Standing tall

Andrew Wainer

HUNTINGTON BEACH -- Being 4 feet, 5 inches tall, some might say

basketball isn’t the right sport for Marina High School senior Daniel

Sumi.

Although it takes a lot of effort to shoot the ball over the heads of

opponents who stand one or two feet above him, he still loves the sport.

And he used the pen to express just how much.

Daniel, 17, recently won ESPN’s nationwide Sports Figure essay contest.

The contest asked students from all over the country to write a 250-word

essay on an athlete who has affected their lives.

Daniel’s essay on diminutive NBA start Muggsy Bogues won, earning him a

$500 savings bond and a free trip to Las Vegas for ESPN’s ESPY awards,

which aired Monday.

Sumi said the ESPYs are the sports broadcasting version of the Oscars.

He was also presented with an award during a recent halftime show at

Staples Center by L.A. Clippers star Lamar Odom.

Closer to home, Marina High School honored Daniel during an awards

ceremony, and the district presented him with a student recognition

plaque for his literary efforts.

Marina Principal Carol Osbrink said Daniel received a standing ovation

from his classmates when the award was announced.

But the popular student has had to struggle to survive.

Measuring just 9 inches long at birth, Daniel’s mother, Eunice, said he

was the smallest surviving baby in the United States at the time.

“He was very fragile,” said his mother, who is 4 inches taller than

Daniel. “It was six months after he was born before we could get him out

of the hospital.”

Three months premature, Daniel weighed just 13 ounces when he was born.

Even when he arrived at home, the Sumi family lived on pins and needles.

“It was scary,” she said. “We had to feed him every 1 1/2 hours. We

didn’t get much sleep.”

But as Daniel grew, he became stronger, and his struggles as a fragile

child haven’t dampened his spirit.

“He’s very nice. He puts everyone in front of himself,” student Kirbi

Krisfalusi said.

“Danny’s a people person,” sophomore Colin Clifford said. “You can’t help

but like him.”

Although Daniel is a member of the band prop crew and enjoys music, he

said his true love is basketball.

“It’s the best sport,” he said. “The games are closer and more

spectacular than other sports.”

That’s what drew him to the essay contest.

His essay was titled “The Heart of a Giant Killer.”

“Muggsy Bogues cleared the path for all the little people to make dreams

come true,” his essay reads.

After graduation this year, Daniel said he wants to pursue “anything

sports related.”