5 Things To Know About Brook Lopez

This 7'0 giant from North Hollywood turned down the NBA last season to return to Stanford and play with his twin brother Robin. Now he's leading the Cardinal in the 2008 NCAA March Madness Tournament. Here are five things you need to know about Lopez:

1. He and his brother decided at a young age that they would attend Stanford, ending any recruiting battle for the giants before it began. The Lopez brothers are the second set of twin centers to play for the Cardinal, following in the footsteps of Jason and Jarron Collins.

2. Lopez's career initially got off to a rocky start when his injured back required surgery leading up to his freshman year. But though he misssed the first five games, he quickly established himself as one of the game's top centers. The big man had four straight 20-point efforts and had Stanford's first triple-double in school history when he had an 18 and 11 game along with 12 blocked shots vs. USC.

3. In his sophomore season Lopez sat out the first nine games due to academic ineligibility. He was also suspended indefinately for missing classes and practice. In his first game back from suspension he scored 20 points in 19 minutes against Santa Clara.

4. The Lopez brothers are fans of all things Disney. In an Sports Illustrated article Brook recites where Walt was born (Marceline, Missouri), Donald Duck's first cartoon ("The Wise Little Hen"), and when Steamboat Willie first came out (November 18, 1928).

5. Deborah Ledford, Brook's mom, was an elite swimmer and swam the second fastest 400 medley in the world. His father Bob

Ledford is 6 foot 7 and was an NBA prospect. His brother Brook is a fellow starter for the Cardinal and a potential NBA pick.

Check out highlights of Lopez leading Stanford to a big win over Cornell in the opening round of the 2008 NCAA Tournament here.