THE TALLEST MAN IN KENT
If Google’s autocomplete search bar could tell a story in four words or less, it would do a decent job illustrating Blake Vedder. Type his name into Google; the first three following suggestions are “transfer,” “IUP” and “height.” In Kent State’s men’s basketball team picture, Vedder stands nearly a whole head taller than his teammate who’s closest in height, 6-foot-9 Khaliq Spicer. A new arrival by way of Indiana University of Pennsylvania, Vedder is listed at 7-foot-4 on the team’s roster. What Google’s search can’t contribute as suggestions are “Blake Vedder shy,” “Blake Vedder soccer” or even “Blake Vedder Smart Car.” Yes, the tallest man on Kent State’s campus actually does fit comfortably into the smallest car on the automotive market. Yes, he played midfielder in soccer throughout his youth, but his drastic increase in height deterred him from continuing the sport. And, yes, despite the incessant questioning of awestruck strangers about his height, Vedder actually considers himself to be shy. “I think basketball is a great way for me to get out my shyness because everybody on the court is doing the same thing as me,” Vedder says. “I’m not the ‘individual.’ I’m not taller than everybody else on the court.” Some perspective: Only 5 percent of adult American men are taller than 6-foot 3-inches, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. And, Sports Illustrated estimated from CDC data that only 70 males in the United States between the ages 20 and 40 are 7 feet or taller. Vedder, 22, is a native of Chesterland, Ohio, and a graduate of West Geauga High School, studies applied communications and ducks under nearly every doorway through which he passes. He’s a new arrival to Kent State, transferring after a season at IUP and before that, two seasons at University of Rhode Island. He is spending the 2013-14 season dressed in his team warmup suit, forced to sit out the season due to NCAA transfer rules. He has one season left of eligibility, which he will spend at Kent State. He considers himself to be an isolated type of person, spending much of his time in his basement bedroom in a house he shares with teammates Darren Goodson and Derek Jackson. Imagining the tallest man on Kent State’s campus spending his free time in a basement is humorous. Physically, he resembles NBA star forward Dirk Nowitzki, sharing a lanky frame and shaggy blond hair. His mussed mop also lends familiarity to cartoon character Shaggy Rogers, the human companion to ghost-hunting Great Dane Scooby-Doo and a character Vedder considered emulating for Halloween. Vedder’s father is 6-foot-3 and his mother is 5-foot-9, two heights that don’t exactly guarantee a child who exceeds seven feet in stature. His parents had him tested when he was younger for Marfan Syndrome—a genetic disorder which causes extreme growth. While the tests were negative, a deeper search into his family’s lineage revealed some explanation. “I went through gene therapy and all the way through my family tree, and they think it came from my great-great uncle who was 6-foot-8, so that’s where they think it came from,” Vedder says. Vedder hopes to excel next season when he is eligible to play.
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THE BURR // APRIL 2014
I THINK BASKETBALL IS A GREAT WAY FOR ME TO GET OUT MY SHYNESS BECAUSE EVERYBODY ON THE COURT IS DOING THE SAME THING AS ME. I’M NOT THE ‘INDIVIDUAL.’ I’M NOT TALLER THAN EVERYBODY ELSE ON THE COURT.” Blake Vedder