"Never give up": Teen with rare disorder inspires team

HILLSBORO, New Hampshire - Whoever says size matters hasn't met 14-year-old Tristan Wilmott.

He's only 3 feet 5 inches tall, but he's still taking the court for his high school's JV basketball team.

"I know I'm small but I'm 14 and I want people to believe I am my own age," Tristan told CBS Boston's Paul Burton.

He's a freshman and plays JV basketball for the Hillsboro-Deering High School Hillcats.

Tristan suffers from a rare condition called mulibrey nanism, a genetic growth disorder that is a form of dwarfism. "Mulibrey" is an acronym that stands for (MU)scle, (LI)ver, (BR)ain, and (EY)e, because the disorder affects those organs as well as height, the National Institutes of Health explains.

"He's not going to get very tall," Tristan's mom Jessie Wilmott said, adding that her son will likely only reach about four feet tall.

But Tristan's small stature does not stop him from the playing the game he loves.

"I've been looking forward to playing my whole life. I have 14 points so far this season," Tristan said.

On the court his teammates rally around him.

"When he scores all the crowd goes wild," teammate Kyle Brown says.

Tristan admits he still has a lot learn about the game of basketball and that he "always" gets beat. But what does he do then? "Get back in the game," he said.

He credits his mom for her support. "She teaches me never to give up and don't quit," Tristan said.

Tristan says that while he loves to run and shoot the ball, what he enjoys most is playing with his teammates.

"It's good sportsmanship and everything. That's why I like it," Tristan said.