Karen Lowe might be the last person on earth you would expect to receive homebuilding help from college basketball players. A victim of dwarfism, the 31-year-old human resources coordinator for Goodwill Industries in Knoxville stands 3 feet, 8 inches tall.
“I need a home where everything is shorter,” she said. “Especially kitchen counters and things like that.”
So who showed up Saturday morning to help Lowe begin building her Habitat for Humanity dream house?
The University of Tennessee men’s and women’s basketball teams, of course. Everyone from 5-foot-6 Lady Vols point guard Ariel Massengale to 6-9 men’s post player Kenny Hall.
“I’m so happy they’re here to help,” said Lowe, who attended UT-Chattanooga, majoring in Spanish and anthropology. “You can’t live in Knoxville and not root for Tennessee. But now that I’ve gotten to meet the players personally, I’ll be pulling harder than ever for them to do well.”