Charles Gitonga Maina (born 1976) is a 6'10" Kenyan-born former actor and basketball player best known for his co-starring role in the 1994 film ''

The Air Up There ''The Air Up There'' is a 1994 American sports comedy film directed by Paul Michael Glaser and starring Kevin Bacon and Charles Gitonga Maina with Yolanda Vazquez as Sister Susan. Plot Jimmy Dolan is a college basketball assistant coach who wa ...

''.

Early life

Charles Gitonga Maina was born in the

Buruburu Buruburu is a housing estate within Nairobi City County in Kenya. Buruburu is a vast development inhabited by lower middle-class people. The estate was designed in 1974 and comprises six phases, with the fifth completed in the mid-1980s. The estat ...

neighborhood of

Nairobi Nairobi ( ) is the capital and largest city of Kenya. The name is derived from the Maasai phrase ''Enkare Nairobi'', which translates to "place of cool waters", a reference to the Nairobi River which flows through the city. The city proper ha ...

Kenya ) , national_anthem = "Ee Mungu Nguvu Yetu"() , image_map = , map_caption = , image_map2 = , capital = Nairobi , coordinates = , largest_city = Nairobi , ...

. His father was an auditor with a telecommunications firm and his mother was a nurse. Maina is the third of four children, and belongs to the

Kikuyu Kikuyu or Gikuyu (Gĩkũyũ) mostly refers to an ethnic group in Kenya or its associated language. It may also refer to: *Kikuyu people, a majority ethnic group in Kenya *Kikuyu language, the language of Kikuyu people *Kikuyu, Kenya, a town in Centr ...

ethnic group. At the age of 14, he learned to play

basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular Basketball court, court, compete with the primary objective of #Shooting, shooting a basketball (ball), basketball (appr ...

playing barefoot with friends on a dirt court. In 1991, Maina won the 1991 Nairobi Slam Dunk Championship. Although he originally wanted to study computers and business at the

University of Nairobi , mottoeng = In unity and work , image = Uon emblem.gif , image_size = 210px , caption = Coat of Arms of the University , type = Public , endowment ...

, Maina decided to pursue basketball instead.

''The Air Up There''

At the age of 17, Maina heard of auditions for the film ''

''. The film from Hollywood Pictures would feature a tall African basketball player as a prospect under the wing of an American coach, which would be played by Kevin Bacon. Maina auditioned for the lead role, describing himself as a "dunkaholic". According to director

Paul Michael Glaser Paul Michael Glaser (born Paul Manfred Glaser March 25, 1943) is an American actor and director best known for his role as Detective Dave Starsky on the 1970s television series, ''Starsky & Hutch''. In between his work writing and directing, Gla ...

, this was part of what landed him the role. Maina and a friend were chosen among 46 other players, and flown to

Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...

for a final audition. According to Maina, this was the first time he'd left Kenya. In the end, he was chosen for the lead role of Saleh, a member of the fictional Winabi tribe in Kenya (which were loosely based on the

Samburu people The Samburu are a Nilotic people of north-central Kenya. Samburu are semi-nomadic pastoralists who herd mainly cattle but also keep sheep, goats and camels. The name they use for themselves is Lokop or Loikop, a term which may have a variety of ...

) which is sought out by Bacon's character to play in the US. Most of the filming took place in Kenya and

South Africa South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the southernmost country in Africa. It is bounded to the south by of coastline that stretch along the South Atlantic and Indian Oceans; to the north by the neighbouring countri ...

, with local cast and crew members. Former UCLA player and co-star Nigel Miguel said of Maina "He was just a sweet kid, and that's what was needed for this character". Former NBA MVP Bob McAdoo, who served as the film's technical advisor, saw potential for Maina to play college basketball in the US, saying "just seeing his enthusiasm and his size, I knew there was something there". Although the film received negative reviews, critics referred to Maina's performance as "warmly appealing". The year after the film was released, Maina guest starred in the episode "Lostland" of the television series ''

SeaQuest DSV ''SeaQuest DSV'' (stylized as ''seaQuest DSV'' and also promoted as simply ''seaQuest'') is an American science fiction television series created by Rockne S. O'Bannon. It originally aired on NBC between 1993 and 1996. In its final season, it ...

'', as Professor Obatu and his ancestor Deucalion.

Basketball career

After the film, Maina decided to stay in the United States to pursue college opportunities, under the advice of McAdoo, with whom he was staying. He played his first full season at

Barton County Community College Barton Community College, previously Barton County Community College, is a public community college in Great Bend, Kansas. Its service area includes Barton, Ellsworth, Pawnee, Rush and Russell Counties, Stafford County north of US Highway 5 ...

in Great Bend, Kansas. Although he started as a bench player, Maina became a starter halfway through the season. After one year, he transferred to Miami-Dade Kendall Community College to be closer to McAdoo, where he also played as a starter and set several school records for blocked shots. Eventually, McAdoo contacted Jeff Price, head coach of Lynn University in

Boca Raton, Florida Boca Raton ( ; es, Boca Ratón, link=no, ) is a city in Palm Beach County, Florida, United States. It was first incorporated on August 2, 1924, as "Bocaratone," and then incorporated as "Boca Raton" in 1925. The population was 97,422 in the ...

. As a result, Maina received a basketball scholarship from 1997 to 1999. His coach would not allow him to use the 'Jimmy Dolan Shake and Bake' move in competition games. Maina still holds the Lynn University record for most blocks in a single game (11), which he achieved against Barry University on December 7, 1998. During the 1997-98 season, his team reached the NCAA D-II semifinals, with Price praising "his timing and ability to block shots". After his two years of eligibility, Maina decided to try professional basketball in Europe, despite McAdoo's reluctance. He left the country to try out for a team in Greece, but it didn't pan out. After that, Maina was unable to return to the US due to visa problems, and was forced to return to Kenya.

Later years

After returning to Kenya, Maina moved back with his parents in Buruburu. In March 2003, he was assaulted by two men on the street who stabbed and hit him with a stone. Maina recovered, after spending three weeks in a hospital with a broken jaw and other injuries. Several years later, he also contracted

tuberculosis Tuberculosis (TB) is an infectious disease usually caused by '' Mycobacterium tuberculosis'' (MTB) bacteria. Tuberculosis generally affects the lungs, but it can also affect other parts of the body. Most infections show no symptoms, in ...

, which led him to bouts of depression. As of 2016, Maina still lived in the area.

References

External links

*
Out of Africa, to Lynn

(''The New York Times'') {{DEFAULTSORT:Maina, Charles Gitonga 1976 births Living people Kenyan male film actors Lynn Fighting Knights men's basketball players Lynn University alumni 20th-century Kenyan male actors Date of birth missing (living people) Place of birth missing (living people)