Evan Anderson
Catherine Hintz
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Outfitting teenage skyscrapers a tall task
Stanley, Wisconsin is a small town. The tallest building is the water tower. Stanley is not an easy place to find on the map, but college basketball recruiters are navigating state and county highways to get there. They?re looking for Evan Anderson, a 6' 11? freshman. Get this, he?s still growing. He wears a size 20 shoe and his hands are the size of dinner plates. "He?s always enjoyed being tall," Bernie Anderson, Evan's mom, said at halftime of one of Evan?s varsity basketball games. "He?d wish he was taller. I hope he doesn?t grow too tall, he wants to hit the seven foot mark for some reason," adds Evan?s father, Jim. The natural question is, how in the world did Evan get so big? "I eat a lot sometimes," he says. "But not always, sometimes I just eat regular amounts of food like everybody else." Bernie is 5 foot 10, Jim is 5 foot 9. Evan shot up around kindergarten, but the thing is, he hasn?t stopped growing for 15 years. Getting around the Anderson?s 100-year-old Stanley home isn?t easy for Evan. "I know from memory which doorway is what height and how far I have to bend down for each one," Evan says, looking down at me. In fact, Evan?s charted his growth on the kitchen door frame, he was 5 feet tall in kindergarten, and around 6 feet 6 inches in middle school. Finding clothes is a tall task. "Pants are hard to find, usually if you find a pair you?re going to buy them, even if you don?t like them. Whatever there is for me, I better buy it, otherwise we aren?t going to find anything else. Usually, I wear shorts if it?s above thirty," Evan says. He also wears a size twenty shoe, that?s not a fun statistic for mom. "You can?t find a pair of dress shoes in his size, I?ve been looking on the internet and looking and looking and looking," Bernie said. He?s got three years of high school ball left before he hits the big-time college hoops circuit. His skill level continues to grow and this tall drink of water might still be rising. "Hmmmm, I haven?t really seen any growth in a few months, which is kind of weird actually," Evan said. Across the river in Minnesota there is another big time talent in Hastings. Her name is Catherine Hintz, and she?s 6' 8" tall. "They say I?m done growing which is kind of nice, but then again, it?s kind of sad. I?ve been growing since a little kid, why would I want to stop," Hintz ponders. "During my pregnancy when they did the ultrasound, they noticed her legs were pretty long," Catherine?s mom Doreen recalls. Catherine was 23 and ½ inches at birth, she weighed just under 10 pounds. By age 10 she could look mom straight in the eye, and in seventh grade, she could touch the top of a volleyball net without jumping. "There were a few tough years there. She withdrew socially because she couldn?t find where she fit socially as a girl," Doreen said. "All I wanted to do was be normal and it wouldn?t happen," Catherine remembers. She was teased by her middle school classmates. "But even though you were used to it, it still hurt, because I didn?t have any friends in middle school," said Catherine. Things changed once Catherine arrived at Hastings High School. "Basketball turned out to be where she found her comfort zone," Doreen said. Catherine adds, "I just loved it, the girls were really nice." Catherine developed a nice jump shot of her own, and she?s got several big name, Division I colleges beating down her door. Just like Evan, shopping for clothes isn?t easy, but things are getting better. "There?s actually a store in the Mall of America called 'Tall Girl.' It?s possibly the best store ever, I love it," Catherine says. "All she wants is a pair of high heel shoes for prom, I have no clue where to get those," her mom wonders aloud. Believe me, Doreen Hintz has tried. When her oldest daughter Nicole got married a couple years ago, Catherine was a bridesmaid. "I wore sneakers under me bridesmaid dress, it was funny. I was comfortable and her other bridesmaids were in high heels and everything and they were just complaining about it," Catherine said with a smile. Catherine Hintz and Evan Anderson are all smiles. About the only thing that can wipe a smile off either one of their faces is a doorframe. "People will ask me how many times I hit my head on doors, which it does hurt after awhile," Catherine admits. Hintz will pick a college in the next month, while Evan?s got three years to grow, and pick a school.
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