These days Abd Al Wahab Al Hamowi is more comfortable with the thought of five-year-olds looking up to him.
Play time on the basketball court at an Auckland primary school on Monday was an enjoyable experience for the 19-year-old who always stood out when he was growing up -- rapidly -- in Homs, 160km west of Syrian capital Damascus.
Al Hamowi dwarfed his schoolmates from the outset and was an obvious butt of jokes, sideways and upwards glances.
His height -- Al Hamowi now stands 2.18m (7foot 2inches) - certainly did not go unnoticed by basketball scouts who sensed the gentle giant was tailormade for their requirements.
Al Hamowi actually preferred football as a youngster but as he continued to sprout the teenager lost the mobility and co-ordination required to keep pace with the soccer crowd.
So at 15 Syria's basketballing hierarchy sent him to Turkey for two months, where he had the sport's basics drummed into him.
Al Hamowi then returned to the Middle East with a new appreciation of where his ungainly height might eventually lead him.
Initially he starred at centre with Krami in Syria's first division - and he now finds himself in Auckland as the centrepiece of Syria's under-19 world championship squad.
Al Hamowi's dimensions captivated the kids at Willowpark School on the North Shore on Monday as he stooped to sign autographs.
"I thought Ali Williams was tall, but wow!" five-year-old Boston Thompson said after he dribbled the ball between
Al Hamowi's legs during lunch break.
Al Hamowi, who visited Syria's `adopted' school with his teammates, now welcomes the attention.
"At school it was difficult for me. I was unusual, no one was tall like me," he said.
Finding clothes and size 18 footwear was never easy either, while he needed a custom made bed to sleep comfortably.
Al Hamowi is the tallest competitor at the 16-nation world championship starting on Thursday.
He is hoping to stick out in the eyes of the National Basketball Association (NBA) scouts, at least 20 of whom are expected to attend the championship.
Like all the players on display, Al Hamowi hopes to pique the interest of an NBA franchise, or maybe a team in the European leagues.
And to push his case, he is quick to point out he doesn't just lumber into the key and wait for a pass under the basket.
"I like the dunk but I prefer the three-point shot," he said.
While Syria are naturally not a one-man team, captain Azmi Abd Al Nour admits his fellow centre will pose plenty of problems.
"It's very hard to play defence on him, sometimes five players need to try," he said.
New Zealand's Junior Tall Blacks will implement their strategies when the teams play a warm-up match on Tuesday.
Syria play group C heavyweights Spain in their tournament opener on Thursday before facing Australia and Canada.
