Pleasant Grove basketball: Alan Hamson profile

In late March, I interviewed Pleasant Grove center Alan Hamson. At 7-feet, he was the state's tallest player. He was kind of quiet, but opened up to talk about all of his best basketball memories. This is the article that will appear in the PG 2011-12 boys basketball yearbook.

Alan Hamson:

He was the tallest player, and learned

to play a big role in all of PG’s successes

By Bruce Smith

Matchup

            When any fan came to a Pleasant Grove basketball game this year, the first thing they had to notice was Alan Hamson.

            At 7-feet tall, he was easily the tallest high-school player in Utah. But he stood out for other reasons. He didn’t play for himself. He was the ultimate teammate.

            “There is this magical thing that happens when kids become seniors, and Alan showed a different maturity and toughness,” said coach Randy McAllister. “He was more vocal, starting to use his elbows and he stands up for himself.”

            Coming into Pleasant Grove, he had just his name and an annoying word that went with it – potential. His parents are well-known for their height and basketball prowess in Utah County, and his older sister, Jennifer, had a storied career at Pleasant Grove and was playing at at BYU.

            Alan had to earn respect – and it wasn’t easy. Even though he was 7-feet, he was still just 175 pounds. As a sophomore, he earned some playing time but scored just six points all year. As a junior, he started every game and bumped his average to six points and six rebounds per game.

            This year was clearly his best. Playing in what most people viewed as the toughest region (4) in the state, he averaged 10.7 ppg and 7.9 rebounds. Just as importantly, his improvement forced opponents to prepare and adjust their games – or suffer the consequences.

            Hamson, however, was mostly a quiet leader. He didn’t toot his own horn, but teammate Spencer Pincock didn’t hesitate, especially after Pleasant Grove’s early season road trip.

            “When we went down to California, Alan swatted some shots,” he said. “It was fun to watch. They (the opponents) didn’t want any part of Alan.”

            When the Vikings returned, nobody else did either (for better or for worse).

            “He was our most-important player,” McAllister said. “He learned that if he got pushed off the block, he could step outside and hit the 15-footer. In practice, he would drain three-pointers but we tried not to promote that because we had other players for that.”

            So, while Hamson never became the ultimate scoring threat at Pleasant Grove, he adjusted his game to help the team best.

            He finished his career as the Vikings’ blocked shots leader. With 123 during as a senior, he probably had more than any other high school team. Only Shawn Bradley, the famous 7-foot-6 star at Emery County who went on to play at BYU and in the NBA, had more.

            "Having Alan back there allows us to do some different things on the perimeter," noted McAllister. "You've got that safety net back there and, if we make a mistake up front, Alan is there to shut it down."

            Those plays also rejuvenated the home fans, created momentum and fueled fast breaks, which led to layups for his teammates. The Vikings may have only finished with a 4-17 record, but there were plenty of good memories created by those plays and Hamson’s teammates loved the creative assists.

            “Nobody taught me how to block shots. It just came natural,” Hamson said. “I tried the swat it (the ball) upward so I could get it myself.”

            Hamson was the lone Pleasant Grove player to earn post-season awards. He was the Vikings’ most valuable player, and was given honorable mention honors on the Deseret News all-state, Provo Herald all-valley and Region 4 teams.

            As a senior, Hamson’s goal was to become more athletic. Growing up, he liked to play all sports, including soccer, swimming and even baseball. In high school, he focused on basketball. Most recently, he worked on improving his speed and developing more-dependable offensive shots.

            Hamson, however, also had to deal with the fact he was still growing. He had a constant battle with scoliosis (curvature of the spine) and was scheduled to have surgery after graduation that – supposedly – would make him 7-3. Hamson said he also wanted to go on an LDS Church mission and then, with the added physical maturity, try to play college basketball.

            “There are a lot of teams that will look at him,” McAllister said. “He’s still learning, maturing and growing. If everything comes together, he could have an interesting (basketball) career.”