Daily Pilot Athlete of the Week, Alec Hanson: A pronounced winner

Tony Altobelli

You’ve got to love seventh-graders. They say the silliest things.

Just ask Corona del Mar High basketball standout Alec Hanson, not to be

confused with teammate, Kevin Hansen, he with the “e”.

“I had a kid come up to me in the gym and ask me, ‘Are you one of the

Hansens?”’ said Hanson, with an “o”. “It happens all the time. I think

it’s pretty funny.”

However you spell it, it all comes out the same: CIF. That’s where Hanson

and the rest of the Sea Kings wound up after winning the Pacific Coast

League title, CdM’s first outright league crown since 1987.

Last week against rival Costa Mesa, Hanson turned an opportunity of

redemption into one of the best first halves of basketball in Sea Kings’

history.

After not scoring in CdM’s first meeting with the Mustangs, Hanson found

the touch, connecting on six three-pointers in the first half. He

finished with 20 points as the Sea Kings won, 65-62.

“I was in foul trouble early and I couldn’t get into any kind of rhythm,”

Hanson said of the Jan. 21 bagel. “I had to do a lot of sitting and it

took me completely out of my game.”

That definitely wasn’t a problem Feb. 10, when he hit straight treys

after missing his first, and six of his first eight from beyond the arc.

“I wanted to settle in early and find a groove,” Hanson said. “It’s my

senior year and it was my last league game. I guess I got a little

selfish.”

Selfishness was not in the stats for Hanson. In addition to his 20

points, he grabbed six rebounds and dished out seven assists. He also

chipped in with 11 points, six rebounds and three assists in the Sea

Kings’ win over University Feb. 8.

“As the point guard, I want to be the leader on the floor,” Hanson said.

“Call out the offenses and defenses and kind of be the coach out on the

floor. I’ll score if it’s there, but also, I need to get the ball around

to others.”

According to Coach Paul Orris, it’s Hanson’s IQ on the court that has

been a main ingredient to the Sea Kings’ success.

“He’s a very intelligent kid in the classroom and he brings that

intelligence to the court,” Orris said. “The success of a basketball team

depends a lot on how well the point guard runs the show. His

decision-making sometimes gets overlooked when it comes to explaining our

success.”

The duo of Hanson and Hansen, best friends, combine to average 34 points

a game. “We work real good together,” Hanson said. “If one of us is on,

the other will make sure they get the ball.”

After spending six years within the walls of CdM, Hanson has nothing but

respect for the misinformed seventh grader.

“Man, when I was his age, I worshiped the basketball players,” Hanson

said. “Now that I’ve been here for six years, it feels pretty cool to be

part of such tradition.”

Hanson played hoops as far back as he can remember, but it wasn’t until

his National Junior Basketball days in the sixth and seventh grade when

Daily Pilot Hall of Famer and former Estancia High star Selwyn Mansell

coached him, that he really became engrossed in the game.

“He really taught me everything about the game at an early age,” Hanson

said. “He was the coach who introduced me to discipline and really got me

excited about playing basketball.”

From Mansell (now a sophomore playing at Air Force) to Orris, Hanson has

had the opportunity to learn from some of the best basketball minds in

the area.

“Coach Orris has really taught me the fine art of defense and how

important tradition is,” Hanson said. “He’s really helped me fine tune

the basics that I learned growing up.”

Also a standout on the Sea Kings’ volleyball team, Hanson hopes for an

athletic future in the collegiate ranks.

“There’s a couple of schools I’m interested in,” Hanson said. “For

basketball, some Division II schools have talked to me, while for

volleyball, I’ve had some Division I schools come to me. I just love

sports and would love to play after CdM.”

When Hanson and Hansen aren’t confusing seventh-graders on the court,

they enjoy hanging out off the court.

“I love going out to the movies or just hanging out with my friends or my

girlfriend,” Hanson said.