He's Come a Long Way

The best college basketball name in the country has to belong to Oklahoma big man Longar Longar, who stands nearly 7 feet tall. (At left is a picture of Longar with my youngest son, whom I dubbed Shortar Shortar.)

Today's Oklahoman features a touching profile of Longar, a kid who "survived his childhood in the African country of Sudan as it was engulfed by a civil war, tribal conflict and religious strife," and who made it to America at age 14 with his 10 brothers and sisters -- only to have his father die of cancer.

"I don’t think any of us really know everything he’s gone through," teammate Taylor Griffin says of Longar. "We know that it’s a lot. Especially in your childhood, a lot of that stuff can affect the person you become."

The Oklahoman's Scott Wright reports that Longar, who is fluent in English, Arabic, Egyptian and Dinka, "has dreams of playing professional basketball, whether it’s in the NBA or overseas. And he dreams of one day returning to Sudan. 'I want to play professional basketball and be able to make a lot of money someday,' he said. 'When I make that money, I want to go back down to my country and be able to help the poor kids, try to build schools, try to do something in the community. ... Who knows, if I was back in Sudan, where I would be. I might be dead or a soldier somewhere fighting. I'm happy that I'm here, playing basketball.'"