KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Mountain State has a number of players who can, in any given game, lead the team in scoring.

Nick Aldridge stands alone as the leader and is a legitimate candidate for NAIA player of the year.

He showed as much Wednesday with 32 points, 11 rebounds and eight assists in MSU’s 105-78 win over Bacone at the NAIA National Tournament at Municipal Auditorium.

Five other players scored in double figures.

Yet they all — yes, even Aldridge — take a back seat when you’re talking about the team’s most popular player.

That is, with little doubt, Paul Sturgess.

Maybe it’s because, at 7-foot-8, he is hard to miss.

And he rarely is.

Most of the talk centered around MSU begins with questions about the Englishman, who is the tallest player in college basketball.

He isn’t a novelty around Beckley anymore.

But on the road?

As MSU began to pull away from Bacone Wednesday, fans were chanting, “We want Paul.”

When he got up off the bench, the fans — it was Kids Day at the tourney and there were plenty there — started getting loud.

The loudest ovation of the morning came when he got his first rebound. Then his second.

That was nothing.

The place erupted when Sturgess, with less than a minute left, collected the ball inside, threw down a fierce dunk and was fouled. By the time he made the free throw, the place was going crazy.

Even his teammates.

“That was a lot of fun,” Aldridge said. “It was nice to get to see Paul get a good run there at the end. We know when we go on the road Paul is the man. People want to see him play. We want to see him play. We all take a back seat to Paul when we go on the road.”

Likely, he is the tallest human most of us will ever  see.

That alone makes him a novelty.

And he knows it.

“I’ve been taller than everyone for seven eight years,” Sturgess said. “I understand people want to see me play. I was just happy I was able to go in there and give them a little bit. Just getting to play was fun. The dunk, that was just a little extra with the free throw. I got to show people I can play a little bit.”

“Paul is a player,” MSU coach Bob Bolen said. “He just happens to be playing behind the best player in the nation (Aldridge). We are pleased with his development, though. Three points, two rebounds and a blocked shot and he ran the floor well.”

“That was great,” teammate Barry Wellington added. “Everywhere we go, people want to meet Paul, shake his hand, get his picture, his autograph. I’m happy for him that he got to play and that dunk was great. Maybe we need to see more Paul.”

Sturgess admits the eyes are on him and he feels it.

“But I just try to make the most of it, make it a positive,” he said. “If I don’t feel like talking, I just tell people that.”

I’ve never seen Sturgess turn down an autograph or photo request.

“You might catch me in the morning, then it might be tougher to talk,” he said.

But not on Wednesday morning.

Immediately after the game, Sturgess turned and waved to some of the kids in the stands.

“We went out and talked to their school (Tuesday),” Sturgess said. “I wanted to thank them for coming out to the game and supporting us. I’ll probably go back and talk to them.”

That is Sturgess.

A giant for sure. But a gentle giant. With a pretty mean throw-down.