Recruiting Report: Kent Hanson (2016)

St. Paul Academy went to the state tournament when Kent Hanson and Dalante Peyton were sophomores.  Last year they lost a few more games than they wanted but they still collected 19 victories.  In 2015-16 SPA is looking at championships and championships alone. “I'm feeling optimistic about next year,” said Hanson.  “Our 2016 class is the strongest class that St Paul Academy has had in a while. We definitely miss Coach (Kevin) McKenzie but we have a lot of experience in our senior class. “Our goal is to win the conference and state championship and I think we can do that if we have a strong fall.” Hanson is coming off a spring and summer that built his reputation as a skilled worker that will do whatever it takes for his team to win. “Well, obviously (Grassroots basketball) focuses a lot on skill development, but I think that an underrated advantage of (Grassroots) is playing alongside and against better players,” Hanson said.   “In my case, it was a drastic change from playing Class AA basketball in the winter season. Practicing with and playing against better players pushed me to work harder. I think that working hard is a skill that I've improved a lot throughout my Grassroots career. “Overall, I'm very thankful to have been able to play for Fury. I know that Trey and Ben both genuinely care about me and the feeling is mutual.” Hanson has offers from the University of Mary and Concordia-St. Paul but the amount of programs he is looking at had to be simplified into four leagues, not just a list of schools.  “My college list is still pretty big right now. I'm looking at the NSIC, MIAC, NESCAC, and a couple of schools in the UAA,” Hanson said.