Hansel Enmanuel

Hansel Enmanuel Donato Domínguez, known as Hansel Enmanuel, (born 24 October 2003) is a Dominican college basketball player for the Austin Peay Governors of the Ohio Valley Conference. He played high school basketball at Life Christian Academy in Kissimmee, Florida and committed to play college basketball at Northwestern State, transferring after his freshman season.

In this Spanish name, the first or paternal surname is Donato and the second or maternal family name is Domínguez.
Hansel Enmanuel
No. 24 – Austin Peay Governors
PositionPoint guard / shooting guard
LeagueOhio Valley Conference
Personal information
Born (2003-10-24) 24 October 2003
Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic
Listed height6 ft 6 in (1.98 m)
Listed weight175 lb (79 kg)
Career information
High schoolLife Christian Academy
(Kissimmee, Florida)
CollegeNorthwestern State (2022–2023)
Austin Peay (2023–present)

He went viral in early 2021 for his flashy dunks, passes, three-pointers and athleticism against top high school talent despite having only one arm due to a childhood incident.[1][2]

Early life

Hansel was born in the Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic to Hansel Salvador Donato and Katia "Katy" Domínguez Pérez,[1] and grew up in Los Mina,[3] one of the poorest barrios in the city.[4] His father had a standout career in the Dominican professional basketball league.[5]

At the age of six, Hansel lost his left arm when a cinderblock wall came down on him and trapped him for two hours, requiring amputation below the shoulder.[1][6] He was hospitalized for about six months.[7] Despite his life-altering injuries, Hansel said he saw the experience as a "blessing."[1] Forced to give up his preferred sport of baseball, he switched his focus to basketball thereafter.[1] His father was initially against the idea because he thought he would get hurt,[8] but later served as one of his biggest supporters.[3]

With only one arm, Hansel had difficulty keeping his equilibrium while running, often falling to the ground.[7] However, he reached a height of 5 ft 9 in (1.75 m) by the age of 11 and was 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) tall the following year.[7] At age 13, Hansel began attending basketball camps and tournaments in the United States, and he began realizing his potential.[7] He dunked for the first time at age 14.[7] Hansel gained recognition in 2020 after posting videos on social media of him playing streetball in his hometown of Santo Domingo.[9] That October, he appeared on national television when he was interviewed on El Show Del Mediodia (The Noon Show) on Color Visión.[3]

High school career

Hansel moved to the United States in January 2021 after receiving a scholarship to play at Life Christian Academy in Kissimmee, Florida.[10] The team's head coach, Moisés Micael, was an old teammate of his father's who saw his videos online and convinced him to make the move.[9] Within weeks of his arrival his highlight videos went viral on social media again.[1][2] His performance at the Orlando Winter Showdown further elevated his profile after he averaged 25 points and 11 rebounds per game throughout the tournament.[11] He also began playing on the Amateur Athletic Union (AAU) circuit for SOH Elite.[6] As a senior, Hansel averaged 25.9 points, 11 rebounds, 6.9 assists and 3.4 blocks per game while helping his team win a Central Florida Christian Academy state title.[9][12]

Recruiting

Hansel was rated a three-star recruit by 247Sports.[12] He received his first Division I offer from Tennessee State in August 2021.[13] That offer was followed by an offer from Memphis in February 2022.[14]

In June 2022, he announced that he was considering Memphis, Northwestern State and Bethune–Cookman, as well as the Overtime Elite professional league.[15] He committed to Northwestern State on July 23.[16]

College career

Northwestern State

Hansel arrived at Northwestern State University in late August 2022, missing summer workouts due to obligations to endorsements.[5] He made his collegiate debut for the Demons on November 12, recording one steal and committing two fouls in eight minutes of play.[17] Hansel scored his first career points in his fifth game, a win against Louisiana–Monroe on December 10. He scored five points on two for three shooting, including a dunk coming off of an offensive rebound of his own missed free throw.[18]

Hansel appeared in 20 games as a freshman, averaging 1.7 points and 1.2 rebounds in 8.2 minutes per game.[19] He entered his name into the NCAA transfer portal in March 2023.[19]

Austin Peay

For his sophomore season, Hansel transferred to Austin Peay, where his head coach at Northwestern State, Corey Gipson, had been hired in the same position.[19]

Personal life

Enmanuel is nicknamed Kikimita after his father, who was called Kikima during his playing career.[4] Aside from his dad he cites LeBron James and Kevin Durant as his idols.[4]

Social media and endorsements

Enmanuel has established a large social media following since moving to the United States. In April 2022, he signed a name, image, and likeness (NIL) deal with Banreservas, one of the largest financial institutions in his native Dominican Republic.[20] He signed a deal with Gatorade, starring in a national commercial spot that aired in June as part of the brand's Fuel Tomorrow campaign.[21][22]

References
  1. Marcial Ocasio, Jennifer A. (30 May 2021). "Donato Domínguez is a one-armed basketball player who breaks every barrier on the court". Orlando Sentinel. Retrieved 2 June 2021.
  2. Perez, Juan (10 March 2021). "Could This One-Armed Basketball Player Become The Next NBA Star?". International Business Times. Retrieved 2 June 2021.
  3. "Hansel Emmanuel "Kikimita": La pérdida de mi brazo no es un obstáculo en el Basketball" (in Spanish). Color Visión. 21 October 2020. Retrieved 3 June 2021.
  4. "La historia de Hansel Emmanuel, un joven de 17 años que realiza mates, bandejas y tapones con un solo brazo". Antena 3 Noticias (in Spanish). 28 February 2021. Retrieved 3 June 2021.
  5. Witz, Billy (March 5, 2023). "An Ordinary Player Who's Anything But". The New York Times. Archived from the original on March 5, 2023. Retrieved August 31, 2023.
  6. "AAU Player Hansel Emmanuel Is Taking His Game To New Heights Despite Missing Arm". KCNC-TV. May 10, 2021. Retrieved June 2, 2021.
  7. Rieken, Kristie (December 30, 2022). "Enmanuel, college player with 1 arm, becomes an inspiration". Associated Press. Retrieved August 31, 2023.
  8. "Hansel Emmanuel: o jogador de basquete que impressiona com apenas um braço". Globo Esporte (in Portuguese). March 17, 2021. Retrieved June 3, 2021.
  9. Hanson, Logan (18 August 2021). "Life Christian one-armed basketball star Hansel Enmanuel Donato earns first DI offer from Tennessee State". BVM Sports. Retrieved 9 December 2021.
  10. "Joven con discapacidad consigue beca para jugar básquetbol en Orlando". Noticias Sin (in Spanish). 2 February 2021. Retrieved 2 June 2021.
  11. Negley, Cassandra (25 February 2021). "Hansel Emmanuel, a one-armed HS basketball player, shows incredible handles in trending video". Yahoo Sports. Retrieved 3 June 2021.
  12. Pugh, Jason (25 July 2022). "Demons add Florida prep phenom Hansel Enmanuel". Northwestern State Demons. Retrieved 24 November 2022.
  13. "Hansel Emmanuel, one-armed hoops star, gets first offer". HBCU Gameday. 12 August 2021. Retrieved 12 August 2021.
  14. "Memphis offers a spot to One-Armed Basketball Player Hansel Enmanuel". 18 February 2022. Retrieved 11 May 2022.
  15. Gaither, Steven J. (30 June 2022). "Hansel Emmanuel has HBCU in his final four". HBCU Gameday. Retrieved 30 June 2022.
  16. Jackson, Wilton (July 23, 2022). "Hansel Enmanuel, One-Armed Basketball Player, Announces College Commitment". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved July 24, 2022.
  17. ""Kikimita" realiza su debut en el baloncesto universitario estadounidense". ESPN Deportes (in Spanish). 13 November 2022. Retrieved 29 November 2022.
  18. "Watch: One-armed basketball player scores first points of college career — including a thunderous dunk". CBS News. December 12, 2022. Retrieved August 31, 2023.
  19. Tipton, Joe (May 19, 2023). "Hansel Enmanuel, one-armed basketball player, transfers to Austin Peay". On3.com. Retrieved August 31, 2023.
  20. Finkelstein, Eric (April 15, 2022). "Hansel Enmanuel Continues Breaking Barriers with NIL". Sports Agent Blog. Retrieved June 29, 2022.
  21. Sprung, Shlomo (31 May 2022). "Gatorade Moves on From NHL as Part of Reinvented Sports Marketing Playbook". Boardroom.tv. Retrieved 29 June 2022.
  22. Morrison, Daniel (13 June 2022). "Hansel Emmanuel has a new NIL deal with Gatorade". On3.com. Retrieved 29 June 2022.
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