2023 Targets - Amani Hansberry
Mount Saint Joseph | Washington, DC
Measurables
PF | 6’8” | 225 lbs
Class Rankings: NR (247) | NR (On3) | NR (Rivals)
Junior Season: MIAA A Conference Title, Baltimore Catholic League Tournament Championship (18.5 Points/Gm, 18 Reb/Gm), Tournament MVP
AAU Team: Team Durant (EYBL)
Offers: Rhode Island, Virginia Tech, DePaul, Texas A&M, LSU, Howard, Tennessee, Miss State, Pitt, George Mason, Kansas, Wake Forest, Penn State, NC State, Maryland, Miami, Georgetown, George Washington, Illinois
Tape
My “not a scout but I watch a lot of tape” assessment goes something like this (take it for what it’s worth):
I’ve seen Hansberry listed as everything from a Wing to a Center, but think his game screams “stretch-4/5”. Reminds me of some of the slightly smaller centers that Villanova has used in recent years.
He’s very comfortable with his back to the basket and can finish with both hands around the rim, but he looks great in pick-and-pop situations as well and his outside shot is incredibly soft. He’s absolutely a 3-point threat.
He also seems to have improved a lot this year at ballhandling and is just generally very comfortable with the ball in his hands for a big man. I can picture him in John Harrar’s role from Shrewsberry’s offense this year.
Doesn’t have a lot of explosion getting off the ground, not a quick jumper, but a strong kid who isn’t shy about contact. Demonstrates some nice post-footwork. There were several drop-steps and spin moves he uses in these highlights that indicate how much work (and coaching) has gone into that part of his game. Also has a great motor in general.
Hansberry was once a top-20 prospect in his class on Rivals, and last November was ranked 166th by 247 but has since fallen out of the rankings on both sites (he is still on 247’s Composite rankings but I think these are outdated formulas). He transferred from St. John’s in the WCAC to Mt. St. Joseph in the Baltimore Catholic League and was MVP in that league tournament last month. I’m not entirely sure what has caused him to drop completely out of all the rankings in the last 6-8 months, but his play this past high school season leads me to believe he will not stay unranked for much longer.
He will be playing on a very talented Team Durant squad again this summer. They should be in contention to win Peach Jam, so his exposure and opportunities to prove himself will be abundant.
Prediction
It looks like things are leaning heavily towards PSU right now. On3 currently predicts there is a 66% chance that Hansberry chooses PSU, and there’s a Crystal Ball in for PSU on 247 from Jeff Ermann.
Hansberry took an official visit to PSU last week, which is reportedly his only official taken so far. He told 247 recently that he’s taken unofficials to George Mason, Wake Forest, NC State, and Pitt, previously.
In that same article he had the following to say about Penn State:
“Them coming to watch me play was big. Coach Shrews has been to my school three times to come see me and watch me play/practice. They’re talking to me a lot so that means a lot.”
Safe to assume the Penn State staff is very much in on Hansberry, but I do wonder if the recruitment of any other players is going to play a role in this. PSU appears to be leading the way right now, but if Hansberry waits to decide until after the AAU season, who knows what might happen, especially if he plays well this summer. The sooner he decides, the more likely PSU is his destination.
This last bit falls way more into the wild speculation realm than the rest of the tea leaves I’m reading, but I wonder if Penn State’s timing in his recruitment has been important. For a kid that has seen his ranking dropping across scouting services in the last year, Shrewsberry and company seem to have stuck by him when some other high majors may have started to lose interest. I have to believe that matters a lot to a kid in that situation.
I also think we’re seeing that Shrewsberry and his staff are not going to be overly concerned with rankings and that they trust their own evaluations and scouting above all else. I think Kanye Clary and Evan Mahaffey are good examples of this as we saw both of their stocks rise considerably after they committed to PSU. I have a feeling something similar could happen here with Hansberry.