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Unless, she's a woman.

When Katie Feenstra enters a room, people can't help but stare, because it is not often they come upon a 6-8 female who wears a size 15 shoe.

"I have gotten used to it, but there are still times it bothers me," said Feenstra, the starting center for No. 13 seed Liberty (24-6) which plays No. 4 Penn State (19-10) in the first round of the NCAA Tournament on Sunday in College Park, Md. "I have to live with it, so why be depressed? I am dating a guy who is 6-4, and you can't imagine the looks we get. I look at it like we make a unique couple."

Liberty coach Carey Green said Feenstra handles the attention well.

"People look at her all the time," he said, "but she takes it much better than most people would because she has been raised by terrific parents."

Feenstra said the questions get repetitive.

"'How tall are you? How tall are your parents? Do you play basketball?'" she said. "But I just believe that God made me a little different."

Feenstra certainly is a unique player.

She leads the team and the Big South Conference in field-goal percentage, scoring, rebounding, and blocks, making her the only player in the nation with such an achievement.

She is a huge reason the Lady Flames advanced to their ninth consecutive tournament.

"Katie is much the biggest fish in the small pond here," Green said. "She has had success because there really isn't anyone who can match her height."

Liberty 5-10 senior guard Kristal Tharp, who is Feenstra's roommate, said Feenstra gives the team a clear advantage. Tharp added if she and the guards are in trouble, they know where to look.

"She has such great range with her arms and has great footwork, especially in the paint," Tharp said.

"She runs the floor well. We expect her to dominate."

Tharp said Feenstra will be a key factor against Penn State because the Lady Lions are not strong inside. Penn State 6-3 senior forward Ashli Schwab will guard Feenstra.

"She is a very tall girl," Schwab said. "She will push people off the block and get some tips. Guarding her will be a challenge."

Penn State coach Rene Portland said Feenstra is as good as she looks. In practice, Portland had her tallest male practice player hold a pole to imitate Feenstra and had her team shoot over it.

Feenstra, who averaged 30.5 points per game at Grand Rapids Baptist (Mich.) High School, was recruited by top Division I schools such as Notre Dame and Michigan State, but chose Liberty because it is a Christian college. Her sister, Meribeth Anderson, who is 6-7, played there. Their father, Wayne, is 6-11, and mother, Patricia, is 6-3. They have a brother, Matt, who is 6-9.

She and her sister played a season at Liberty.

Feenstra, who is a physical education major, didn't arrive at Liberty as a polished player.

"I have tried to work on my footwork, because I did not have the best footwork coming into college," she said. "But the coaches here worked with me to get better. I think I am stronger and better conditioned."

Feenstra said the hardest thing about being tall is finding jeans and shoes. She buys clothes on the Internet and wears Birkenstock clogs because they don't have backs.

Feenstra can do most anything on the basketball court - except dunk. Knee surgery her freshman season took away some leaping ability, but not all of it.

"People who see her play might be surprised how well she moves for her size," Green said. "And she has a nice touch with her shot."

Feenstra hopes to play in the WNBA, and scouts have followed some of her games.

"I know what I need to work on," she said. "But I am trying not to think about that right now. I want to finish the season strong and not think about the future."

Sunday's game will be televised at 9:30 p.m. on ESPN2.

Penn State must stop Liberty's 6-foot-8 senior center Katie Feenstra, a three-time Big South Player of the Year.

Here's a look at her vital statistics:

Points per game: 17.6

Rebounds per game: 10.2

Blocks per game: 2.5

Honors: Three-time Big South Player of the Year ... All-America candidate. ... Wade Trophy, John R. Wooden and Naismith award nominee...

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