Tide’s Katie Hancock ‘living a dream’ at Alabama

By Allyson Angle Special to The Tuscaloosa News

Published: Wednesday, November 17, 2010 at 3:30 a.m.

TUSCALOOSA | Katie Hancock said she was in organized basketball as soon as she could be, by age 5 or 6.

“I might have come out of the womb playing basketball,” Hancock said.

Hancock, a senior forward on the University of Alabama basketball team, said her family has old photos with her brothers holding big teddy bears when they were asleep, and she is holding a basketball.

Growing up with two older brothers made her competitive.

Jon-Jon played baseball for Ole Miss and was a member of the Rebels’ 2006 SEC championship team. Her oldest brother, Josh, pitched for Auburn’s College World Series team and professionally for the St. Louis Cardinals before he died in a car accident less than a year after the Cardinals won the World Series in 2006. Their father played Division II basketball at Delta State.

Katie got the athletic gene, too.

From Tupelo, Miss., which is between Oxford and Starkville, Katie figured she would go to Ole Miss or Mississippi State.

“I always wanted to play in college, but it was kind of a stretch for me to play SEC basketball,” Hancock said.

When neither of those schools, or any other SEC school, offered her a scholarship, Jon-Jon sent tape of Katie to the coaches at Alabama.

The Crimson Tide called and she made an unofficial visit. UA didn’t have a scholarship to offer, but she came anyway. She fell in love and the coaches welcomed her to walk on the team for the next year.

Within a week of being on campus, Hancock had earned a scholarship.

“It was extremely fortunate,” Hancock said. “I’m living my dream ... and it’s humbling to play with people like Ericka (Russell) and Tierney (Jenkins), who have so much talent.”

Hancock said the team at Alabama became like an extended family, especially after stepped onto campus just six weeks after her brother Josh died.

“I felt like all my support system had been cut off and I was struggling to find something to hang on to, but the team just embraced me and they were my family and still are,” Hancock said. “Twenty years down the road I might not remember any of these games, but all of these girls will be at my wedding.”

Katie graduated in August, earning her degree in business management in three years. Before graduation in August, she went to Pueblo, Mexico, for three weeks with an organization called Athletes in Action, which forms a basketball team with girls from all over the country.

“It was a ton of fun,” Hancock said. “It was really good for me because I think I had lost the passion to play basketball and then I went on this mission trip and it kind of just reignited me, and now I’m having a blast.

“I’m not fast and I’m not quick, but I’m a hard worker and I can pick up basketball pretty well.”

Alabama coach Wendell Hudson agrees.

“She’s not the ‘Rah-rah’ type,” he said. “She’s the type of leader that will come and work hard everyday and expect everyone else to work hard.”

To see the original story go to:  http://www.tidesports.com/article/20101117/NEWS/101119684/1011?p=1&tc=pg&tc=ar

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