Prospect Spotlight: Payton Hanzlik
A rising junior wing player, Leavenworth 2021 Payton Hanzlik is putting together a strong spring and summer running with KC Premiere 16U squad. At 6’4, Hanzlik can handle the ball, create offense for himself and others and has the ability…
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Continue ReadingA rising junior wing player, Leavenworth 2021 Payton Hanzlik is putting together a strong spring and summer running with KC Premiere 16U squad.
At 6’4, Hanzlik can handle the ball, create offense for himself and others and has the ability to defend multiple positions.
“As a creator, I create things for other people at the beginning of games whether it is pushing the ball on breaks, kicking it out, or passing up shots for others,” Hanzlik said. “This then allows me to take more shots at the end of games because they know that I’m willing to create plays.”
He says playing for KC Premiere has helped prepare him for the upcoming season as he hopes to make his mark at the varsity level.
“I would say that playing for my summer team has prepared me greatly for high school just because of the way I can view situations now, like when to step into a role and when to create,” Hanzlik said. “Through this off season I have been working and am going to continue to work on mostly ball handling, because I feel with the way I can shoot the ball and my height being able to create things off the dribble for myself and others will help deprecate myself, and the other main thing is my body, trying to get more mass and become more explosive.”
Hanzlik didn’t get much of an opportunity to contribute to his high school program a year ago as he suffered an injury in the fall, but says expectations are high for the upcoming season.
“My high school team this last season … was probably the most talented high school teams around for sure, they had everything height speed, shooting, and it’s sad because there potential was so high and they could have done so much more but sadly couldn’t find a way to come together on the court,” he says.
Hanzlik has an interesting perspective on the biggest influence on his basketball career as he says he has been his biggest motivator.
“I would say the biggest influence on my basketball career would be myself because I always try and look and myself in the past and the future to improve and become better, which will never end because I want to be even better then the next me,” he said.
A fan of Kobe Bryant and Klay Thompson, Hanzlik says he has taken aspects of both NBA player’s game and tried to make it his own.
“My favorite basketball players to watch I would have to say be Kobe as my all time just because of the way he could take over games and that clutchness he has, amazing to watch, and Klay with the way he shoots the ball and moves on the floor without the ball in his hands, is how I play and try to play a lot of the time,” Hanzlik said.