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When deciding between football and basketball, height may force Reid Travis’ hand

WASHINGTON, D.C. -- There is a lot to like about Reid Travis, the basketball player.

At 6-foot-7, Travis is built like a rock. He’s physical when battling for position in the post, he uses that strength to finish through contact around the rim, and he’s a monster heading towards the glass. In short, Travis plays the game like a football player transplanted onto the hardwood.

And that’s probably because he is a transplanted football player.

As the starting quarterback fro De La Salle HS (MN), Travis has received scholarship offers from the likes of Boston College, Iowa, Rutgers and Minnesota. He’s listed on Rivals as a pro-style quarterback, and given his size and physicality, it’s fairly easy to compare him to some of the biggest names in the NFL.

“I’d probably say Roethlisberger, just tall, standing in the pocket. I don’t do too much running,” Travis said with a laugh.

Travis has yet to make a decision on which sport he’s going to pursue in college, and while a couple of programs -- BC and Iowa -- have offered him the chance to play two sports at the next level, Travis expects to be a single-sport athlete by the time he’s attending college.

“It intrigues me a little bit,” Travis said, “but the places I want to go it’s kind of a 24-7 job to play one sport. The more I’m looking at it, it’s probably just going to be one.”

“I’m still trying to work through it. I think once I’m done with all this summer stuff in early August I’ll sit there and try to figure out what I want to do.”

Travis’ decision may have been made for him already thanks to a growth spurt that gave him a couple of extra inches. As a 6-foot-5 power forward, Travis is a quarterback that could thrive as a mid-major power forward, a workhorse that can get a double-double in the Horizon. But that added height makes a different in hoops, which is why you see Travis climbing up recruiting rankings and getting chased down by some of the best programs in the country. He’s visited Gonzaga already. Stanford is trying to get him on campus, Minnesota is obviously trying to keep the local kid local.

But that growth spurt has also changed the outlook that football teams have for him.

“Some of the football schools wanted me to transition into being a tight end,” Travis said. And if you’re not a quarterback, you’re not playing college football? “Pretty much. That’s just the position I want to play. If I have to switch I probably won’t.”

You can find Rob on twitter @RobDauster.