Byron (Gus) Hancock '18 Recruiting Profile

My name is Gus Hancock and I'm a senior at Bryan High School in Bryan Texas. I have been an athlete since before I could even be on a team.  Because I love sports, I have decided I would most like to study sports medicine to become a physical therapist or some kind of trainer. I recently started working for a nutrition based smoothie company called Smoothie King and now I am also interested in sports nutrition. I think athletes need someone to help them understand how nutrition, exercise, and training work together to make them the best they can be. I would love to do that.  I have also dreamed of being a professional athlete. I know the odds are slim but I have as much determination and drive as anyone I've ever met. I really do think I could be an Olympic athlete with the right coaching and support.

I'm pretty sure any of my former coaches would say I'm a great candidate for any team. I have played baseball, basketball, soccer and football competitively. I joined every team my coaches encouraged me to try. In middle school I fell in love with track and made it my goal to go to the state track meet in high school. I accomplished my goal when I was just a freshman. Even when the rest of my team was finished with track practice I would ask my middle school coach to meet me at the high school to practice some more. I placed fourth in the 800M that year behind three seniors. My sophomore year I won the men's 800m at the state track meet with a time of 1:54.84. My junior year I was already running a time that would qualify for the state meet at the beginning of the season and I won the 300m hurdles as well to qualify for the area meet. One day before the area track meet I was hit in the head while at track practice and suffered a concussion that took me out of track for the rest of the year. This year I am determined to return to the state meet in 2 events, the 800m and the 300m hurdles and I plan to win both.

That kind of determination makes me an asset to any team. But I am also a great teammate. I'm not worried about being a star. I'm more worried about doing my job the best I can and helping my teammates do the same. I can get along with lots of different kinds of people and I'm good at helping them get along with each other. My coaches count on me to pump up my team when we are behind or coming off of a loss. I know how to bounce back and I DO NOT GIVE UP! That became very important when I broke my leg on the first day of my senior year during football practice. I have been recovering for more than six weeks and it was tough to watch my team play without me.  Last Friday I got to come back for my first game of the season. I only got to go in for a few plays but I intercepted the ball and made a few good hits. It felt AWESOME!

In athletics I'm a fast learner on the field or track. You can show me once or twice how to do something and I get it. Then, I will work until I perfect it. I've always had a very high pain tolerance so I can work through conditions that make other athletes quit or complain.

 I am also very respectful and lots of athletes these days are not. My mom made sure I treat all people the same way and that I am especially respectful of my elders and my coaches. I make mistakes all the time but I take responsibility for them because I can't stand people who blame others or make excuses.

My dad hasn’t been here most of my life. He came back from Iraq with lost of problems so it has just been my mom and sisters and my brother at home with me for a long time. I found ways to be successful and be around other guys playing every sport I got a chance to play. My coaches have kind of been like dads and they taught me how to treat a team like a family even when they are making me mad. I am thankful for that.

Academics have always been my biggest struggle. I have dyslexia and something called Irlen Syndrome that makes printed things look like they are moving on paper. I had to go to special classes to learn how to read and it hasn't ever been easy. In high school algebra has been the toughest subject because it is so much like reading. I know that I will need tutoring and encouragement in college and that is why being a student athlete is so important. Having a team count on me to do well so I can participate gives me motivation when I'm discouraged. Getting my degree is the most important step in doing what I want to do as a career. Sports will help me stay focused on that.

Please consider me as a candidate for your team.