Life Christian one-armed basketball star Hansel Enmanuel Donato earns first DI offer from Tennessee State
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (BVM) — Hansel Enmanuel Donato has never let adversity define him. Though a tragic accident at the age of 6 would cost the future basketball player his left arm up to his elbow, that never stopped the Dominican-born hooper chasing his dreams. On Aug. 12, the next step, and perhaps biggest step, of Donato鈥檚 journey occurred when the Life Christian Academy forward received his first Division I offer from Tennessee State University.
Blessed to receive my first D1 offer from Tennessee State university Thank you for be believing in my talents 鈴�7锔忊儯馃挋馃檹馃徑
— Enmanuel Dominguez (@Enmanue26969041)
While his story of overcoming the odds may have brought many eyes to his play, it was his abilities on the court that kept all the eyes focused on him. For Donato, his play with one arm is better than his counterparts with both and that has brought many fans across the Internet to watch the Kissimmee, Fla. resident dominate. When he posted videos of him playing online in his hometown of Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, Donato鈥檚 play caught the attention of many notable online platforms including and among others.
This viral play also caught the attention of an old friend of Donato鈥檚 dad, Life Christian Academy head basketball coach Moises Micael. Micael and Donato鈥檚 father played professional basketball together in the Dominican, further explaining Donato鈥檚 natural ability for the game, and Micael used this connection to convince the rising basketball star to come to the U.S. and play for him.
The move would pay dividends for both Donato and Life Christian. Donato joined the team in January of this year and in just one season of playing, brought the Lions up another level. The Dominican averaged 26 points, 11 rebounds and seven assists while leading the team to the Central Florida Christian Academy state title this year.
From that moment, Donato鈥檚 hype has only grown across the country. His original Instagram account where he posted mostly in Spanish has just over 21,000 followers since being activated last March, however his newer English account that he activated just this April has exploded to over 637,000 followers. He鈥檚 also seen himself be featured in a number of different videos includingwhich has over 1.5 million views on YouTube and was the subject of an SC Featured story by ESPN just last month.
Now, Donato has earned his first Division I offer from the Tigers and Tennessee State. While the attention Donato brings may be a deterrent to some, as many coaches and players in sports will say they鈥檇 rather avoid a 鈥渕edia circus,鈥� Tennessee State has shown time and again they don鈥檛 mind the spotlight.
Just a few months ago, the Tigers men鈥檚 basketball team signed , the son of acclaimed hip-hop artist Master P. In April, the Tigers鈥� football program announced the hiring of Tennessee Titans legendary running back Eddie George as the new head coach. If anything, Donato and the attention he鈥檇 bring to the program would be more par for the course than the media circus for the Tigers.
While it remains to be seen if Tennessee State鈥檚 decision to be the first to offer the one-armed superstar Donato a contract will pay dividends, the offer will always be memorable for all parties. After all, most athletes remember the school that put faith in them first and that鈥檚 exactly what the Tigers are showing in Donato. It鈥檚 not about his story, or even his resiliency, but rather his play on the court. For the Tigers, they hope this leap of faith will pay off with a commitment from one of the game鈥檚 most popular rising stars.
