With six fingers and no legs, basketball player beats the odds

[Guest guest]

With six fingers and no legs, basketball player beats the odds

(Published Friday, February 18, 2005 06:54:29 AM CST)

By Arnie Stapleton

Associated Press

MADISON, Wis. - When Scot Vesterdahl, the basketball coach at Madison Area

Technical College, opened the gym for tryouts, he knew Watkins would

have his work cut out for him.

Watkins was born with three fingers on each hand. Then Watkins took off his

sweats, and Vesterdahl did a double take: Watkins was standing on prosthetic

legs.

" When you look at him it's an inspiration to see a young person that's going

through those kinds of challenges, " Vesterdahl said. " When you think about

it, it's not about putting your shoes on for practice, it's about putting

your legs on. And that in and of itself is fantastic. "

But did he have game? And could he actually play junior college basketball?

Watkins, who has two prosthetic legs and six fingers, ties his shoes

before practice with the Madison Area Technical College men's basketball

team.

Watkins is one of 13 members on the team. During the regular season, Watkins

got into 13 of 20 games and made 5-of-9 field goals, including four

3-pointers.

He grabbed five rebounds, dished out four assists and grabbed two steals.

Andy Manis/Associated Press

Vesterdahl would soon find out.

" Every time I'd seen him, he either had sweat pants or pants on, I had no

idea. You could obviously see his hands and his fingers and the challenges

he

has there, but I had never seen the prosthetics until the first night of

tryouts, " Vesterdahl said.

Watkins was born with clubbed feet so disfigured doctors had to amputate

them below the knees when he was 2. His prosthetics are decorated now with

the

landscapes of New York, Chicago and Seattle. But that wasn't what drew

everybody's attention.

Watkins hustled up and down the floor. He stayed with his man on defense, he

could jump, he could shoot. If he hadn't shed his sweat pants, nobody ever

would have known he didn't have legs, Vesterdahl said.

That night, Vesterdahl and his assistants began to seriously consider

Watkins for a roster spot, and by the second night of tryouts, they decided

he would

make the team.

" Does he deserve it? Yes, he does, " Vesterdahl said. " Just based on hustle,

how he got along with his teammates, attitude on the floor, all those

things.

Besides, he has basketball ability. "

Co-captain Keller calls him a " true inspiration. "

" He's always the first one to compliment us, he's always the first one off

the bench when timeouts are called, " he said. " And when he gets in a game

and

makes a shot, it doesn't matter if it's an away crowd or a home crowd, they

all stand up and cheer for him. "

Watkins

The WolfPack reached the playoffs with a 22-5 record and Watkins got into

half the games. Overall, the 6-foot-1 freshman forward made 5-of-9 shots,

including

four 3-pointers, in addition to five rebounds, four assists and two steals.

" At the end of a game, if he gets in, if he makes a basket, you would think

we've won the NBA championship, " Vesterdahl said.

It's been a big adjustment for Watkins, going from the kid who was always

teased to big man on campus. Watkins first played hoops when he was 8 and

watched

friends and family play on a church playground in Chicago. He taught himself

to shoot and dribble between his legs. And he watched all the basketball he

could on TV.

" I copied what other people did and I got better and better, " he said. " Now,

people tell me if I was normal, I'd probably be in the NBA or something like

that. "

At 11, he moved to Milwaukee, where he played in middle school. He served as

team manager for his first three years at Milwaukee Madison High School,

then

tried out his senior year. After playing just 30 seconds during the first

month of the season, he quit the team to focus on Special Olympics. He never

figured his basketball dream was done.

" Oh, no, to tell you the truth, I visualized all this was going to happen.

I'm going to have a movie, too, " said Watkins. " That's going to happen. I

know

it is. I want Cuba Gooding Jr. to play me. He kind of looks like me and he

did good in 'Radio,' so I think he could play me. "

Watkins refuses to let his teammates think of him as physically challenged.

" We're not going to get better if you take it easy on me, " he said. " You

play your game, I'll play my game and we're going to see who comes out the

best. "

Watkins runs the baskeball court with his teammates.

Andy Manis/Associated Press

Some opponents early in the season made the mistake of taking it easy on

him.

" At first, they were like, 'Oh, he ain't got no game,' and I'd score and the

crowd would go so crazy they'd be like, 'Oh, man, we can't let him score

again.

The crowd is going to be so hyped. " '

Now, he gets no free passes, no easy shots.

" Hey, I'm not a complainer, " he said. " The Lord has blessed me with so

much. "

It's those around him who consider themselves fortunate.

" Watching how hard he works, " said Keller, the co-captain, " it just pushes

us to work that much harder. "

And enjoy the journey that much more.

" I'm not sure that he hasn't taught me more about life than I've taught him

about basketball, " Vesterdahl said.