Photo illustration by Sam Thiel Cooper Hansen has been named the 2018-2019 Marshall Independent boys basketball Player of the Year

TYLER – Being named the Marshall Independent Boys Basketball Player of the Year requires excellence on both ends of the floor, strong leadership and a whole lot of heart.

Russell-Tyler-Ruthton’s senior do-it-all guard Cooper Hansen possesses all of these qualities in abundance, and helped guide the Knights to consecutive successful seasons including a state championship in 2018, the program’s first since 2005. For all of these reasons and more, Hansen has earned the Marshall Independent Boys Basketball Player of the Year award for 2019.

Hansen says he was surprised to hear that he won the award and calls it a blessing considering the level of talent that the area possesses.

“I was just in utter disbelief. I mean there’s so many great players in the area from all the different schools,” said Hansen. “I mean Minneota’s got some great players, MCC and Westbrook, I mean just our whole section has really good players. So it’s just really unspeakable and hard to believe that you guys chose me. It’s just an awesome thing and a true blessing.”

The accolade is more than deserving, according to Knights Coach Ted Kern, who calls Hansen a rare player who elevates those around him through his leadership.

“He’s a consummate team player,” said Kern. “He’s been a very rare kid in the 25 years that I’ve been at RTR where a kid elevates those around him the way Cooper did and just making those around him better.”

Another one of Hansen’s many positive attributes is his tireless work-ethic. Kern alluded to it when describing Hansen’s dedication in the weight room, as it has helped him to develop into the player he is today and serves as a guide for younger players looking to take the next step just as Hansen did.

“I think it’s been important for the younger kids to see the way he transformed his body from a skinny freshman who suddenly found the weight room and just the improvements he made strength wise and how that translated to his performance in football and basketball,” said Kern. “I think it’s been big for the younger kids to see that.”

The transformation also helped Hansen build confidence in his game which served as a pivotal factor in his growth as a player.

“Confidence has been a big thing going from a freshman about 5-foot-9, 150 pounds to now being about 6-feet and 180 pounds,” said Hansen. “It definitely helps …just the confidence that I’ve gained over the years from playing with different players and having them motivate me to become the best that I can.”

This season, Hansen put an exclamation point on his accomplished career in a Knights uniform with a scoring average of over 20 points per game to go along with 8.6 rebounds and an area-leading 88 steals. Along the way, Hansen also joined the 1,000-point club in a January 8 contest against Dawson-Boyd.

RTR went on to finish the season with an overall record of 17-8, losing to Southwest Minnesota Christian in the Section 3A tournament. Though the team couldn’t recapture the magic of the past season, Hansen thoroughly enjoyed his journey.

“It’s been an indescribable journey. It’s been something that was awesome to be a part of and sad that it’s done and over with but I’ll always have those great memories through all four years of playing for the state championship and a few other wins in between,” said Hansen. “It will just be a great memory for me and great to look back on when I’m older.

Though he is sad that one chapter is closing, he looks forward to what the future has in store.

“(I’ll) definitely miss all of the guys from (being a) freshman to a senior,” said Hansen. “All of the guys that have mentored me and that I’ve played along with they’ve just been so instrumental in who I’ve become today and it’s just going to be disappointing to lose that brotherhood, but then again I do get to continue on and join another brotherhood with Bethany Lutheran, but it’s a little more special being the hometown. Just the guys that you go to school with everyday and so it will just be tough from that sense but I’m happy that it happened and I’m just blessed that I got that experience.”

The next chapter in Hansen’s basketball career will begin next season at Bethany Lutheran where he will join his brother Carter in playing under former Southwest Minnesota State University men’s basketball player Matt Fletcher.

Hansen is ecstatic to be able to continue to share these experiences with his brother.

“It’s great that I can do it with my brother I mean we’ve been together our whole lives so it’s just so great that we can continue on and we thank Coach Fletcher from Bethany Lutheran to give us that opportunity,” said Hansen. “It’s just going to be another great experience I know and I’m excited for it.”