Flirting With the Past: Tall, Taller and Tallest (October, 1975)

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(L-R) Joe Mutebi (from Uganda), Yasutaka Okayama (Japan)
and Jerome D'Costa (Bangladesh) at the University of Portland,
Oregon, USA

Photo (October, 1975) by Koh Kok Yan

Yasutaka Okayama, a Japanese student, joined the University of Portland, Oregon, USA, to be trained as a basketball player. Being 7 feet 9 inches, he was the tallest person in the university. We could see him over the heads of all others. He was like a sunflower looking over a field of lilies.

One day, Ugandan student Joe Mutebi (5 feet 8 inches), Malaysian student Koh Kok Yan (5 feet 4 inches) and myself (5 feet 5 inches) were in front of our hall. At one time, as Yasutaka Okayama was passing by, I requested him to pose for a photo. He obliged me immediately. Later, I came to know that he played in the basketball teams of several other universities in the USA.

After these many years, I wonder where Yasutaka Okayama, Joe Mutebi and Koh Kok Yan are now.