Kaneland’s Freddy Hassan didn’t begin playing basketball at a young age.
Skateboarding in his Montgomery neighborhood was more his passion, with his first basketball experience coming in seventh grade. After the pandemic, he dove into the game headfirst.
A talented 6-foot-7 senior forward, Hassan has made up for lost time — and people are noticing.
“It’s very rare in high school we see a guy be able to transition from back to the basket to perimeter player,” DeKalb coach Mike Reynolds said of Hassan. “And you only do that by working tirelessly. A lot of guys try but aren’t successful.
“You can see on film Freddy is much more comfortable on the perimeter than he was last year. He’s transitioning, to be real honest, to being a college player. That’s what he looks like.”
Hassan showcased those improving skills early Tuesday night for the host Knights in 58-54 nonconference victory over their former conference rivals in Maple Park.
After hitting a pull-up baseline jumper and 3-pointer to open the first quarter, Hassan came up with a steal that led to a pair of free throws from junior guard Evan Frieders for a 7-0 lead.
Hassan finished with 15 points, seven rebounds, three steals and two blocks for Kaneland (20-1).
Junior point guard Marshawn Cocroft scored 16 of his game-high 23 points in the second half, when he also played lockdown defense on senior guard Sean Reynolds, the coach’s son.
Reynolds recently topped 2,000 points, becoming the all-time scoring leader for DeKalb (16-6). He had five of his team-high 17 points in the second half, including a final buzzer-beating 3-pointer.
“We put multiple guys on him early, and the plan was to switch in the second half,” Kaneland coach Ernie Colombe said of Reynolds. “Marshawn’s quickness seemed to work down the stretch.
“My assistant, Dominic Bruno, handles our defensive game plans, and he was outstanding (Tuesday night) and has been all year.”
Junior forward Davon Grant added 12 points and senior guard Marquise Bolden chipped in with 10 points for DeKalb, which led by 10 early in the second quarter.
“Coach tries to keep me from guarding the best player to stay out of foul trouble, but he knows that I always love that challenge,” Cocroft said. “(Reynolds) is the key to their offense.
“He moves really well off the ball and has a nice shot and gets his teammates open. I was trying to keep him from getting open looks.”
Freddy Hassan, meanwhile, teamed with younger brother Jeffrey, a 6-9 sophomore center, for a strong inside presence that helped the Knights to a 25-18 rebounding advantage.
“They’re both coming, you see they’re both improving,” Colombe said. “They work hard every day in practice, and it’s nice to see them showing people what they can do. It’s not a surprise.”
Not so surprising? It’s the first time Kaneland has had 20 or more wins in three straight seasons, following back-to-back 26-6 finishes.
Mike Reynolds said it was a good game for both teams. The Knights are in Class 3A for the postseason, and Class 4A DeKalb won this matchup the previous two seasons.
“Our defensive rebounding wasn’t good enough and a couple 50-50 balls went their way,” he said. “That’s the difference in a regional, sectional-type game, which this prepares us to play.”
Reynolds said Freddy Hassan’s development into a perimeter player makes him a “one percenter because that’s how many people can make that switch. It’s enabled his brother to play more, too, because you’re not going to play two like that down low a lot of the time.
“Expanding his game, it’s jumped their team tremendously. And every time I watch the tape, I think the brother is two inches taller. I don’t know if he is or not, but he’s awfully big.”
