For Love of the Game: Knights welcome new Head Women’s Basketball Coach Denise Hannah

Laurinburg, N.C -  Life circumstances and raising a family kept Denise Hannah from taking on a collegiate basketball coaching position until just a short seven years ago. While some may ponder, “why now?” the answer for her has never changed.

“I played (basketball) and loved it,” Hannah said. “I always thought that if it’s something you really love, you never work a day in your life. I felt like that. My last (coaching job), I literally worked two years without a day off…except when the school was closed, because I love what I do.”

During her collegiate playing career, Hannah was a four-year standout player at Oklahoma City University. She helped lead the 1988 team to their first NAIA National Championship. She finished up her career fifth on the all-time scorers list (1,755) and holds the school record in rebounding (1,255).

Post college, Denise spent time playing overseas for the Republic of China. During her time on the team, she was the team captain and earned Defensive Player of the Year. She also received several invites to participate in the WNBA as a free agent.

Now back on the court but in a completely different role, the Miami, FL native pulls no tricks when it comes to her coaching style and what she expects of her players. 

"I've softened over my older years," Hannah said. "I used to be a very tough coach because I had a tough coach in college. That's why we won a national championship. One thing is my standards and expectations don't change...the understanding is you have to work your tail off in practice and earn your minutes. I'm not a coach that gets up in a player's face, same with officials. I'm kind of laid back. I can get spicy at times when I need to...but overall, I try to lead by example." 

For now, Hannah is solely focused on recruiting for next season, with an end goal of 20 players ready to take on whatever the season holds. The Knights struggled deeply last season with bench depth due to injuries and academic ineligibility. The roster currently sits at 12 players. 

As far as characteristics in players she is looking for to continuing filling out her roster, she examines a player's character for," coachability, a genuine love for the sport, and academic high achievers." She knows she needs dedicated players if the Knights are going to be ready to take on Appalachian Athletic Conference (AAC) powerhouses like the Bryan College Lions, Reinhardt Eagles, and Milligan Buffs, the respective first through third finishers in the 2023-2024 standings. 

With the right players, and enough hard work, Hannah is confident positive things will come their way. Though her main goal for next season is the make the AAC tournament, she has her sights also set on other goals that she would love to bring to fruition within the program. 

"I'm just excited about the season coming up as a whole," Hannah said. "Learning about my players, seeing what they can do on and off the court, and just putting a game plan together for the entire season...I don't thrive for attention. I love to be behind the scenes...as long as my ladies are successful on the floor and they get the credit, that's what matters to me."