Kenny George, the tallest man in NCAA college hoops (standing at a ridiculous 7 ft 7) is not going to be playing for UNC Asheville next season due to a foot injury. He had to have multiple surgeries on his foot due to an infection and is still under the care of a doctor. I would imagine that being that tall affects your circulation and also the ability to fight infections in the extremities.
My friend Nick sent me a link to this article on my Facebook wall last week and it made me really sad. Nick and I went to the the UNCA vs Carolina game last year the Dean Dome. We had been reading about Kenny George all week. Anticipating seeing the giant in action. I had figured he would be slow and extremely awkward;how could anyone who is 7’7”, 370 lbs, and a size 28 shoe (!!!) not be? UNC Asheville players filed out for warm-ups and there he was in all his gargantuan glory. Let me tell you this, he is even bigger than you could imagine. He dwarfed even our largest players. Made Tyler Hansbrough’s 6 feet 9 inches look like a palty 5’6”. He was warming up with a strength coach who was easily 6’6” and he only came up to Kenny’s mid-chest.
I am super-sad that he wont be playing this year. He was the Big South Defensive Player of the year last year averaging 5.4 blocks per game and in 2006-07 he lead the NCAA with 69.6% field goal percentage. This is because his reach is EASILY over the basket. He doesn’t dunk: he drops the ball in from his advanced height, as I might do to a child’s plastic bball hoop. Unsurprising, as his wing span is 8 freaking feet and 6.5 inches!! WTF? I would wager a bet that this helps his blocking stats as well…
This only made Tyler Hansbrough’s dunk on him all the more impressive. For most of the game, Carolina players just bounced off his chest, stared up at him, shook their heads in frustration (and sometimes amusement. It really was comically ridiculous how these normally super-tall guys were dwarfed for probably the first time since puberty) and tried their damnedest to get around him. Shots were blocked. His sheer physical presence was an obsticle in itself. And then it happened. You could see it from the stands. The determination to dunk on the giant. Tyler slammed that ball down and the whole crowd went freaking ballistic. It was one of my favorite moments ever in the Dean Dome. (And for those of you who didn’t see it, the YouTube video)
And this is why it was so sad to hear that Kenny wont be playing next year. He is a talented player but also he’s just this awesome force for other players to try and overcome. He can dominate a game, or a great player from another team can have the ultimate moment and take him on. It’s really a win-win situation. I hope he makes a full recovery and gets back to UNC Asheville in fine form. Get well soon Kenny George!