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SoCalHoops College News Report

Andy Charlton, SoCal Native,
At 7'-6" Looking To NBA--(June 1, 1998)

We couldn't resist reprinting this story we found about a former SoCal native son who, at age 23, and with some pretty impressive height at 7'-6", is trying to work himself into the NBA. Andy Charlton, as you will read, was from San Bernardino originally (as is Tyson Chandler), and the most amazing thing about this story, from our perspective, is that Charlton was actually given steroids by his doctors at the age of 13 to limit his growth. Who knows how tall he would have been had they not given him the drugs? They were worried he might grow to be 8'-4"! Read on and see for yourself. This story was written by one of the AP staff writers (too bad he or she didn't sign the piece), just to give credit where credit is due:

"Andy Charlton aims a withered basketball toward a bent metal hoop. His form looks good, but the ball thuds against the back of the goal before falling to the driveway at his home. "I can't hit anything today," said Charlton, who stands 7-foot-6.

"Jamming basketballs never really interested the towering 23 year old until about three years ago. "I just wasn't into it for some reason," Charlton said.

"At age 16, Charlton, then 7-1, was taller than many NBA centers. But he was more interested in an acting career. The former San Bernadino, California, resident had appeared in some Reebok commercials, and he was a member of the Screen Actor's Guild. About six years ago, he and his mother moved to Indiana. "And that was the end of that [acting]," he said.

"But in Indiana, he discovered a new love: Basketball. "I couldn't believe what I hadn't been doing," Charlton said, adding that he has turned his sights toward the NBA. "There's a couple of agents out there that are just hollering my name everywhere," Charlton said.

"The journey won't be easy, but then, it never has been for the man who didn't even start playing basketball until he was 20.

"While he's healthy now, his early life was plagued by health problems related to chronic asthma. "Of my first 17 years, I spent probably half of them in the hospital," he said.

"Charlton was destined to be tall. His natural father, whom he never met, was 7-foot-6 and his mother is 5-foot-10. By the time he was 13, doctors worried he might grow as tall as 8-foot-4 and put him on steroids to slow the growth. A surgery when he was 17 cured most of his health problems, but he already had quit high school in California.

"When Charlton first met his future adoptive father in Indiana about six years ago, he was an unusually large teenager with long hair flowing wildly around his shoulders. But instead of gawking, the first thing Merle VanVolkenburgh noticed was the teen's tattered shoes, held together with tape. "I said, 'Boy, don't you have a pair of shoes?'" said VanVolkenburgh, who was working at an Indianapolis-area car dealership when Charlton arrived with a friend who was car shopping. VanVolkenburgh offered to pay for half of a new pair and two days later, Charlton returned with his feet aptly covered in size 23 kicks. The teen became a regular at the VanVolkenburgh house.

"VanVolkenburgh eventually convinced Charlton to earn his GED and apply for college classes. About a year ago, VanVolkenburgh and his wife adopted Charlton. "He just always wanted to belong to the family," said his new father, who also has five natural children and three stepchildren. Charlton's mother, Patty Hemminger, approved. She had financial troubles and thought her son needed a father figure. While VanVolkenburgh renewed his adopted son's interest in school, Indiana University coach Bob Knight helped introduce him to basketball.

"After a conversation with VanVolkenburgh, Knight gave Charlton a ticket to an IU-Purdue game in Bloomington. "That's really the first basketball game I ever really went to," Charlton said. "It clicked right there. That was my major turning point."

"Having never played basketball, Charlton didn't have the skills to make the team at a large school like IU. Knight suggested he apply to Vincennes University, a junior college. Charlton played there from 1994 to 1996, where his playing improved "100 percent," said assistant coach Matt Figger. He transferred to Western New Mexico University, where he averaged about 10.5 minutes a game, notching an average 3.9 points and 2.1 boards. Personality conflicts with the coach there prompted Charlton to look elsewhere.

"The psychology major hopes to attend the University of Southern Indiana for his final year of college eligibility. He has a long way to go, but hopes to get there. "Every pro scout you talk to will tell you they can teach basketball," said VanVolkenburgh, who at 5-10 barely reaches his son's chest. "But you can't teach size."

"Charlton had considered honing his skills in Europe, but the Pacers 7-4 center, Rik Smits, advised him to stay home. "Rik said, 'If you go overseas, you're stuck there,'" Charlton said. After his next season, the 245-pounder hopes to be drafted by an NBA team. "I wish I could go in the NBA this year," he said. "If I could just get over all of these speed bumps, I'd be there."