Perhaps you read today about Devean George, a Minneapolis native who made it all the way from Division III basketball at Augsburg to be a first-round pick and multiple NBA champion with the Lakers. George, 34, is hoping to latch on with the Wolves in some capacity. His career is a testament to perseverance, but perhaps he owes a small measure of gratitude to a friend of RandBall who goes by "Local Quipster" around these parts. Yes, Tom Linnemann -- perhaps better known for his work on the football field -- once tried to guard Devean George in a college basketball game. Things went OK for Tom in some regards. But they went quite poorly in other ways. We dug out the old box score and writeup from the Dec. 8, 1998, Star Tribune via microfilm this morning. Local Quipster, meanwhile, was kind enough to recall his brush with basketball greatness. LQ?

--------

So get this: If Devean George makes the roster for the Timberwolves, I'm calling Diamond Dave Kahn to ask for tryout. OK, not really, but it reminds me of a time …

It was a cold evening in 1998 at Si Melby Hall on the campus of Augsburg College. I was a sophomore guard on the SJU basketball team still trying to get in basketball shape after football season. My assignment during that game was to guard Devean George, and when we were in the 2-3 zone, focus on him and try to limit his points. I was playing D3 basketball so I had never matched up against an NBA 1st Round draft pick who had the wingspan of a pterodactyl, was about eight inches taller than me and could jump and touch the ceiling of the gym. I had one strategy on offense: shoot the ball immediately after I got it so he wouldn't steal it from me. If it was leather, it was airborne. I launched a couple loooong threes. Somehow, through the magic of random happenstance and semi-Catholic prayer, I made 4-5 from the arc, including the game-tying three at the buzzer to send it into overtime. I had 19 points that night, by far the highest output of my two-year stint on the basketball team at SJU. So that's the story I'll tell my grandkids. But…cue Paul Harvey … there was a rest of the story and it's actually the better end … My strategy on defense? Don't get dunked on to the point where the ball hits me in the face and causes a concussion. I succeeded on that. But Devean George scored a career-high (at the time, anyway) 46 points to pair with 15 rebounds. I think he probably could have scored 100 if he wanted. Every time he touched the ball I had the same fear—not that he would score as that was a virtual certainty, but rather whether I could avoid breaking my ankles or peeing my shorts. I'm sure he sensed that as he would drive around me, through me, and over top of me. It must have been like playing one-on-one against a second grader on a 6 foot hoop. We lost in overtime that night but playing on the same court was an amazing experience. I played against Khalid El-Amin one time in AAU in middle school and he drove by me about 15 times. But the power and athleticism of Devean was unrivaled. If he ever needs a confidence boost, I can meet him at Lifetime downtown for a rematch.