Dime Magazine

NO68 2012

Dime is the premier basketball magazine, covering the NBA, NCAA, High School, Playground and International basketball - as well as sneakers, fashion and music.

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res of Superman While Hanlen may be better known for mak- ing other players better through his training, he's no slouch on the court either. In high school, he made a name for himself in the St. Louis area starring at Webster Groves High School, helping lead the school to a 105-15 record during his four-year career. During that time, he was recruited by many schools at all levels of Division I, but settled on Belmont because of their entrepreneur- ship program, the chance to win and the fact that Belmont would allow him to travel and train his clients over the summer. Since arriving in Nashville, Hanlen has worked his way up from valuable bench contributor to starting point guard. Last year, he started every game for the Bru- ins, averaging 6.4 points and 4.0 assists per game while leading the Atlantic Sun Conference in assist-to-turnover ratio. The Bruins won their conference easily and fin- ished with a 30-5 record after losing to Wis- consin in the NCAA Tournament. Averaging 9.8 points and 4.0 assists through his first 23 games this year, Hanlen is off to a great start in his senior campaign – something he is proudly allowed to partake in because of his strict compliance with NCAA rules. In an age where athletes are frequently under the microscope, Hanlen makes sure to run everything he does by Belmont's Director of Compliance, Heather Copeland. work he puts into it is just incredible; there are not a lot of people like him." While Hanlen's hard work is what gets him noticed by elite players, that is not to say that many don't have initial doubts about his ability as a trainer. He frequently schedules training sessions with players through their agents, so when he arrives at the gym for the first time, many play- ers are caught off-guard by his presence at the workout. Hanlen has been mistaken for an autograph-seeking kid, and players have expressed shock when he tells them he will be the one working them out. At the end of the day, his talent for what he does supersedes any concerns over his age. "When I first found out how old Drew was I thought, 'He's only a year older than me, he can't be that good,' says John Jenkins, a junior shooting guard at Vanderbilt and another Hanlen client. "But after the first workout, I realized just how hard the stuff he has for me was. "Everything he does is competitive. We go for about an hour and a half. I think most train- ers try to challenge you, but with Drew he plays college basketball so he knows pretty well how far people can go in terms of what their body and mind can take. He also does a good job of customizing the drills for you. You work on only stuff that will help you get better. He really knows your game, and goes the extra yard to make you better – espe- cially with his film breakdowns. At the end of the day his age doesn't matter." 35 "One of the biggest issues and challenges with having this business is actually not getting the clients, but following all the NCAA rules," says Hanlen. "I work directly with my compliance officer, Heather Cope- land, and make sure that every client, every camp, everything that I do is approved be- forehand and in compliance with the NCAA so that I can stay eligible." As if he didn't have enough going on during the season, sharing Nashville with Jenkins across town is ideal. Thankfully, there was no conflict of interest, as the Bruins didn't have to face the Commodores this year. "It's been a huge help," says Jenkins. "A lot of the guys that he trains are from St. Louis or in the pros so he can't really see them much during the year. Belmont is only like five minutes away from Vander- bilt, so it's great to have him break down film and get workouts in after our prac- tices when he's around." PHOTO. BOB FRISCHMANN

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