While some may see having one arm as a massive disadvantage in college basketball, Austin Peay’s Hansel Enmanuel has decided to rise to that challenge instead of giving up.
Enmanuel has just begun his third season of Division-I college basketball at the Atlantic Sun school, starting two of the Governors first three games, as the mid-major program has had an undefeated start to the year.
The 21-year-old first went viral in 2021 for his ferocious dunks while only having one arm. Enmanuel is now showing a more well-rounded game on the D-I stage.
The 6-foot-6 guard is scoring five points per game and six rebounds a contest to go along with a staggering 85 percent field-goal percentage.
He was born with both arms intact but had to have his left amputated below the shoulder at age 6 due to a childhood accident where a cinderblock wall came down on him, per the International Business Times.
Hansel Enmanuel is a college basketball star for Division-I Austin Peay who only has one arm
Enmanuel has started two of his team’s first three games during a solid start to the season
Enmanuel’s original rise to fame on social media gave him the opportunity to play high school basketball in the United States, as he was born and raised in the Dominican Republic.
His father was a basketball star in the Dominican Republic, with one of his old teammates courting him to America, per BVM Sports.
Enmanuel’s time in the spotlight may only grow in the coming days, as Austin Peay’s biggest challenge of the early season is on Sunday.
The Governors will travel to face nationally ranked Tennessee, the largest stage the team will be on this season unless Austin Peay can make a run to the NCAA Tournament in March.
It’s quite the accomplishment for Enmanuel to play against some of the top talent in the country after not playing basketball in the United States at all less than four years ago.
After wins over Butler and Chattanooga, the Governors are not an easy win for the Volunteers, a credit to how much Enmanuel has contributed to the team.
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