One-Armed Magic

There's no question that genetics plays a role in one's ability to excel in one sport over another. Basketball players generally have an advantage if they're tall, and it's been proven that having good peripheral vision can be a benefit on the court, too. But, what about if you're one-handed?

You'd think that would be a huge disadvantage, but not for 19-year-old Kevin Laue, a freshman at Manhattan College who landed a basketball scholarship, despite the fact that he's missing his left hand.

"It's to my advantage," Laue told the Associated Press. "[My opponents on the court] think they're going to have an easy game and just whip on some one-handed kid. But I think I've surprised a couple people out there."

Laue, whose left arm ends just below the elbow, is the first one-handed college basketball player, certainly to have earned a full scholarship and quite possibly in history. He uses his right arm and hand to dribble and shoot, and uses his left arm as a counterpart to his right to stabilize the ball and balance his body. Those who have seen him play, say he looks pretty much like any other player on the court.

Still, Laue, who has an excellent academic record and is known as a hard worker, has faced discrimination. Manhattan College, a small Catholic liberal arts school in the Bronx, was the only post-secondary to offer him a full basketball scholarship. Other schools offered him a walk-on and a chance to prove himself, but no scholarship.

But Laue, who lost his hand at birth after his umbilical cord got tangled, cutting off his circulation, is not one to give up. He first got interested in basketball in the seventh grade when he tried out for the school team and didn't make it. That only made him work harder and the rest, as they say, is history.

We're pretty sure this isn't the last we'll hear of him. Just imagine: a one-armed Magic. I think the world's ready, don't you?

Photo courtesy of Greyskies via Flickr.