PAST: Little Flower Academy Angels
PRESENT: War Memorial Gym
FUTURE: CIS University of B.C. Thunderbirds
In a first for Our Prospects, the court where this athlete grew up watching her idols and honing her own game is the same place she鈥檒l play for the next five years.
Jessica Hanson started dribbling a ball at War Memorial Gym and cherishes a portrait that shows her on the court in an oversized Thunderbirds uniform. She was a toddler in 2000 when her father became the head coach of the men鈥檚 basketball team. He brought his pedigree to coach her high school teams at Little Flower Academy, and when she committed to play basketball at UBC, Hanson made her father a very happy man.
The MVP of the B.C. AA high school girls basketball championship is a sharp-eyed shooter who seeks success on every play at both ends of the court. She averaged 30 points in four games over the provincial championship weekend and, despite losing the final, was named the best player there.
Her success doesn鈥檛 stop with basketball. The 18-year-old won silver in the senior girls high jump and came seventh in the long jump at the B.C. high school championships last week. She won鈥檛 compete for the T-Birds track team, but the invitation is open.
An impressive, elite competitor in two sports, Hanson could have gone another way 鈥� according to her father.
鈥淚 really wanted her to be a golfer,鈥� said Kevin Hanson. 鈥淪he had a beautiful swing.鈥�
An early tour at the Queen Elizabeth pitch and putt deterred them both. 鈥淎fter four holes, we had stopped talking to each other, we were in the woods on opposite sides of the fairway 鈥� it was the worst experience we鈥檇 had together,鈥� he said.
She was 10 as his memory serves. In hers, she was 12 but the recollection was just as bad.
鈥淲e were having fun until we actually stated golfing,鈥� said Hanson. 鈥淚鈥檝e outgrown the clubs I had.鈥�
Close on and off the basketball court, the pair has developed an even deeper bond through sports. Hanson鈥檚 mom Theresa played varsity basketball in Washington State and is a director of athletics at the university. The trio cut quite a figure on the gym floor.听
鈥淭hey鈥檙e both my biggest supporters,鈥� said Hanson.
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