Great story out of Manhattan College where coach Barry Rohrssen has signed Kevin Laue, a 6-foot-10 center born without a left hand.
“For all the right reasons, Kevin deserves this chance,” Rohrssen told The New York Times. “He’s someone who won’t take this for granted.”
Laue is part of a three-man recruiting class that also includes 6-4 guards Rico Pickett and George Beamon.
Laue played varsity as a junior at Amador Valley High School in Pleasanton, Calif. but broke his leg as a senior. He then enrolled as a postgard in Fork Union (Va.) Military Academy’s postgraduate program.
“He was too good of a player not to get a chance at a college scholarship,” Fork Union Coach Fletcher Arritt, who has sent more than 150 players to Division I programs, told The Times. “Kevin has adjusted to having one hand, whether it’s tying a shoe or doing a figure 8 in basketball.”
Former Yankees and Angels pitcher Jim Abbott excelled in the Major Leagues for 10 years, throwing a no-hitter with the Yanks in 1993, despite not having a right hand.
“Years later, here I was in a position to help someone achieve their goal of getting a college scholarship and realize their dreams of playing Division I basketball,” Rohrssen told The Times. “In some way, in doing this, it gives Kevin the opportunity to inspire many others.”
(Photo courtesy New York Times)
