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Hanlan Poised To Stand On Guard

Published by Jason Gairey on June 23, 2011

In the last few years, Canada seems to producing a solid amount of Point Guards. The fact that probably one of the greatest at that position in the world right now hails from our very own country, Steve Nash, shows precedent to the future movement of Canadians at that position. The PG list is very youthful and very strong. Led by former Texas guard and possible 2011-12 NBA draftee, Cory Joseph, followed by another McDonald’s All-American soon to follow in the footsteps of Joseph at Texas, Myck Kabongo. A third, which many have drawn comparisons to Nash, is Holland Landing, Ontario’s, Kevin Pangos who will be taking his talents to Gonzaga next season, the alma mater of one of the greatest Point Guards to play the game, all-time assist leader, John Stockton.

That list alone shows that Canada is becoming somewhat of another breeding ground for basketball’s floor general department. We can only wait to see, if any Canadian will have great success like Steve Nash, but the potential is rising in the north. Every year, we seem to be pushing out some talent at this position. Another gem seems to be following in the same direction as the above aforementioned. Although not as much of a household name, Gatineau, Quebec’s Olivier Hanlan is trying to continue the flow of Point Guard extravagance, is even more reason for this guard to want to shine.

The 6’2″ , 2012 prospect, has a true love for the game. Playing the Point Guard position is one that takes a lot of poise, court sense, and unselfishness. All of those characteristics, are ones that you can see when you watch Hanlan take the court and do what he does best, navigate. His game has been refined by playing for several years in the Ottawa Guardsmen system, one of the elite programs in not only the province but the country, run by none other than Carleton University’s Head Coach, Dave Smart. Smart, one of the winningest coaches in CIS history has had numerous All-Canadians come out of his rep program. “Olivier is self motivated. He wants to be pushed and wants to get better.” says Smart. “Over the last 5 years I’ve seen the progress and hard work he continues to put, especially with learning to play the point guard position.”

Hanlan however, felt the need to be pushed just a tad harder and had a taste, and hungers for much more. The door was open and he packed up just as many of his Canadian counterparts are doing, and headed south for the prep school route, landing at New Hampton School, New Hampshire. He could easily have went to any prep school, but chose a solid school with great coaching. “Olivier new he needed this jump, and will be a major D1 prospect when he finishes his high school career.” states Coach Smart.

It is there where competitively, he would see, if he could match up with the talent in the U.S, and so far, so good. After enjoying a solid 2010 summer playing for the U16 Cadet National team, where he was able to show he belonged, this was his next test. “Making that move to play prep school basketball in the U.S was what I needed. I just wanted to show that I could”, Hanlan explains. Playing in one of the toughest prep school conferences in the country, the New England Prep League, Hanlan would show flashes of potential, and would take over as the lead point guard at his school, averaging 13 points, 6 assists and 5 rebounds per game.”It took some time for Olivier to adjust, to the school and the atmosphere here. But once he settled in, taking advantage of the things offered here, such as getting up at 6 am for workouts, it clicked.” said New Hampton School Head Coach, Pete Hutchins. He adds, “What really impressed me with him was how coachable he is and that he plays both ends with that competitive chip on his shoulders. I’m anticipating an even stronger impact from him next season.”

A solid year south of the border, would open more doors for Olivier has he would draw attention from the Albany City Rocks AAU program that was introduced to him by his prep school teammate 6’9″ Forward, Zach Auguste. The squad is participating in the Nike EYBL this summer. A stage where Hanlan has begun to open more eyes, with his gritty play at the point guard position for his AAU team. In the premier league and on a team the boasts Auguste and one of the top players in the U.S for 2012, Dejuan Coleman, Hanlan’s play has been nothing short of solid throughout. The point guard’s success thus far this year has drawn interest from several NCAA D1 schools such as Baylor, Virginia, Virginia Tech, Boston College and Northeastern. Adding to that are his recent selection to the All-Canada Classic and as a key member to the Junior National Team.

Olivier continues to improve, trying to show his ability to score when needed, hitting big shots in the crunch, and getting his teammates involved is what he does best. He still knows, that he’s a dime a dozen at his position but also recognizes that he wants to be added to the growing list of play makers, standing on guard, for the game of basketball and for their country. Hanlan concludes,”I’m looking forward to playing this game for as long as I can, work as hard as I can and its an honour to do it as Canadian.”

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