Patrick Lucas "Luke" Hancock (born January 30, 1990) is an American former professional

basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular Basketball court, court, compete with the primary objective of #Shooting, shooting a basketball (ball), basketball (appr ...

player and current financial adviser. He played in six games for

Panionios Panionios G.S.S. Football Club (Greek: ΠΑΕ Πανιώνιος Γ.Σ.Σ.), the ''Pan- Ionian Gymnastics Club of Smyrna'' (Πανιώνιος Γυμναστικός Σύλλογος Σμύρνης, ''Panionios Gymnastikos Syllogos Smyrnis'') ...

of the

Greek Basket League The Greek Basket League (GBL), often also referred to as the Greek A1 Basketball League, or Greek Basketball Championship (originally called Panhellenic Basketball Championship), and also known as the Stoiximan Basket League for sponsorship reaso ...

before tearing a muscle in his calf, ending his career. He played college basketball for the

University of Louisville The University of Louisville (UofL) is a public research university in Louisville, Kentucky. It is part of the Kentucky state university system. When founded in 1798, it was the first city-owned public university in the United States and one of ...

after transferring from

George Mason University George Mason University (George Mason, Mason, or GMU) is a public research university in Fairfax County, Virginia with an independent City of Fairfax, Virginia postal address in the Washington, D.C. Metropolitan Area. The university was origin ...

. While at Louisville, he won the 2013 NCAA championship and was named the Final Four Most Outstanding Player, becoming the first substitute to ever win the award (later vacated then restored after Hancock settled a lawsuit with the NCAA). On September 30, 2019 the NCAA reinstated Luke Hancock’s MOP status (without an *) in his individual capacity. This decision did not, however, change the status of the vacated 2013 Louisville Cardinals Division I Championship.

Early life

Hancock was born to William and Venicia Hancock, and he has four brothers and one sister. Hancock attended Hidden Valley High School in

Roanoke, Virginia Roanoke ( ) is an independent city in the U.S. state of Virginia. At the 2020 census, the population was 100,011, making it the 8th most populous city in the Commonwealth of Virginia and the largest city in Virginia west of Richmond. It is lo ...

, where he did not receive notice from college programs. He then went to

Hargrave Military Academy Hargrave Military Academy (HMA) is a private, all-male, military boarding school located in the town of Chatham, Virginia. Hargrave is affiliated with the Baptist General Association of Virginia emphasizing Christian values that focuses on a col ...

for one year. As a high school basketball player, he was named All-State.

College career

Hancock was recruited to attend

George Mason Patriots men's basketball The George Mason Patriots men's basketball team represents George Mason University. The Patriots play at the EagleBank Arena in Fairfax, Virginia, on the George Mason campus. Team records * Most wins – 27 during the 2005–06 and 2010–11 se ...

coach Coach may refer to: Guidance/instruction * Coach (sport), a director of athletes' training and activities * Coaching, the practice of guiding an individual through a process ** Acting coach, a teacher who trains performers Transportation * Co ...

Jim Larrañaga James Joseph Larrañaga ( ; born October 2, 1949) is the head men's basketball coach for the University of Miami in Coral Gables, Florida. He has held this position since 2011. Before joining the University of Miami, he served as the head men ...

. He played for George Mason in his freshman and sophomore years. While at George Mason, he averaged 7.7 points per game as a freshman and 10.9 points as a sophomore. In his second season, he was named to the All-

Colonial Athletic Association The Colonial Athletic Association (CAA) is a collegiate athletic conference affiliated with the NCAA's Division I whose full members are located in East Coast states from Massachusetts to South Carolina. Most of its members are public universi ...

third team. Larrañaga accepted the head coaching job at the

University of Miami The University of Miami (UM, UMiami, Miami, U of M, and The U) is a private research university in Coral Gables, Florida. , the university enrolled 19,096 students in 12 colleges and schools across nearly 350 academic majors and programs, incl ...

after the 2010–11 season, taking his entire coaching staff with him and leading Hancock to transfer. Hancock transferred to the

, which had hired his former Hargrave coach

Kevin Keatts Kevin Andre Keatts (born July 28, 1972) is an American college basketball coach. He is the current men's head coach at North Carolina State University. Early life and playing career Keatts grew up as an only child in Lynchburg, Virginia. His ...

as an assistant, and did not play in 2011–12 after transferring. Hancock was named the captain of the

Louisville Cardinals men's basketball The Louisville Cardinals men's basketball team is the men's college basketball program representing the University of Louisville (U of L) in the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) of NCAA Division I. The Cardinals have officially won two NCAA cham ...

team before appearing in a game for the Cardinals. Hancock averaged 7.7 points per game playing for Louisville in 2012–13. In the

2013 NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament The 2013 NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament was a single-elimination tournament that involved 68 teams playing to determine the national champion of men's NCAA Division I college basketball. It began on March 19, 2013, and concluded wit ...

, he was named the tournament's Most Outstanding Player. He scored 20 points in the national semifinals against the

Wichita State Shockers The Wichita State Shockers are the athletic teams that represent Wichita State University, located in Wichita, Kansas, in intercollegiate sports as a member of the NCAA Division I ranks, primarily competing in the American Athletic Conference ( ...

. In the title game against the

Michigan Wolverines The Michigan Wolverines comprise 29 varsity sports teams at the University of Michigan. These teams compete in the NCAA's Division I and in the Big Ten Conference in all sports except women's water polo, which competes in the NCAA inter-divisio ...

, the Cardinals trailed by 12 points late in the first half before Hancock scored 14 straight points for the team to cut the deficit to one by halftime. He finished the game five-for-five on three-point shooting, and Louisville won, 82–76. He became the first reserve player in tournament history to be named the MOP.

Professional career

After going undrafted in the

2014 NBA draft The 2014 NBA draft was held on June 26, 2014, at the Barclays Center, Brooklyn National Basketball Association (NBA) teams took turns selecting amateur U.S. college basketball players and other eligible players, including international players. ...

, Hancock joined the

Orlando Magic The Orlando Magic are an American professional basketball team based in Orlando, Florida. The Magic compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference Southeast Division. The franchise was establ ...

for the Orlando Summer League and the

Houston Rockets The Houston Rockets are an American professional basketball team based in Houston. The Rockets compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member team of the league's Western Conference Southwest Division. The team plays its ho ...

for the Las Vegas Summer League. On September 25, 2014, he signed with the

Memphis Grizzlies The Memphis Grizzlies (referred to locally as the Grizz) are an American professional basketball team based in Memphis, Tennessee. The Grizzlies compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Western Conference ...

. However, he was later waived by the Grizzlies on October 13, 2014. On November 4, 2014, Hancock signed with

of the

. He played in six games before tearing a muscle in his calf. The injury made him realize he needed to prepare for life after basketball, so he retired from the sport, studied to become a financial adviser, and eventually began working in Louisville, Kentucky for Lamkin Wealth Management.

After basketball

Hancock has continued his community involvement in Louisville, most notably with the nonprofit group Families for Effective

Autism The autism spectrum, often referred to as just autism or in the context of a professional diagnosis autism spectrum disorder (ASD) or autism spectrum condition (ASC), is a neurodevelopmental condition (or conditions) characterized by difficulti ...

Treatment of Louisville (FEAT). He first became involved with the organization in 2014 while still attending Louisville. After returning from his brief professional career in Greece, he started organizing basketball camps for children on the autism spectrum, which he has continued to do ever since. , Hancock serves on FEAT's board of directors. Hancock married the former Kaelyn Gault in October, 2019.

References

External links

Louisville bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Hancock, Luke 1990 births Living people American expatriate basketball people in Greece Autism activists Basketball players from Virginia George Mason Patriots men's basketball players Louisville Cardinals men's basketball players Panionios B.C. players Sportspeople from Roanoke, Virginia Small forwards American men's basketball players