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’s 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 #gotigers Thank you for be believing in my talents ⏳7️⃣💙🙏🏽@coachpenny1 @TSUTigersMBB pic.twitter.com/SVrnMGchB8
— Enmanuel Dominguez (@Enmanue26969041) August 13, 2021
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’s play caught the attention of many notable online platforms including SLAM and teamflightbrothers among others.
This viral play also caught the attention of an old friend of Donato’s dad, Life Christian Academy head basketball coach Moises Micael. Micael and Donato’s father played professional basketball together in the Dominican, further explaining Donato’s 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’s 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’s also seen himself be featured in a number of different videos including one by Ballislife.com which 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’d rather avoid a “media circus,” Tennessee State has shown time and again they don’t mind the spotlight.
Just a few months ago, the Tigers men’s basketball team signed Hercy Miller, the son of acclaimed hip-hop artist Master P. In April, the Tigers’ 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’d 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’s 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’s exactly what the Tigers are showing in Donato. It’s 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’s most popular rising stars.
