Travis Diener: Measuring Up

So what do you think the first thing the media asked wispy Magic draft pick Travis Diener, who must have been wearing a pair of soaking wet basketball shoes when they measured him at 6-foot-1 and 165 pounds?

No, actually, it wasn't about his unintimidating frame or whether his choirboy looks -- not to mention deadeye jump shot -- had ever been compared to that of former NBA all-star Mark Price.

In fact, it was a good five or six questions before reporters broached the subject of Diener's size -- or lack thereof -- which could be a good sign that people finally have gotten away from the notion that point guards must come in packages 6-foot-4 or larger to be effective in the NBA.

Diener fits in the category of NBA point guards 6-1 and under that includes Price, John Stockton, Tim Hardaway, Mike Bibby and Tony Parker, just to name a few. These are guys who can handle the ball, deliver the pass and get their shot if they have to.

Diener doesn't have anything like the track record that group does, but he's trying to get there. He had four assists, went 4-for-4 from three-point land and didn't commit a turnover in the second game of the Magic's summer league season, an early indication that his size won't be an issue.

"I've been fighting the size issue all my life," Diener said. "I'm not afraid of anyone. I'm not going to back down from somebody bigger than me. This game is about producing -- what do you do for your team -- that really makes the difference."

The Magic have tried the "big" point guard project, drafting 6-5 Jeryl Sasser and 6-6 Reece Gaines in the past five years. The thinking seemed obvious: get a ballhandler and playmaker who can also stand tall at the defensive end of the floor and you've got something special.

What they discovered, however, is that if you're trying to find someone to direct your team, you don't always need to look up.

"When you look at Travis, you might be worried about his size, but he's an absolutely fearless player who's out there playing at 100 miles an hour all the time," Magic Coach Brian Hill said. "He's an excellent decision maker with great range on his shot. I'd say he's a classic throwback player."

That's not surprising, given his upbringing. His father and uncle were both successful high school basketball coaches in Wisconsin and his cousins, Drake and Drew, were high school teammates who went on to earn Division I scholarships. Even his sisters, Rachel and Brittney, were good enough to earn college scholarships.

"Basketball is obviously pretty important in my family," Diener said. "I guess you could say we are all stereotypical coach's kids. We shoot pretty well, we're real strong on fundamentals and we try to do whatever is best to help our team win."

Diener also was a baseball star in high school, good enough to get some attention from colleges that thought he might be interested in playing both sports. Basketball, however, always was No. 1 with him.

"I love baseball, but it gets a little too relaxed out there sometimes," he said. "I prefer the up-and-down pace of basketball. I like something where there's action all the time."

That pretty much describes Diener's style of play. He is a creative point guard with a nice flair for passing and a jump shot that can be lethal.

He burst into the national spotlight his sophomore season at Marquette, the year the Golden Eagles made their stunning run to the Final Four. He was the star the first two rounds of the NCAA Tournament, leading the Golden Eagles in scoring with 29 and 26 points in wins over Holy Cross and Missouri.

After that, a teammate by the name of Dwayne Wade took over as Marquette upset No. 4-ranked Pittsburgh and No. 1-ranked Kentucky to earn a berth in the Final Four for the first time since Al McGuire coached them to the NCAA title in 1977.

"That run to the Final Four was the most exciting time in my life," Diener said. "I had a couple of good games, but there is no doubt Dwayne was the man. He carried us and opened a lot of people's eyes with the way he played then."

Diener and Wade remain good friends. Wade was one of those who offered encouragement after Diener's senior season ended prematurely because of two broken fingers on his left hand.

The hand obviously healed as Diener proved in pre-draft workouts with 13 teams. He went head-to-head with other draft prospects like Salim Stoudemire of Arizona, Luther Head of Illinois, Florida's Anthony Roberson and Notre Dame's Chris Thomas in workouts all over the league.

"That's the first thing you notice about this level: every guy you're playing against was 'The Man' on his team," Diener said. "Every guy dominated the game at the college level so you better be ready with your best stuff if you're going to compete."

On draft night, he and 200 friends gathered at the family's restaurant in his hometown of Fond du Lac, Wisconsin. When the announcement came that he was chosen 38th overall by the Magic, the place erupted ... and his cell phone rang. It was Wade offering congratulations.

"That was a pretty incredible night," Diener said. "I've talked to Dwayne a couple of times since then and he's always giving me advice and encouragement. "It's pretty unrealistic to think that I'm going to come in here and have the same kind of impact he's had on the NBA, but I'll try to do some of the things he did. I like to play an exciting, energetic style of basketball. I'm not going to be asked to score as much as I did in college so I can concentrate on things like passing, diving after loose balls, taking charges ... anything that needs to be done to help the team win."

So what was the first thing reporters asked him about when he arrived in Orlando?

"The weather," he said, smiling. "It was raining that day and somebody said I brought it with me from Wisconsin."

Bill Fay, an Orlando freelance writer, has covered the Magic since their inaugural season.

This article originally appeared in the August 2005 issue of Magic Magazine.