Hansel Enmanuel paused for a moment and then reached for his left leg.
鈥淚鈥檓 going to show you something I haven鈥檛 shown nobody,鈥� he said, slowly lifting the leg of his sweatpants until the leg is exposed to the thigh. 鈥淟ook.鈥�
He pointed to scar after scar after scar down the length of the leg of an internet sensation, a one-armed basketball player for Northwestern State who stands 6-foot-6. It is the physical evidence of a grim time etched deep, a lifelong reminder of a journey that has brought him to Division I basketball.
鈥淵ou see all this right here?鈥� he asked during a recent interview at a Houston hotel. 鈥淭hat鈥檚 because every time I fall鈥� (that) happened.鈥�
He shook his head before continuing.
鈥淭hat time was too hard for me,鈥� he said. 鈥淭hat was crazy because I didn鈥檛 think it was going to happen.鈥�
The 19-year-old Enmanuel has drawn attention for several years now after videos went viral showing him dunking with ease in high school. Dribbling past opponents intent on shutting him down. Draining 3-pointers. Sinking turnaround fadeaways.
All with just his right arm.
It looks almost effortless when he plays. It鈥檚 not. It never has been.
Enmanuel was 6 and living in the Dominican Republic when he playing with friends, climbing a wall. It wasn鈥檛 stable and it fell over him, pinning his left arm. He was rushed to the hospital, but doctors couldn鈥檛 save his arm and it was amputated several inches below the shoulder.
He was hospitalized for about six months. It was a dark time for Enmanuel and his family.
鈥淲hen the accident happened, I was thinking like: 鈥榃hat am I going to do now?鈥欌�� he said. 鈥淚 was thinking: 鈥業t鈥檚 over for me.鈥欌��
By the end of his hospitalization, Enmanuel said his mental approach had improved thanks to his relationship with God. Slowly, things got better.
Small things became huge victories. He vividly remembers the first time he tied his shoes. Months after the accident, Enmanuel tried basketball, too.
His missing arm left him lacking balance. With his equilibrium off, every time he tried to run, he鈥檇 crash to the ground, falling on debris strewn across the makeshift courts he played on. The scars piled up. So did his confidence as he gained experience.
By 13, he started attending camps and tournaments in the United States and he began to realize just how good he could be. He first dunked at 14 and it wasn鈥檛 long before his internet celebrity started to grow along with the views on those videos.
He played high school ball in Kissimmee, Florida, and was considered a top prospect as a senior, when he averaged 25.9 points, 11 rebounds, 6.9 assists and 3.4 blocks per game.
It wasn鈥檛 the highlight-reel plays that piqued Northwestern State coach Corey Gipson鈥檚 interest. He liked his attitude and the way he carried himself on the court.
鈥淗ansel is a very resilient person, which makes him a very resilient player,鈥� Gipson said. 鈥淭hat mindset translates to the game. When you see him on the floor, you just see a formidable force that doesn鈥檛 take anything for granted.鈥�
As a freshman on Gipson鈥檚 team, Enmanuel has seen limited minutes. But he has shown flashes of the skills that made him famous before he stepped on campus.
On Dec. 10 against Louisiana-Monroe, Enmanuel scored the first points of his collegiate career, finishing with five points. A layup, a free throw. But he capped the performance in stunning fashion when he missed a free throw, grabbed the rebound and finished with a thunderous dunk.
Gipson and Enmanuel鈥檚 teammates understand the interest in him is amplified because he鈥檚 missing an arm. To them, he鈥檚 just one of the guys.
Gipson, who is also in his first year at Northwestern State, shared a story from early in camp that perfectly illustrated that point. When a player makes a mistake in practice, Gipson makes them do fingertip pushups. He ordered Enmanuel to do it after a miscue, then immediately felt bad and said he could do sit ups instead.
Enmanuel refused: 鈥淣o, coach.鈥�
As he struggled to complete the task, teammate Cedric Garrett sprang into action, grabbing his midsection to help.
鈥淎nd when they grabbed him by the waist, he got down and he did it. He dug down and he did it,鈥� Gipson said. 鈥淎nd from that moment on, the team, the staff and everybody (said): 鈥楬ey, we are all on the same page. Nobody鈥檚鈥� asking for entitled treatment, but, dadgum, if Hansel is not asking for any favors, nobody else better鈥� ask for any.鈥欌��
Northwestern State President Marcus Jones was instrumental in Enmanuel signing with the school in Natchitoches, Louisiana, because he鈥檚 fluent in Spanish and helped assuage the concerns his Spanish-speaking parents had about his transition to college.
鈥淲e had an opportunity to talk about the university and what they wanted to see happen to their to their son,鈥� Jones said. 鈥淭hey didn鈥檛 want him to be treated as a number and just as a showpiece.鈥�
The reaction people have had to Enmanuel playing college basketball has overwhelmed Jones.
鈥淗aving a Hansel at Northwestern, you cannot imagine the number of calls and emails and messages that I鈥檝e gotten from individuals who have children who have disabilities and saying how great it is to see Hansel essentially overcome that and be able to play at this level,鈥� he said.
Enmanuel鈥檚 celebrity has also led to endorsement deals with adidas and Gatorade, among others. He has high goals, too, including the NBA.
鈥淭hat鈥檚 the big goal,鈥� he said. 鈥淣obody is going to stop me. Only God.鈥�
Another aspiration is to one day become a motivational speaker so he can share his story.
鈥淚 think that鈥檚 my perfect 鈥� destiny God gave to me,鈥� he said. 鈥淭o be that person so I can inspire some people and motivate a lot of people. Yeah, I can be a positive.鈥�
___
More AP college basketball: https://apnews.com/hub/college-basketball and https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-college-basketball-poll and https://twitter.com/AP_Top25
Kristie Rieken, The Associated Press
