UNC Asheville’s Kenny George, the tallest player in college basketball at 7′7″, reportedly has had a foot amputated following a staph infection.

Perhaps most interesting about this story is that this is apparently only seen as a temporary setback, as he is only confirmed to be out for this season.

According to ESPN.COM:

“This is a terrible setback for Kenny George that he’s not going to be able to play basketball this year,” UNC Asheville coach Eddie Biedenbach said. “He’s worked so hard from the time he was in high school and earlier to get to the point to do what he did last year.”

Obviously the loss of a limb, as long as it’s involuntary, is a sad tale.  It would seem the terrible setback would be that he is now missing a foot, and that he very likely isn’t going to play again at all.  The odds of someone who is already 7′7″ growing another foot — literally — are fairly low.