February 29, 2008
Hanson Earns GNAC Rookie Of The Year Honors
- Award is first major accolade for Eagle basketball program -

(Nashua, N.H.) – Capping an outstanding opening collegiate year, Daniel Webster men’s basketball freshman shooting guard Chris Hanson of Salem, Mass. earned top honors as Rookie of the Year as selected by the conference coaches and announced by the conference office this week.

Hanson’s honor is the first major award for the Eagle program and first post season conference award since Mike Maggiacomo ’04 was named Second Team All Conference in 2004.

“This is an extraordinary honor not just for Chris but for our entire program,” noted Head Coach Jeremy Currier. “Chris had an outstanding first season and his award is richly deserved. He worked extremely hard all season and we are all very proud of his accomplishment. It’s important to note than no individual award is possible without the help of one’s teammates. This is an honor we share as an entire program.”

Hanson capped a remarkable rookie campaign finishing as the top freshman scorer in the conference (17th overall), averaging a team best 13.4 points per game. A deadly outside shooter, Hanson was the top three-point sniper in the league, setting a conference season record for treys with a total of 64. Overall, Hanson was 86 of 214, hitting for a clean 40-percent from outside the arc, also a league best.

Hanson played in 25 of 26 games with 19 starts. Along with his scoring average and three pointers, he added 4.6 rebounds, and shot 41-percent overall from the field as well as 68-percent from the free throw line.

Hanson showed a deft scoring touch from the outset, knocking down what would prove to be a season best 29 points in his second collegiate outing, a 112-100 victory over Centenary (NJ) in the consolation of the Best Western Classic at DWC back on November 17th. Hanson knocked down seven three pointers in that victory, a mark he would match again in a 112-102 conference victory over Norwich on January 9th as part of a 28-point effort.

Hanson would go on to register double figures in scoring 18 times and hit for over 20 points five times.

Along the way, Hanson earned two GNAC “Rookie of the Week” awards, garnering the honors on November 22nd and again on January 30th.

Under the direction of Currier, the Eagles put together a 7-19 overall record including a 5-13 mark in conference play. The Eagles qualified for the post season championship tournament for the second straight year, bowing to top seeded Emerson in the quarterfinals.

Along with Hanson, the Eagles can be expected to have a bright future on the horizon. The 2007-08 roster featured 13 rookies including eight true freshmen and saw a record five different players (including Hanson) earn conference Rookie of the Week accolades through the season.

Daniel Webster concludes a 12-year affiliation with the GNAC at the end of the academic year. A founding member of the league, the Eagles will become another founding member, this time with the newly incorporated New England Collegiate Conference.