Randall Hanke emerged from the auxiliary gym at Baruch College sporting a pair of white Chuck Taylors while his mother Lynn and younger brother David waited for him the far hallway. It was a fitting scene for the former Providence big man, a metaphor for his fundamentally sound and old-school workmanlike style of play.
“I use a lot of hook shots,” the 6-foot-11, 240-pound Hanke said. “I try to get a lot of easy points by running the floor and being active, getting offensive rebounds, nothing too flashy. I just try to do the little things.”
He dropped in 12 points in Dyckman’s loss to the X-Men at Nike Pro City Thursday night. There he is nicknamed “Cable Guy” by announcer Big Brawly Chisholm because of his unassuming nature and resemblance to Jim Carrey.
Hanke, who attended The Hill School in Pottstown, Pa., before landing at Trinity Pawling in upstate New York, scored with baby hooks, putbacks, and even an empathic slam that brought his teammates to their feet in the third quarter. Its a physicality that Hanke, an Upper East Side native, is trying to harness moving forward in his career.
“The biggest thing for me is to just get stronger and really focus on putting on some weight,” he said. “That will help all parts of my game. I need to do more of that. With me being active and physical, I’ve gotten a lot better since graduating from college.”
During his time with the Friars he averaged 13 points and five rebounds per game and led the nation in field-goal percentage (67.7) as a sophomore under coach Tim Welsh. Hanke would then break his hand twice, but returned to score a little more than 8.0 points per game during his final two seasons. Since then the 25-year-old has spent time playing overseas.
It started with a spot on the Great Britain national team last fall in the European championships. Hanke’s father Robert was born in London. Following tryouts in Greece and France, he signed to play with Scotland’s Glasgow Rocks of the British Basketball League, but left them for an opportunity with Socas Canarias in Spain.
The Tenerife-based team plays in LEB Gold division, one step below the prestigious ACB league, which has seen many NBA players on its rosters. Socas Canaries lost in the semifinals and is trying to make a push into the top division.
“That style of play fits my game,” said Hanke, who is also a golfer with a zero handicap. “It was a good level for me. It’s really team oriented, a lot of ball movement. It’s more of a college game.”
Returning to Spain is one option for next season, but he also mentioned possibly looking for an opportunity in Italy or France as long as it is at the same level. This summer, however, he is back at Nike Pro City. He has played with Dyckman in the tournament, one he considers the best in the city, the last five years. It also gives his family a chance to see him play, something they miss out on with him being overseas.
“In college they came to most of my games,” Hanke said. “I’m so used to having my family and friends at my games. It was a little different this year, so it was nice to get that feeling back.”