Prospect Spotlight: Wyatt Hanson (2018)
One of North Dakota’s most talented high school players just finished up his senior season at Stanley.
Six-foot-four forward Wyatt Hanson took home a number of awards this season as the Blue Jays finished eighth at the state tournament.
Hanson was named Class B Senior Player of the Year and North Dakota Mr. Basketball along with All-State First-Team honors.
“It was a fun ride,” Hanson said about his senior season. “There was a lot of support from the community and I’ll remember it forever.”
Hanson finished his senior year with 21.4 points per game, 6.8 rebounds and 4.9 assists. He also finished his high school career with 2, 249 points.
Last November, Hanson signed with Division-II squad Minnesota State University Moorhead. The Dragons play in the Northern Sun Intercolliegate Conference and finished 7-22 this season.
.@WyattHanson22 signs with @MSUM_MBB for 2018-19! https://t.co/QUum8Hw6NC pic.twitter.com/GSQNVuRPzp
— MSUM Dragons (@MSUMDragons) November 8, 2017
“I think they fit my game really well,” Hanson said about his decision. “They play kind of small and they like to spread it out with a bunch of guards and you know dribble drive stuff and get to the rim and shoot 3-pointers and I think that fits my game perfectly.”
Hanson likes to fly high above the rim and finished with close to 30 dunks this past season. However, he also likes to launch it from deep.
But he added that he needs to work on his defense to excel at the next level.
“The guys are much faster and stronger,” Hanson said about the type of athletes in Division-II ball. “I’ll have to be able to move my feet better and just work on getting stronger.”
Hanson will compete in track and field this spring but once that’s over with, he’ll shift his focus back to basketball.
This summer he said perfecting his shot and putting muscle on his body is the No. 1 priority.
“I’m gonna try and work on my jump shot and I think (MSUM) is going to send me to a few workouts,” he added. “I’ll try and be in the gym as much as I can and then be on a summer weight program and just try to continue to get better.”
The biggest difference from Class B basketball to Division-II basketball will be the quality of athletes, Hanson said.
But the two-time All-State player is up for the challenge and is ready to learn.
“I think just adjusting to knowing that everyone out there can do something is going to be the biggest transition,” Hanson said.
Hanson led Stanley to back-to-back state tournament appearances in his junior and senior seasons.