Kevin Laue was born with a left arm that didn't extend past his elbow, yet he's a prospect to play college basketball. Being 6'10" helps, but it's still amazing that he can do things seen on this video.
The 18-year-old is currently playing ball at Fork Union Military Academy in hopes of receiving offers to play in the Ivy League. He's averaging 6.9 points and 7.4 rebounds per game, which is quite impressive against competition full of collegiate hopefuls. He reportedly uses his handless arm to help with catching the ball, and his hands are big enough to palm the ball once he has control.
What I always find amazing about inspirational stories such as this is how the person maintains a sense of humor, even through the most unusual circumstances.
When classmates asked why he was missing a chunk of his limb, he said it had been devoured by a shark while he was surfing off the coast of Hawaii. When his class sang "Y.M.C.A" he laughed because his M was missing an arch. When his mother asked him to wash his hands before dinner, he said that was not an option.
Even as a child, he took the humorous route rather than the "feel sorry for me" route. As if this is possible, he gains even more of my respect for that.
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Perhaps the best part of this story is that he's able to inspire others. Within the article linked above, a tale is told of a girl who lost her arm in a car wreck. She was a basketball player who felt her career was over. Now, thanks to Kevin's inspiring story, she has hope.
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