The University of North Carolina-Asheville men’s basketball team has perhaps the most effective inbounds play in the country: the Bulldogs’ point guard lofts the ball high toward the basket, and center Kenny George either tips it in or dunks it, without leaving his feet, as his opponents leap in vain.
George and North Carolina-Asheville face No. 1 North Carolina on Wednesday.
Some things come easily on the basketball court for George, the tallest player in the country, at 7 feet 7 inches and 360 pounds. Entering the Bulldogs’ game Wednesday night against top-ranked North Carolina, George leads the nation in blocked shots per game (5.4), and he has become a fan favorite here in his junior year. Near the end of a recent overtime victory against Buffalo, George received a standing ovation for his 21-point, 10-rebound, 6-block performance.
“We tried not to go under the basket when he’s in, because it’s useless,” Buffalo Coach Reggie Witherspoon said.
A week later, on Saturday night, George’s dunk with 26.8 seconds left gave Asheville (11-3) the lead for good in a 61-58 victory at South Carolina.
But as with many of the extremely tall basketball players before him — including Gheorghe Muresan, Manute Bol and Shawn Bradley — such size brings serious drawbacks. George’s joints are under considerable stress, and everything from buying shoes to going out with his friends can be difficult.
He is too tall to fit into a driver’s seat, so he does not have a driver’s license and must ask friends for rides. When the semester ends, his father drives 650 miles from Chicago, his hometown, to Asheville so George does not have to squeeze into an airplane seat.
“I don’t hate it, but there are times I wish that I weren’t so tall,” George said.