Jeffrey Hassan doesn’t have to look too far for an example of the heights he hopes to reach.
After all, one of his closet teammates at Kaneland is actually his older brother Freddy, who experienced a meteoric rise to the varsity level earlier during his high school career.
“My brother really inspires me,” Jeffrey said. “His freshman year he was on freshman B and then he was starting on varsity as a sophomore. I really want to become the best person I can be.”
The Knights are reaping the benefits of the Hassan brothers and their intimidating size in the post. Freddy, a senior forward, is 6-foot-7. Jeffrey, a sophomore forward, already checks in at 6-9.
That size and length helped Kaneland pull away Wednesday night for an easy 60-26 win over Plano in the Class 3A Illinois Math and Science Academy Regional semifinals in Aurora.
Freddy Hassan tallied 17 points and 11 rebounds as the Knights won (29-1) won their 28th straight game. Jeffrey added 11 points and 15 rebounds. Marshawn Cocroft led all scorers with 18 points.
Vinny Cesario paced Plano (18-15) with seven points.
Jeffrey Hassan had a chance to showcase his skills in the second quarter Wednesday for the Knights, who will face Wheaton Academy (21-8) at 7 p.m. Friday for the regional title.
With Freddy on the bench with foul trouble, Jeffrey held down the post. He grabbed six rebounds and put in a layup in the second quarter as Kaneland took a 24-15 lead at halftime.
“He’s gotten a lot better,” Kaneland coach Ernie Colombe said of Jeffrey. “He’s still growing as a sophomore in terms of understanding the game. They were physical inside.
“I thought in the beginning he was going up to avoid contact. We tried to talk to him, and then he started playing off two feet in the paint. He was tough down there. He was a matchup problem.”
Jeffrey’s biggest cheerleader was enjoying the show on the bench.
“It was great,” Freddy said. “Not just because he’s my little brother, my big little brother, but we’ve been working so hard for this. He makes sure he does everything right, takes his time.
“He’s strong in the paint. He’s patient.”
Colombe confirmed that the Hassan brothers are different types of players.
Freddy started his varsity career in the post before expanding his game to the perimeter and being able to put the ball on the floor. Colombe doesn’t want to limit Jeffrey’s potential, either.
“Honestly, we don’t even compare them because they’re different,” Colombe said. “A couple years ago, Freddy was on the inside primarily. We have these guys do everything the guards do.
“The growth in Jeffrey from the summer to now, he’s handling the ball better. He can shoot. In practice, he shoots it well. The sky is the limit with those guys.”
For now, Jeffrey Hassan’s greatest asset is his length and height.
Even if he doesn’t block the shot, he makes opponents do things they would rather not do. That helped contribute to Plano shooting 7 of 43 and to Kaneland earning a 53-24 edge in rebounds.
“It’s not just blocking shots,” Colombe said. “It’s about altering them, making them take fadeaways or layups that are wild. I think he’s got a ton of potential.”
Jeffrey Hassan acknowledged that he’s working on his ball-handling and shooting skills while still learning how to thrive at the varsity level.
“We both work on the same stuff,” Jeffrey said of his brother. “He’s just better at it.”
Freddy Hassan tries to bring his brother along. After taking a similar path in his varsity career, he knows what Jeffrey needs to do to realize his full potential.
“I’ve been trying to do my best to help him get better,” Freddy said. “He has a crazy work ethic. He works hard on his own, too.”
Jeffrey Hassan also knows he’s on his way toward his goal of playing Division I basketball.
“If I keep working, yeah,” Jeffrey said. “I try not to let it get to my head.”
Paul Johnson is a freelance reporter for The Beacon-News.
