Luke Hancock: The Anatomy Of A Shooter
1. Courage/Confidence
The first way to increase your jump shot percentage is to make sure you have confidence in your shot and the courage to take it. When shooting a basketball you will get what you expect. You have to anticipate your shot going in every time you take it, and more times than not it is going to happen.
Having a positive mental attitude will not only help you hit a jump shot but it will also help you achieve your life goals and overcome other obstacles in life to be the person you are striving to be.
Luke Hancock wasn’t a highly touted recruit when he came out of Hidden Valley, where he made the All-Timesland second team and helped the Titans reach the Group AA semifinals. And he didn’t have the big boys beating down his doors after his postgraduate year at Hargrave Military Academy where he helped them become national prep school runners-up and earned a spot on the all-tournament team. He was viewed as a low to mid major prospect. Hancock received a rating of zero stars and received only two scholarship offers to play ball one from Toledo and one from George Mason. However, that didn’t get Luke down and he never stopped believing that he belonged. He wasn’t a small guy at 6’8″ yet he lacked superior strength and wasn’t a physically gifted athlete. The one thing he could do was shoot. At George Mason, he shot his way to the CAA all-rookie team as a freshman. He averaged 10.9 points and made All-CAA third team as sophomore, and he made the winning shot against Villanova in NCAAs.
2. Vision / Focus
The second way to improve your jump shot is vision and focus. When shooting the basketball you have to focus on the front of the rim, vision it going in, and Clear your mind of all other thoughts. Making the basket should be the only thing on your mind.
If you have a goal in life, you have to vision yourself completing that goal and you have to maintain the focus on attaining it.
Through two seasons at George Mason Luke Hancock kept his vision and focused on his goals and the basket. After that huge shot in the Tournament and after his very efficient two seasons where he helped make George Mason a consistent winner one person took notice. That person was Rick Pitino. Coach Pitino was looking for a great shooter and passer for his high-octane offense to compliment a great group of guys he figured on having in 2012-13. Finally Luke would get the affirmation that had been absent for his career up to this moment. Schools that turned him down for scholarships before were now competing for his attention. That affirmation and the opportunity were too much to pass up and Luke chose to transfer to Louisville where Kevin Keatts, Hancock’s coach from Hargrave, was now working.
3. Balance
The third way to enhance your jump shot is balance. Balance starts with foot placement, shoulder placement, hand placement and your overall center of gravity. When going through the motions of a jump shot those four things are essential. What feels like perfect balance to you may not look like perfect balance to someone else and that’s ok. If you have your feet set, shoulders pointing towards the basket and holding the ball, the proper way you are going to shoot a higher percentage. However, any one misplaced aspect can trigger friction and upset your balance.
Sometimes in our lives, we have great balance and everything seems to be going in the right direction when something comes along and disrupts that balance creating friction.
After battling through long odds and years of doubt, Luke Hancock’s basketball career was finally in good balance. With two strong years of college basketball behind him, Luke’s road should have been easy. Stay in shape, then work his way into the lineup once eligible to play for Louisville. What could go wrong? Having a history of injury problems Luke suffered quite a blow in a pick-up game before the 12-13 season, injuring his shoulder severely enough to require surgery. According to coach Pitino, the injury was so bad he was not sure Hancock would recover in time for the season and the doctor said it was the worst shoulder he ever operated on. It would take him over a half hour of warm-ups just to lift his arms up over his head but he did maintain his balance getting things pointed in the right direction again. He was in the lineup for the first game of the season not just as a member of the Cardinals, but as a junior co-captain.
4. Small Adjustments
Your jump shot will live or die by the adjustments you make along the way. Small adjustments are necessary and every great shooter has made adjustments to fine-tune their shot. Your jump shot is like an instrument and you’re the tuner. Keep tuning until you can really feel the internal harmony. Don’t be afraid to create little adjustments, but whatever adjustments you make they need to feel good.
When you are trying to reach your goals in life, they will live or die by the decisions you make along the way. Don’t be afraid to step outside of the box and be prepared to step up in tough situations. Don’t be afraid to lead.
When Luke Hancock did make his way onto the court in the early part of the 12-13 season it wasn’t pretty. Cardinal Nation was comparing Hancock’s hype to that of Mike Marra and calling for coach Pitino to keep him off the floor. The theme of those calling into the local radio shows after he went 4-for-29 on three-pointers through Louisville’s first four games was that of dismay. Luke did not let the dissatisfaction affect him. He chose to stay confident, remained positive, kept playing his game and eventually found his form, as he ended up leading the team with a .432 three-pointer percentage. And as for his role as the captain. The Louisville basketball team faced a very difficult moment during their Elite 8 game of the NCAA Tournament when one of their brothers Kevin Ware suffered a gruesome injury. When the other players, coaches, and trainers appeared to be in a moment of shock Luke Hancock remained calm, kneeled down, and grabbed the hand of his fallen comrade. Luke was able to calm Kevin with a prayer. And by doing so enabled Kevin to inspire his team to eventually beat Duke and go to the Final Four.
5. Rhythm & Harmony
Like a fantastic symphony orchestra, your jump shot is a work of art. Some works are beautiful, some abstract, and some are considered strange. Everyone needs to find their own special rhythm on the basketball court that works for them, but it has to be in harmony along with your teammates or you’ll not be producing beautiful music together. If you shoot in rhythm, you will make far more shots.
If you have confidence, maintain vision and focus, keep your balance and be willing to make adjustments your game and your life will have perfect rhythm and harmony. You will also find it much easier to achieve your goals and face the big trials of your life. Luke Hancock’s confidence, vision, focus, balance, and adjustments have led him to the perfect jump shot and he was able to lead his team in rhythm and harmony to a national championship. He was also named the most outstanding player along the way. Luke played in all 40 games this past season, knocked down a team-best 63 3-pointers, and totaled 40 steals. In the national championship victory over Michigan, Hancock totaled 22 points and two steals, going 5-of-5 from beyond the arc.
I haven’t mentioned in this story about how Luke Hancock’s father was battling cancer along his journey. I didn’t mention it because Luke never mentioned it. It wasn’t until after the Final 4 that most of us learned of his father’s illness. Luke’s father lost his battle recently but did get to see his son take the lessons he had taught him and apply them to a game. He got to see his son be great. And even with the end of his life near continued to push Luke towards his game and the pursuit of greatness. With his father, gravely ill Luke went to try out for the USA Basketball Men’s Junior National Team. Luke did what he has his whole basketball career and rose above his adversity to make the 12-man roster. Another great accomplishment for this young man from Roanoke, Virginia. What this kid has done this past year of his life is nothing short of amazing and I don’t think he is done yet. I can’t wait to see part two of this story and am looking forward to telling it. Keep shooting that amazing jump shot Luke!
***Editors Note: I used The Anatomy Of A Basketball Jump Shot
By coach Duane Waits to shape my story.
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