Manute Bol Is a 7-6 Giant Who Plays for a Small School

Manute Bol is a stranger in a strange land, a man whose size makes him even more foreign to America.

The 21-year-old Dinka tribesman from Gogrial, Sudan, is 7-foot-6, the tallest college basketball player in the country.

But instead of playing for a national power, he is quietly tucked away at the University of Bridgeport, Connecticut, a Division II school. And he’s attracting a lot of attention.

Bridgeport, a 12-16 team last season but 6-2 now, is playing before capacity crowds.

On the night of Dec. 10, 2,250 fans packed Butova Gymnasium at American International College to see Bol. The big African had a big night, scoring a game-high 27 points, with 14 rebounds and nine blocked shots.

But AIC stole the show with a 79-65 triumph.

According to Bridgeport coach Bruce Webster, it will take time for his team to adjust to Bol -- and for Bol to adjust to them.

“Manute is starting to get settled now that he has some game experience,” said Webster. “Two knocks against him are that he’s fragile and he needs to Americanize his game. He’s made progress in both categories.”

Bol was a one-man show against AIC. He displayed a nice touch around the basket, scoring most of his points with a towering hook shot. He frustrated AIC’s inside game by using his long reach to block shots.

But the physical play of the Yellow Jackets got to Bol. Although 14 inches taller than AIC’s big men Bob Schafer and Bill Stefanski, the 190-pound Bol gave away as much as 69 pounds in weight to his rival centers.

Schafer and Stefanski took turns boxing out Bol in the offensive zone, leaning on him to force him out of position.

“They played very aggressive,” said Bol.

Bol and Schafer both suffered bruised left knees after a second half collision. Both left the game for awhile and, when Bol returned, his knee was heavily taped.

“His knee will lock up on him when he gets hit because of the way he’s built,” said Bridgeport trainer Kathy Pirog. “He’s been doing leg lifts with a 15-pound sandbag to strengthen it.”

Bol also has a “hammer toe,” which can only be corrected by surgery. He wears a size 15 sneaker, but plans to switch to a 15 1/2. He is on the same kind of weight program the University of Virginia used on 7-foot-4 Ralph Sampson.

“Can you imagine how awesome he’d be if he could put on 30 or 40 pounds?” asked Webster. “Right now, his potential is unlimited.”

A member of Sudan’s national team, Bol came to the United States last year and studied English at Case Western Reserve Language School in Cleveland.

He was supposed to enroll at Cleveland State, a Division I school, but if he had, he would have been eligible for only two years because of an NCAA rule that a player loses a year of eligibility for each year over the age of 20.

Because there are no such restrictions at the Division II level, Bol can play for Bridgeport for four years. He chose Bridgeport because it is one of 21 schools in the country that offers a program in English Language skills.

But it hasn’t been easy.

“Manute attends English Language school each morning from 9 to 12 and then takes his college courses in the afternoon,” said Webster. “He misses one hour of practice three times a week.”

Bol, who has been interviewed by several national publications, is tired of all the media attention he is receiving.

“I must get 10 calls a day,” said Bridgeport sports information director Dick Ondek. “And all they want to talk about is Bol.”

Bol’s grandfather was reported to be 7-foot-10. His father is 6-8 and his mother is 6-10.

He has a 48 extra-long sleeve and when he spreads out his arms on defense, just the sight of him can be intimidating.

“It’s difficult shooting the ball against him because when you put the ball up, you’re not sure if it will reach the basket,” said Schafer.

Bol is well-coordinated and his timing is sufficiently good that goal-tending calls against him have been minimal.

AIC solved the problem of Bol’s offense by simply playing better offense themselves and hitting shots consistently from the outside.

“I said before the game that the only way to counter Bol is with your offense,” said AIC coach Jim Powell. “He showed me some things that I didn’t think he could do on offense.”

Despite his most productive game of the season, Bol was not pleased.

“I can’t say I had a good game,” he said, “because we lost.”