LOS ANGELES – Carl Hall positions himself down on the block, spins to catch a pass and scores off a layin. That sequence ran on a loop in the opening minutes of Wichita State's regional semifinal against La Salle.
He scored 10 of the Shockers' first 14 points, setting a dominant tone that carried them to a 72-58 victory and within a game of reaching the school's first Final Four since 1965.
Hall's emergence in just two seasons at Wichita State couldn't have been more unlikely.
The 6-foot-8 forward who speaks in a soft Georgia accent arrived in Kansas via two previous schools and a graveyard shift job in a light bulb factory. A heart condition nearly derailed his basketball career and his reluctance to wear glasses to correct his poor eyesight held him back on the court.
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