Elon Gets a Steal in Hannah
Elon University came north to New England and landed a massive steal on Wednesday night as Northfield Mount Hermon and New England Playaz forward Chuck Hannah made a verbal commitment to the Phoenix.
The 6-foot-6 Massachusetts native had scored offers ranging up to the Atlantic 10 Conference over the course of the last year but was pursued heaviest only by a couple of schools coming out of the recent July evaluation period.
Elon seized the opportunity as head coach Matt Matheny and his staff recognized Hannah's value and prioritized him accordingly through the summer and fall to date.
In Hannah, they are getting one of the most competitive players and natural leaders that New England has seen in recent years.
"Every team Chuck has played on has been better with him on the court and in their program! He is the culture carrier at NMH and sets the tone with his leadership. He's a proven winner," NMH head coach John Carroll said.
In a day and age were statistics are widely available at the high school and grassroots levels, Hannah is a player who competes for no numbers other than wins and losses. In fact, there might not be another player in the region who has a better total winning percentage over the course of the last 12 months, taking both seasons into play.
This summer was a prime example. The New England Playaz were among the best teams on the Adidas Gauntlet and seemed to be rolling towards a championship bid at the Adidas Summer Championships in Las Vegas. Things changed when Hannah went down with an injury though as they fell to a Team Loaded Virginia squad in the final that they had beaten by double figures earlier in the week with Hannah in the line-up.
That week served as a microcosm of Hannah's value. It wasn't evident in the stat sheet, but to everyone watching there was no doubt that his leadership, defense, rebounding, and willingness to do whatever was necessary for winning was the ultimate difference for the Playaz.
Those qualities will make Hannah an immediate impact player for Elon and a huge piece of their future. This is the second consecutive year that the Phoenix have landed a commitment from the New England prep ranks following the commitment of Duje Raja in the class of 2017. Hannah is also the second member of NMH's 2018 class to accept a full D1 scholarship following Calvin Whipple's commitment to Fairfield last month.
Chuck Hannah
Calvin Whipple