GW lands Cornell transfer Sean Hansen, their second commitment in as many days.
As many fans were restless over the lack of transfer news, Chris Caputo and staff have answered by filling out two major holes in the last two days.
Sean Hansen, a 6-9 forward, is headed to Foggy Bottom after spending the last three years in Ithaca and will have one year of eligibility remaining.
Hansen describes himself as a ‘stretch big’, giving GW additional flexibility and depth behind Providence transfer Rafael Castro.
“I can play inside and out. The good passing touch from my time here at Cornell, being able to play with a group of guys, and not necessarily have to be the main scoring option,” Hansen explained in an exclusive A10 Talk interview. “But pull a big guy away from the rim and open up the floor a little bit.”
Last season, Hansen averaged 8.8 points, and 3.5 rebounds, to pair along with two assists, all while starting all 30 games. He shot over 36% from three-point land and 64% from two.
Both the coaching staff and the current players impressed Hansen, laying out a growth plan for the offseason and
his fit within the GW system.
“I think Caputo and the rest of the coaching staff, really, their vision, I had a lot of faith in their vision for the program for next year. That growth plan laid out for me and for the team and on my visit,” said Hansen. “It really stuck out to me, it looked like they had a handle on the statistics and the process of which they wanted to work the summer and into the season next year.”
The Revs had an extremely young team last season and were able to grow with experience. Still, the roster is extremely young with five sophomores in the current rotation. That number does not include incoming freshman Ty Bevins and redshirt freshman Christian Jones. Hansen embraces the role of a veteran on a young team.
“To start, both the coaches and the players are a really talented group of guys. [Darren] Buchanan and [Garrett] Johnson and everyone else out there young, but I’m not foreign to a young team growing and becoming better.”
He was an integral part of a Big Red roster that ended in the schools first ever bid to the NIT, eventually falling to number two seed Ohio State. That experience against a power five school is seen as a major way to prepare for A-10 play.
“[NIT] was a great experience. It let me prepare mentally for what the crowd will be like. Some games in Ithaca in the winter are kind of quiet. And being able to perform under pressure and under a lot of noise. It’s pretty vital to success outside.”
Many teams reached out to the New Jersey native, with his final three being GW, UC-San Diego, and William and Mary, who just hired former Cornell HC Brian Earl. For a multitude of reasons, Hansen chose GW and the city of DC.
“I mean, I’m growing up now. It’s time for me to start thinking about my future and whether that be playing professionally later or going to work being in that city environment with [Caputo] who has a lot of connections in the basketball world,”said Hansen. “It’s really important to me and that was a big factor in my decision. Absolutely.”
The Ivy League canceled their season due to COVID-19, so Hansen only has three years of college basketball experience under his belt, giving him a chance to spend his fifth year in Foggy Bottom.
Many other players on the Cornell roster are also in the portal, and Hansen would love to play with them again.
“I’m trying to convince anyone who will listen to me at this point. Anything to keep that Cornell connection especially Isaiah Gray and Chris Manon and answering backdoor passes to them all season and the past three years. You know if I can keep that going, I’m gonna teach a few of the George Washington guys how to cut like that. Keep those assists up.”
The GW coaching staff has taken advantage of Ivy League players entering the portal earlier in the season, as they can scout knowing that these players will be available in the spring. This is the second year in a row that GW has gone after an Ivy player, bringing in Garrett Johnson from Princeton last season.
Hansen was productive against high-level competition last season, as he had 10 points and five rebounds against George Mason, seven points, five rebounds, and three assists against Baylor, and 15 points against upstate New York rival Colgate. He scored a season-high 25 points against Lehigh, which included 4-5 from three-point land.
Hansen is originally from Ramsey, New Jersey, and marks the second straight New Jersey product committed to the Revs.
Fans in Foggy Bottom will surely come to love Sean Hansen and the retooled frontcourt.
“I try to just be the best big man and the best player I can be for the situation I’m in.”
It’s still early in the transfer season, and GW has had official visits in the past few days with William and Mary transfer Trey Moss, and Iowa transfer Dasonte Bowen taking visits to Foggy Bottom.
Expect more good news soon.