More notes on Kenny George, the tallest man in college basketball

Everybody’s talking about Kenny George, UNCA’s big man and, at 7-feet, 7-inches tall, the tallest man in college basketball. The Bulldogs are undefeated in conference play. They play at home Saturday, and the games already sold out. There’s excitement in the air.

And Charleston.net says coach Eddie Biedenbach is being carefulwith his asset:

But what I appreciated as much as George’s phenomenal height and reach — on one play, he missed a shot, tapped the rebound to himself and dunked the ball, all while barely leaving his tiptoes — was the way UNC Asheville coach Eddie Biedenbach deployed his valuable asset.

George, who averages 13.1 points and 7.9 rebounds in 20.1 minutes per game, is not exactly a gazelle bounding up and down the court, and tires quickly.

In UNC Asheville’s 86-73 win over the Bucs, George did not start and played 22 minutes in seven stints on the court, averaging a little over three minutes per rotation.

That way, when George was needed in crunch time — CSU had whittled a 20-point deficit down to three with 5:22 to play — he was rested enough to make an impact down the stretch.

The Bulldogs were up by five with 5:26 to play when George entered the game for the last time, a lead that quickly went down to three on Omar Carter’s jumper. By the time George came out with 36 seconds left, UNC Asheville was ahead by 13.

Over that stretch, George hit a layup, blocked a shot that led to two Bulldogs free throws, grabbed two straight defensive rebounds and assisted on a 3-pointer.

UNC Asheville outscored CSU by eight points during George’s final stint, and by a total of 10 points while he was on the court for the night.

And by the way, George can pack a gym the same way he packs his size 28 shoes. The Bucdome was overflowing, and Saturday’s Big South showdown between visiting Winthrop and UNC Asheville is sold out.