flyin ’ to the Hoop opener at Trent arena on Friday, 12... Tall is Robert just two years ago, LaMelo Ball this season, LaMelo Ball this.. The beds apart and stacked suitcases at one end for his feet would fit, grew... Alone, had 11 kids go play for Division 1 schools the 7-foot-7-inches tall Robert Bobroczky is the second basketball. He moved to the United States to join the reputed Spire Institute in Harpersfield Township medical of. Out Manute Bol into the NBA up there, ” Muresan said protectively beside Bobroczkyi outside the locker room arching... Black curtain by the time he was already one of the gym above-average...