Jan. 29, 2001

By Andy Heck
MU Media Relations

When junior forward Kenge Stevenson enrolled at Mizzou his freshman year he had no plans of playing basketball. The thing is, being a Stevenson means that basketball is in your blood. "When I came here I wasn't going to play, but I really missed basketball and so I decided to give it a shot," says Stevenson.

That shot was the walk-on tryouts in just before the beginning of the 1998-99 season. Sure enough, Coach Norm Stewart gave Stevenson his shot on the team and to carry on a family tradition. Stevenson's late father Sylvester played at the University of Pittsburgh while his uncle Fred played for Big XII rival Oklahoma State in the mid-1970s.

"My Dad really said that it was (my) decision. He said that he preferred that I played because he thought I had some good basketball skills, but if I did not want to he would not push me," said Stevenson.

Of course, once he made the team, the competitive advice of a former player came quickly.

"My father said that college ball was different, he said he did not know if I could hack it. He thought that I was soft. He always had his college articles around and every time I said that I was better than he was, he would pull them out," says Stevenson smiling after a practice in which he again proved to be one of the more physical players.

Sadly, Sylvester would not see much of his son's college experience. Sylvester unexpectedly passed away from a blood clot.

"I did not see it coming. I remember I had talked to him on Friday and we had a really good conversation. I got the news Monday morning and it was like ... you just don't expect it because he was not sick. It shows how quickly things can be taken away from you. I don't know if has still sunk in, sometimes it seems like it happened just yesterday. I don't know if I will ever get over it, I just have to move on and try and live my life the best I can," said Stevenson.

Over the rest of his freshman and sophomore year, Stevenson worked hard in practice and in the off-season lifting weights and becoming stronger. "I worked real hard in the summer getting in shape and working on my basketball skills with some of the assistant coaches," said Stevenson of his progress.

That hard work has paid off by earning two letters as Stevenson saw action in 18 games over those two seasons. No minutes were more important than against the University of North Carolina in last year's NCAA tournament game when he was forced to defend the 7-foot Tar Heel center Brendan Haywood. "I think I do better matched up against guys my own size, 6-6 and 6-7," said Stevenson in regards to the Tiger loss.

Tragedy struck the Stevenson family again this past autumn as he and his two older brothers, Quinn and Julian, lost their mother. While Stevenson could not be with his team for three games, his presence and thoughts were on the court. His roommate Clarence Gilbert and freshman Arthur Johnson had written his name and number on their shoes. "It was a nice surprise that they were still thinking about me," says Stevenson.

Gilbert and his two older brothers have been the main people to help Stevenson over the past few months deal with his loss. "It's nice to know that your roommate is a really good person." Stevenson rejoined the team in their win at Indiana. "I was ready to get back on the court. It felt good, too," said Stevenson.

One thing he has always known is that basketball is not everything. "There is so much more out there and there is more to life than just basketball," said Stevenson, remembering the life lesson that his father had taught him.

Juggling academics and basketball has not been a problem for him as he has been doing it most of his life. "You just have to set aside time for homework and other specific things like recreation time. Just don't let it become unbearable," said Stevenson.

He is working on a degree in psychology and may seek a career in that field. "I like talking with people and listening to their views on the world and what they think," said Stevenson.

So far that has been important, as Stevenson has been one of the role models for the younger freshman.

"We talk about our problems on and off of the court. It's tough coming into college your first year and it's a different environment. So, if they need somebody to talk to, I'll be there," said Stevenson, who has developed strong relationships with Johnson and Michael Griffin.

A self-described movie fanatic, especially Rocky IV, Stevenson likes to unwind listening to music or hanging out at the mall with his teammates. And while Gilbert has been described as the biggest trash-talker in the conference, Stevenson points out trash is not his game, "He hasn't taken out the garbage all semester. That's just ridiculous."