Zach Hankins

Zach Hankins
Xavier Musketeers
Position Center / Power forward
League Big East Conference
Personal information
Nationality American
Career information
High school Charlevoix
(Charlevoix, Michigan)
College
Career highlights and awards

Zach Hankins is an American college basketball player for the Xavier Musketeers. As a power forward/center, Hankins was named the NCAA Division II National Player of the Year for the 2017–18 season while playing for Ferris State.

Early life and high school career

Hankins is the son of Scott and Dawn Hankins and participated in the 3-on-3 summer slam/beach bash basketball tournament in the Venetian Games growing up.[1] Hankins played at Charlevoix High School in Charlevoix, Michigan. As a junior, he averaged 12 points and eight rebounds per game, while shooting 71 percent. In the fall of 2013, Hankins was running up the floor and stopped abruptly, breaking his foot. Three months later, a doctor gave him clearance to resume practicing, but Hankins broke the foot further. As a result, he missed all but two games of his senior year with the injury. Hankins received some interest from some NCAA Division III schools as well as Grand Valley State and Lake Superior State. Ferris State was the only school to offer him a scholarship, so he committed to the Bulldogs.[2] Then-assistant coach Andy Bronkema spotted Hankins at a camp at Ferris State and made him the $3,000 scholarship pledge.[3]

College career

Hankins redshirted the 2014–15 season, joining the NCAA Division II Bulldogs the next year. As a freshman, he appeared in 34 games off the bench and averaged 4.8 points and 3.8 rebounds per game.[3] He became a star as a redshirt sophomore, averaging 14.6 points and 10.5 rebounds per game. He had 130 blocks on the season, which led Division II and set the school single-season school record.[2] Hankins was one of the finalists for the Bevo Francis Award for top small college player and was the only sophomore to be named to the 2017 Division II Conference Commissioner's Association All-America Second Team. He led Ferris State to a Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC) regular-season and tournament title as well as a then-school record for wins with a 28–5 record. Ferris State reached the second round of the 2017 NCAA Division II Tournament before falling to GLIAC rival Findlay 68–63.[4]

In his junior season, Hankins became one of the top players in Division II. He averaged 15.1 points, 9.7 rebounds, and 3.3 blocks per game and had a field goal percentage of 63 percent. His 128 blocks led the nation in that statistical category.[2] Hankins repeated as GLIAC Player of the Year and was again a finalist for the Bevo Francis Award.[5] He was named the National Player of the Year by the National Association of Basketball Coaches. On the season, Ferris State compiled a 38–1 record and claimed the school’s first national championship in the 2018 NCAA Division II Tournament, defeating Northern State in the final by a score of 71–69.[2] Hankins scored 19 points, including 14 in the first half, in the championship and was named the tournament's most valuable player.[6] "Zach's the best-ever, period" at Ferris State, said coach Bronkema.[2] After the season Hankins graduated with a degree in environmental biology.[1]

On April 5, 2018, Hankins announced he was transferring to Xavier for his final collegiate season, choosing the Musketeers over Michigan State, Ohio State and Texas Tech. Hankins briefly opened up his search after former Xavier coach Chris Mack left to take the job at Louisville, but stuck with new coach Travis Steele after Steele said Hankins was still a priority. "In a way, I'm moving up, but in a way I still like I've been on this level already," he said.[7]

References

  1. 1 2 Allen, Lonnie (July 6, 2018). "Zach Hankins named 2018 Venetian Street Parade grand marshal". Charlevoix Courier. Retrieved August 21, 2018.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 Paul, Tony (March 27, 2018). "Big break: Fate made Zach Hankins 'best-ever' at Ferris". The Detroit News. Retrieved August 21, 2018.
  3. 1 2 Wallner, Peter J. (March 24, 2018). "Zach Hankins' growth at Ferris State has been big for the program". MLive.com. Retrieved August 21, 2018.
  4. ↑ "Ferris State's Zach Hankins becomes first Bulldog sophomore to earn All-America honors". MLive.com. March 20, 2017. Retrieved August 21, 2018.
  5. ↑ Wickliffe, Greg (March 23, 2018). "Hankins transforms into one of nation's top basketball players at Ferris State". Petroskey News-Review. Retrieved August 21, 2018.
  6. ↑ Horos, Emily (March 24, 2018). "Ferris State basketball wins Division II national championship, 71-69". Detroit Free Press. Retrieved August 21, 2018.
  7. ↑ Paul, Tony (April 7, 2018). "Ferris State's Hankins chooses Xavier over MSU, others". The Detroit News. Retrieved August 21, 2018.
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