Darrin Hancock facts for kids

Darrin Hancock (born November 3, 1971) is an American former professional basketball player. He was known for his strong offense and quick moves to the basket. Many compared his style to famous players like Dominique Wilkins. Darrin was a top high school basketball player in the late 1980s. He was named a Parade Magazine and McDonald's All-American standout at Griffin High School in Griffin, Georgia.

Hancock played his first two college seasons at Garden City Community College. He was considered one of the best junior college recruits in the country. Later, he transferred to the University of Kansas. There, he was a starting small forward for the Kansas Jayhawks team that reached the Final Four in the 1993 NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament. After his junior year, Hancock left college to play professional basketball. He found success in United States semi-pro basketball leagues after playing a few times in the National Basketball Association (NBA). Many consider him one of the best high school basketball players in Georgia history.

Darrin Hancock's Early Life

Darrin Hancock was born and grew up in Birmingham, Alabama. When he was in sixth grade, he moved to Griffin, Georgia, a small town south of Atlanta in Spalding County. Darrin faced a sad event early in his life. In 1978, his father passed away from a heart attack. After that, his mother raised him.

As a child, Darrin was quiet. He only started playing basketball in eighth grade. Hancock often said that James Martin, the Griffin High School basketball coach, was his biggest positive influence besides his mother. Coach Martin was his coach and mentor in high school. He often gave Darrin advice on both his career and personal life. Darrin eventually saw Coach Martin as a father figure. The coach later became his legal guardian.

High School Basketball Career

Darrin Hancock went to Griffin High School. He was quite tall at 6 feet 6 inches. His height and athletic skills helped him become the starting center on his school's varsity basketball team during his freshman year. Hancock quickly became the team's star player. He was seen as one of the state's top freshman high school basketball players in the 1986–87 season.

He led the Griffin Bears, who had a 25–2 record, in points and rebounds. He also helped his school, ranked number two, win the state's Region 6-AAAA championship title. He achieved all this before finishing his freshman year.

The Griffin Bears continued to do well with Hancock. The team, now ranked number one, had a 28–1 record. They won their second Region 6-AAAA title in the 1987–88 season. Darrin Hancock finished that season averaging 17 points per game. He also earned a special honor: he was the first sophomore to be named The Atlanta Journal-Constitution's state Player of the Year. He was not only considered one of the best young players in the state but was also rated the number one sophomore basketball player in the nation by B.C. Scouting Service during his second year of high school.

Challenges and Successes in High School

Griffin High School started the 1988–89 season in a new basketball class, the 4-AAAA South region. However, they struggled to repeat their earlier success. The team found it hard to adjust to the new class. Their ranking dropped to sixth place with a 19–5 record.

Despite this, Hancock continued to achieve personal success. He was named to the 1988–89 Parade Magazine All-American First Team. He also finished third in votes for the magazine's National Player of the Year award. As he entered his senior year, several national surveys considered him one of the nation's top five high school players.

Hancock and the Bears finally found their stride in the 4-AAAA South region after their struggles. The team earned the number one ranking in their new class. They finished with an impressive 26–4 record. However, they lost to Southwest Macon High School in the state's Class 4-AAAA state quarterfinals.

Hancock, who had also started playing as a forward, had his best single-game high school performance that season. He scored 50 points and made the game-winning three-pointer in a double-overtime victory against Vanguard High School of Ocala, Florida. He averaged 30 points and nine rebounds per game at the end of the 1989–90 season.

College Choices and Challenges

Darrin Hancock was considered one of the nation's top senior high school basketball players at the time. Many college basketball programs wanted him. He signed a letter to attend the University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV) in the spring of 1990. However, he was not allowed to receive an NCAA Division I scholarship. This was due to his grade point average, under rules known as Proposition 48.

Since he couldn't enroll at UNLV as a college freshman, Hancock chose to enroll at Garden City Community College in southwest Kansas. There, he could complete coursework and become eligible to transfer to another university later.

College Basketball Career

Playing at Garden City College

In 1990, Darrin Hancock moved from Georgia to the Midwest. He settled in rural Finney County, Kansas to start at Garden City Community College. He joined Garden City's basketball team as their star swingman. During his freshman season, he averaged 17.5 points, 8.6 rebounds, 5.3 assists, and 2.7 steals. His continued athletic achievements earned him his third straight Parade Magazine All-American recognition. He was also named to the JUCO All-American Third Team.

Hancock showed even more skill on the court during his college sophomore season. He averaged 21.8 points and 11.7 rebounds per game. He had his best single-game college performance when he achieved a triple-double against Barton County Community College. In that game, he scored a college career high of 37 points, along with 14 rebounds, 10 assists, and three steals.

Many people, including the National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA), believed Hancock was the nation's best junior college basketball player. The NJCAA named him the 1991–92 NJCCA Player of the Year. Hancock also caught the eye of the nearby University of Kansas. Their strong basketball program convinced him to become a Jayhawk for the 1992–93 season with an athletic scholarship.

Time at the University of Kansas

Hancock transferred to the University of Kansas. He was chosen to be the basketball team's starting small forward. News of Hancock joining the Kansas Jayhawks created a lot of excitement. Even Jayhawks' coach Roy Williams said, "Darrin is one of the best athletes in the nation, and he will be one of the best athletes ever to put on a Kansas uniform."

Several basketball experts predicted Kansas would be a top-ranked team and might even reach the Final Four with Hancock's arrival. The Jayhawks lived up to these predictions. They won the 1993 Big Eight Regular Season Championship. They also earned the second seed in the Midwest division of the 1993 NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament with a 27–8 record.

The Jayhawks played well through the NCAA tournament and reached the Final Four Regional Championships. This was their second appearance in three years. Although Kansas eventually lost to North Carolina in the Final Four, the team's great performance earned them a top ten national ranking during the regular season. They even spent a short time at number one.

The team's main scoring came from the strong duo of Rex Walters and Adonis Jordan. Hancock, however, was mostly a secondary offensive player, averaging 7.5 points per game in 33 starts. It seemed Hancock didn't adapt well to Kansas's style of play, which might explain why he didn't meet pre-season expectations. In July 1993, he suddenly left the university. This happened after personal issues caused him to miss required summer school classes, making him unable to play on the team. Hancock transferred to Indiana State University in September. But after one month, he changed his mind. He decided to pursue a professional basketball career in Europe instead.

Professional Basketball Career

Playing for the Charlotte Hornets

Darrin Hancock spent his first professional season playing in the French Pro B League for the Maurienne basketball club. There, he averaged 17.3 points and 5.4 rebounds over 17 games. Back in the United States, players and teams were getting ready for the 1994 NBA draft. Hancock attended the Chicago pre-draft camp during the summer. He showed off his quickness to NBA scouts.

The Charlotte Hornets had traded away their first-round pick earlier. They were deciding who to choose for their only second-round pick. The team was looking for a tall rookie who was good at rebounding or a backup point guard. However, many of Charlotte's top rookie choices were already picked by the time it was their turn. So, the Hornets chose Hancock with the 38th overall pick in the draft. He had impressed the team with his athletic ability, which fit well with their fast-paced style of play.

The young rookie earned the last spot on Charlotte's 12-man roster. He showed his skills at the NBA summer league during the off-season. Hancock joined a team with many experienced players, led by the strong duo of Larry Johnson and Alonzo Mourning. Hancock's own skills were not as strong as many of his teammates, which limited his playing time as the Hornets' 12th player.

However, he played a lot in April 1995. This was because Charlotte's starting small forward Scott Burrell and backup small forward David Wingate were both injured. That same month, Hancock scored a then-NBA career high of 15 points against the Philadelphia 76ers in one of his seven starts that season. As a team, the Hornets had a great season with their best regular season record ever (50–32). They finished second in the Central Division. Charlotte returned to the NBA playoffs for the second time in three years. However, they lost to the Chicago Bulls in the first round. Hancock played limited minutes in his NBA Playoffs debut. The Hornets changed players around to keep a big lineup against the Chicago Bulls. Still, the Hornets' rookie contributed in the post-season, though briefly, playing less than 10 minutes in three games.

Second Season with the Hornets

Hancock spent the summer of 1995 working on improving his offensive skills. This seemed to help his game during a surprising pre-season. He averaged 15.5 points over six exhibition games. The starter, Scott Burrell, began the season on the injured list with a torn Achilles tendon. This forced the new shooting guard Glen Rice to switch positions and replace Burrell as the team's starting small forward.

Charlotte took a chance by having Hancock temporarily fill the starting shooting guard position. He started in four games in mid-November, averaging five points and two rebounds. However, Burrell returned to the starting lineup later that month, sending Hancock back to the bench. Darrin Hancock played limited minutes in about half of all regular season games through the end of December. But he scored an NBA career high of 16 points during an away game against the Utah Jazz.

The second-year NBA swingman started to play much more after Burrell suffered a season-ending dislocated shoulder on New Year's Eve. This time, Charlotte chose Dell Curry as the team's new starting shooting guard. Hancock became the Hornets' main guard-forward swingman reserve. Hancock finished the season playing an average of 13.3 minutes per game in 63 games. Even though he played more, Hancock couldn't keep up his pre-season offensive success in the regular season. He ended up averaging 4.3 points per game. The Charlotte Hornets, playing their first year without star Alonzo Mourning, also had a tougher time. They failed to make the playoffs with a 41–41 record. The Hornets decided not to re-sign Hancock when his two-year contract ended. This made him a free agent.

Moving Between NBA Teams

The Milwaukee Bucks signed Darrin Hancock on October 3, 1996. His strong defense helped him stay on the team after their off-season cuts. He averaged 4.8 points and 14.8 minutes in six pre-season games. He eventually made the team's roster for the start of the 1996–97 season. However, Milwaukee head coach Chris Ford found it hard to fit Hancock into his game plan. As a result, Hancock played very little, averaging 4.3 minutes per game as a small forward reserve.

He was traded to the Phoenix Suns along with a future draft pick in exchange for Chucky Brown. This happened after Hancock played in only nine games for Milwaukee. Hancock remained on the Suns' injured list with bruised knees. He was then released a week later on December 11, 1996.

However, Hancock's future soon looked brighter. Tyrone Corbin, the Atlanta Hawks' starting small forward, got a sprained left ankle in late December. The Hawks became interested in Hancock, who was from Georgia and looking to get back into the league after being released by the Suns. Hancock, who was living in Atlanta at the time, accepted his hometown team's offer. The Hawks signed Henry James and then added Hancock on January 2, 1997. James took Corbin's starting role, and Hancock was assigned as the team's backup small forward.

However, Darrin Hancock played very little during his time with Atlanta, only 10 minutes in two games. Just five days after joining the Hawks, the team released Hancock. They did this to bring Tyrone Corbin back from the injured list.

But being released didn't stop Hancock from playing. He soon found a chance in the Continental Basketball Association (CBA). The Omaha Racers offered Hancock a deal to play for their team in late January. Hancock averaged 14 points and 3.5 rebounds in his first two games with the Racers. Hancock left the CBA soon after. He found his way back into the NBA on a 10-day contract with the San Antonio Spurs on January 29, 1997. This was his fifth NBA team in three seasons. Hancock wore a Spurs uniform for only eight minutes during a game against the Philadelphia 76ers. San Antonio then decided not to re-sign his 10-day contract, choosing to re-sign teammate Jamie Feick instead. Hancock was offered another 10-day contract in March to return to Atlanta. He finished the rest of the season as a Hawk.

NBA Career Statistics

Regular Season

Playoffs

Personal Life

Darrin Hancock is married to Kathleen Hancock. They met while he was at Garden City Community College (GCCC). They got married in 2011.

Darrin Hancock is also the father of Darrin "Buck" Hancock Jr. As of 2010, Darrin Jr. was a college football running back at Garden City Community College. Before that, he was a standout running back at Griffin High School.

Awards and Achievements

• The Atlanta Journal-Constitution Boys' Class AAAA All-State First Team (1987–88)
• The Atlanta Journal-Constitution Player of the Year (1988)
• 1988 Mr. Georgia Basketball
• 2× Parade Magazine All-American First Team (1988–89, 1989–90)
• Dapper Dan Roundball Classic (1990)
• McDonald's All-American Team (1990)
• U.S. Olympic Festival: Men's Basketball South Team (1990)
• Parade Magazine All-American Second Team (1990–91)
• JUCO All-American Third Team (1990–91)
• National Junior College Athletic Association All-American Team (1991–92)
• 1991–92 National Junior College Athletic Association Player of the Year
• 2× All-USBL Team (2000, 2003)
• 2003 USBL Post Season MVP

See also

In Spanish: Darrin Hancock para niños